70 years ago today: A fateful moment for civilization

Nazi Germany launched its long planned invasion of France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg. In Britain a long simmering political crisis came to a head. Neville Chamberlain was forced to resign and Winston Churchill became Prime Minister in one of the darkest hours in history. Within a month Continental Europe would be lost and Britain would be living under the threat of invasion for the first time since Napoleon's era.

The Netherlands surrendered within days, Rotterdam was bombed with thousands killed even after the Dutch had sued for peace. Belgium fought for ten days before capitulating with her king becoming a prisoner of war. Luxembourg was swallowed in hours. The French army fought well but they were outmaneuvered and unable to stop the massive rush of tanks and bombers. Their vast system of much vaunted fortifications were shown to be of little use. Defeatist sentiment swelled up.

And the British army was forced to retreat to the harbor city of Dunkirk. With their back to the sea and hopelessly encircled the British undertook one of the epic military evacuations of history. Under continuous attack from air and artillery the Royal Navy supported by nearly every water craft in the British Isles that was able to get underway removed the vast bulk of Britain's army and many French troops, sans their heavy equipment which was lost to the enemy.

On June 4th 1940 Winston Churchill stood up at the Treasury Bench in the Commons to report on the events of the war. It was one of the most sobering and at the same time inspiring speeches of the 20th century.


Part 1


Part 2

The final three words of the speech were cut off. They were "...of the old."