The Grand Alliance (182 page)
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Authors: Winston S. Churchill
Tags: #History, #Military, #World War II
24
This refers to a minute about Blenheim attacks on shipping in Rotterdam.
25
This refers to early plans for atom-bomb research, for which we used the code-word “Tube Alloys.”
26
The explanation divided the responsibility to an extent which was difficult to follow by disciplinary action.
27
This was the U-boat captured by a Hudson aircraft in the western approaches in August 1911. See Book Two, Chapter 7, “The Mounting Strength of Britain,” page 519.
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28
Later types of British fighters could not at this time be spared by the R.A.F. for the use of the Navy. (See also minute of 16.VIII.41, pages 809–10.)
29
Wing-Commander “Paddy”
Finucane, D.F.C. and two bars, was killed at the age of twenty-two in July, 1942, when after continuous exploits, he was leading a fighter wing in a mass attack on enemy targets in France. It was always said that the Luftwaffe would never get him, and it was actually a ground shot from an unusual single machine-gun post which hit his Spitfire.
He flew slowly out to sea, talking calmly to his comrades.
Finally, when ten miles from the French coast, he sent his last message, spoken probably as his engine stopped:
“This is it, chaps.” He crashed from about ten feet above the sea, and his machine sank at once. Finucane had always vowed not to be taken prisoner, and it was probably this that made him fly out to sea rather than inland, where he would have had a good chance of survival.
30
Unrotated Projectile. Disguised name for rocket. See footnote to minute of 6.XII.41, page 838.
31
These comments refer to the Admiralty programme of new naval construction for 1942. Many changes were made in it at later dates. The following notes indicate the size of our effort:
(1)
Convoy escort vessels.
Over one hundred frigates, ordered about this time and built in American yards, were delivered to us by the middle of 1944.
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(2) The aircraft-carrier Eagle is referred to here for the first time. She was laid down late in 1942, and was expected to take nearly four years to build. In fact this ship has not yet been completed.
(3) 6
-inch-gun cruisers.
Two of the ships mentioned became H.M. ships
Defence
and
Superb.
The eight-inch-gun cruiser was never built.
(4)
Destroyers.
The following were on order or in various stages of construction:
(5)
Landing-craft.
Very large increases in all types of landing-craft construction were made in later years.
32
Post-war analysis shows that German U-boat losses at this period were as follows: September, 2; October, 2; November, 5; December, 9. British submarine losses during the same period were three.
33
Post-war figures show that the average daily number of U-boats operating in the North Atlantic during December, 1911, was eight. In addition, on any given day many others were on outward or homeward passages.
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The shipping losses by U-boats during November, 1941, were 61,700 tons, the lowest figure recorded for any month since May, 1940.
34
“Gee” was the name given to a radio device by means of which our bombers could fix their positions when operating over Germany.
35
Type K – Anti-aircraft rocket.
Apparatus A.D., Type L, Apparatus A.D., Type J – Rockets for defence of aerodromes and similar places against low flying aircraft.
Rocket U, 5 inch – Original design was for delivering chemical warfare charge, but subsequently became area barrage weapon.
Rocket U, 3 inch – Anti-aircraft barrage weapon.
Appendix B, Book Two
36
See Book Two, Chapter 2, page 411
Appendix C, Book Two
37
See Book Two, Chapter 4, 445.
Appendix G, Book Two
38
See Volume I, Book One, Chapter 9.
Appendix H, Book Two
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39
The office of Minister of Transport was united with that of the Minister of Shipping, and a new oflice of Minister of War Transport created May 1, 1941.
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About the Author
One of the most significant leaders of the twentieth century, Winston Churchill was born in 1874. He served as a war correspondent during the Boer War and after his capture and release became a national hero in England. He parlayed his celebrity into a political career, getting elected to the Conservative Party just ten months after his return.
Churchill joined the Liberal Party in 1904. After serving as Home Secretary under David Lloyd George, he became Lord of the Admiralty, but a military setback suffered in World War I forced him to resign. Churchill’s political career suffered many ups and downs during the 1920’s and 30’s owing, in part, to his support of King Edward VIII during his abdication. But when Hitler invaded Poland in 1939, Churchill was reappointed Lord of the Admiralty.
In 1940, Churchill succeeded Chamberlain as Prime Minister and remained in office until 1945. During that time, he successfully guided the nation through World War II, inspiring and mobilizing the British people and forging crucial ties with American President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Despite his success in the war, Churchill’s government was voted out in 1945, owing in part to the nation’s lack of confidence in his domestic policies. He remained in Parliament and was reelected in 1951, ultimately resigning in 1955 at the age of 80.
After retirement from public life, Churchill spent his time writing, publishing The History of the English Speaking People. That work, along with his six-volume history of The Grand Alliance
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World War II and The World Crisis, his history of World War I, earned Churchill the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1953. In 1963 Churchill was made an honorary U.S. citizen. Winston Churchill died in 1965 at the age of 90.
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