“History will be kind to me for I intend to write it.”

Churchill had warned about the rise of Hitler and the Nazis in Germany prior to World War II. He became the British prime minister in 1940 after resignation of then-leader Neville Chamberlain. Churchill's refusal to surrender to Nazi Germany inspired many to persevere in the brutal fight.

The path to victory in World War II, as Churchill predicted, was going to be long and difficult: in June 1940 France fell to the Nazis. German fighter aircrafts started three months of devastating air raids of Britain in July. Though the future for Britain seemed horrific, Churchill did his best to preserve the spirits of his people. In Parliament and on the radio, he delivered stirring speeches. He persuaded the United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt to provide the Allies with war supplies – ammunition, weapons, tanks, planes – through a scheme known as Lend-Lease, long before the Americans joined the war. His speech of June 18, 1940, was delivered first in the House of Commons and then broadcasted to the Nation, against the backdrop of the fall of France, one of the darkest moments in British history. Churchill did not flinch from admitting the severity of the situation, but he turned it into a roar of determination and defiance.

In the dark early days of the Second World War Churchill had few real weapons. Instead he attacked with words. The speeches he made at that time were among the most powerful ever given. His words were defiant, heroic and lightened by shimmering humour. His speeches echoed throughout Britain, across Nazi-occupied Europe, and throughout the world.

There were 338,000 British soldiers trapped at Dunkirk, all Hitler had to do was drop a bomb and Britain would have had to surrender. If this were to happen the war would have been over. But instead of dropping the bomb, Hitler gave Winston Churchill a chance to surrender. Churchill responded by saying “We will never surrender”. During this delay Churchill ordered all British watercraft in the English Channel to rush out to Dunkirk and save as many soldiers as possible. When the Nazis finally dropped the bomb 68,000 soldiers died. But this victory was a hollow one. The majority of soldiers were saved only because of a peculiar halt order from the German command, and the Nazis were just days away from entering Paris. Churchill knew he had to prepare his people for the possible fall of France. However, the largely successful evacuation of the bulk of Britain’s trained troops from near-annihilation proved to be a key moment in the Allied war effort.

Germany's plan was to use the Luftwaffe to destroy the Royal Air Force and the British Navy, Hitler then wanted to use the Kriegsmarine to ferry German troops into Britain, and defeat them on land. Hitler referred to this invasion strategy as 'Operation Sealion'. The battle began July 10th 1940. Britain had one advantage - a new technology called radar. The radar towers in Britain could detect planes leaving from Berlin. By mid-August, Germany had gained air superiority in Britain, the Royal Air Force was close to collapse, and the British were down to 350 aircraft. Winston Churchill made the decision to order the Royal Air Force to begin bombing Berlin, a civilian city, since Hitler too was occasionally bombing civilian cities in Britain. However after Churchill declared this, Hitler decided to change his focus completely and bomb cities instead of the Royal Air Force bases. This gave Britain a chance to recover and rebuild the Royal Air Force. By the end of September 1940, Germany had lost all air superiority in Britain. Operation Sealion had to be cancelled. This was a victory for Churchill.

“The only thing worse than having allies is not having them.” - Winston Churchill. In World War II, three great powers allied together, Great Britain, the United States, and the Soviet Union which was the ultimate key to victory. The Big Three faced tremendous obstacles in their attempts to coordinate. Thousands of miles separated their capitals, which meant that important decisions often had to be made by telephone or telegraph. Although their representatives met frequently during the war, Roosevelt, Stalin, and Churchill only ever met twice in person. Yet this alliance defeated the Nazi regime, and restored peace throughout the world. Britain, America, and the Soviet Union all had crucial parts to play in the defeat of Nazi Germany. Churchill's will to persevere and never surrender, with in his use of encouraging words, and the alliances he formed was what saved the free world.

The Allied Forces of Britain, America, Canada and France invaded German forces on the coast of Normandy, France, on 6 June 1944. With an overwhelming force of over 150,000 troops, the Allies invaded and achieved a victory which became the turning point in Europe for World War II. This famous battle is referred to as D-Day or the Normandy invasion. Germany had conquered France and sought to take over the whole of Europe, including Britain.The expansion of German power was slowed down by Britain and the United States. In order to prepare for their invasion, the Allies assembled troops and equipment in Britain. The number of air strikes and bomb attacks on German territory was also increased. Immediately before the invasion, more than 1000 bombers struck German targets every day. To slow down and hinder the German army, they bombed railroads, bridges, airfields and other locations strategically. To confuse the Germans, the Allies tried to make it look as if they were trying to assault Pas de Calais north of Normandy. The British created fake tanks and airplanes made out of wood and placed them in the forests near Pas de Calais for the German reconnaissance to see. On the beaches of Normandy, the Paratroopers were to start the first wave of the assault. These were people who jumped with parachutes out of planes. They jumped into the the dark cover of the night, landing behind the enemy lines. Their role was to destroy key targets and seize bridges so they could land on the beach for the main invasion force. Hundreds of planes, then, dropped bombs on German defences. Warships began bombing the beaches from the sea shortly afterwards. While the bombing was going on, underground members of the French Resistance sabotaged the Germans by cutting telephone lines and destroying railroads. This was the allies last plan that aimed to bring an end to World War II, and allow peace to prevail in Europe. Churchill wanted to be present on the day of the attack but arrived six days after the initial landing. Given the amount of planning and the complexity of this operation it is clear why Churchill would want to be present even if it put him in grave danger. Each county had to sacrifice many men in order for the D-Day operation to work. Churchill had been planning this invasion for over three years, he understood that unless they were able to fight Hitler and his forces on land they would never win the war.