“I am speaking to you from the Cabinet Room at 10 Downing Street. This morning the British Ambassador in Berlin handed the German Government an official note stating that unless we heard from them by eleven o’clock, that they were prepared at once to withdraw their troops from Poland, a state of war would exist between us. I have to tell you now that no such undertaking has been received, and consequently this county is at war with Germany. You can imagine what a bitter blow it is to me that all my long struggle to win peace has failed. Yet I cannot believe that there is anything more or anything different that I could have done and that would have been more successful…. We and France are to-day, in fullfilllment of our obligations, going to the aid of Poland, so bravely resisting this wicked and unprovoked attack on her people. We have a clear conscience, we have done all that any country could do to establish peace. The situation in which no word given by Germany’s ruler could be trusted and no people or country could feel safe has become intolerable. Now we have resolved to finish it, I know you will all play your part with calmness and courage…”

Neville Chamberlain, 65 years ago today…

Shaun

Shaun, thanks for the reminder. Great speech.

I've got a question for you, that's been brought a couple of times on other history boards. Britain and France went to war with Germany because they invaded Poland. Why did they not go to war with the Soviet Union when they invaded Poland from the other side? You could make the point that by signing a non aggression pact with the USSR Germany was a type of ally with the Soviets.

I maintain it was simple self preservation. They would have been crazy to be at war against both of them.

Yeah, Rodger I think you are right. I always wondered what would have happened if the French would have invaded Germany at the outset, since they had a bigger and better equipped (armor wise anyway) army than the Germans at that time. Germany waited 8 months to invaded the Low Countries. Maybe things would have been different if France and the BEF had taken the early initiative away from Germany and crossed the border into Germany proper.

We can always wonder I guess.

Shaun

This is NOT meant to be knocking the French, but I really think that army was defeated before they ever fired a shot. It's my theory that the fact they didn't try to invade pretty much proves that. I don't really know what would have happened. I suspect their is the possibility of a near repeat of the WWI stalemate, but that is just a WAG.

I'm really very interested in trying to figure out why the British and French did as badly as they did in May 1940. I think a lot was psychological, but I haven't studied enough to know for sure.

Re the British and French poor showing Roger I would say it was the w.w.1 mentality of both high commands plus the use of the blitzkreig.i have read that many british commanding officers still believed a rifle volley was more effective than a machine gun,and if they wanted to know how heavy the shelling was they would call London(that mentality still exists today)they just never learned anything from the first war.

To find the answers to your questions about British and French forces at the start of WW II you might want to get a new book out by Douglas Prch entitled "The Path To Victory." I started it the other day and cannot put it down. Marvelous writing style and full of interesting insights. I commend it to you.
DJ