do you agree with winston churchill ......... ?

Question

... when he said "the allied forces have won the war because they have not known that they had lost it, and the germans have lost it because they have not known they had won"

@gay_in_an_1890 : sorry i have none. I heard it on the radio, and it sounded so natural from him that i took it as true

Answer 1

I don't know about the quotation but the comments regarding an allied or rather a British defeat during the Battle of Britain followed by invasion and defeat are frankly wrong. (i.e.'one more wave of bombers'.)

It is well documented that the german invasion plans Operation Sealion would not have been successful as they were unworkable in the extreme. Contrast Overlord and the massive resources used with the limited planning and resources of Sealion. Sealion was to be an invasion with chained Rhine barges unfit of sea transport, no armoured support in the initial waves and no provision for immediate supply of the invading troops. Also the invasion front was to be massive and would probably have been unsustainable even if the British were first defeated on the beaches. Planned counter-attacks with armour and air support would have been enough to crush the bridgehead.

Secondly, the Battle of Britain itself was also unwinnable for the Germans given the German inabilityto sustain long distance flights over the UK whilst the British could have withdrawn to Midlands airfields and still defend the coast from invasion. Also production was becoming a factor as the British production was sustaining losses and increasing whilst the aircraft German production was not so strong and pilot training after losing the veterans was too slow to make up losses.

The ultimate result of a war without a german invasion of Britain and Russia would have been a long stalemate as German was incapable of victory on its own against the British Empire and the British were incapable of defeating the germans alone. Period propaganda has created the myth of likely invasion after the first few weeks following Dunkirk but the reality was that it could never have happened as the Royal navy out of reach in the North of Britain would always have been quick and strong enough to defeat a german invasion fleet with or without air support.

Churchill was in many ways a far greater self-publicist than Politician and had the luxury of being able to write his own history. Only now is this being questioned and being revised to reflect the truth rather than the myth.

Answer 2

Well yah, i do, we were extreemly lucky we won. In fact, we wouldn't have if Hitler hadn't invaded Russia. The only reason they did not end up controling euroupe and probably much more, is because they had a litterally insane leader. If anyone compatant had been in power they would have won. Not may have won, would have won. We did not know we "had lost it" so kept pushing and pushing. The Germans however, if they'd played their cards right, should have stopped after carrying out some of their threats, and kept demanding more and more out of euroupe. They could have controled it without using military power, which would have worked much better. So they didn't know they had already won the war, so they kept fighting, thearfor losing.

Answer 3

Sounds strange to me and not very Churchillian. I was a child at the end of WW2 [b1941]. Seems likely but strangely sureal and yet true.

Try these : -

Winston Churchill Quotes181 quotes and quotations by Winston Churchill. ... Add the "Quote of the Day" to Your Site or Blog - it's EASY! Home - Quote Topics - Quote Keywords ...
http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/w/winston_churchill.html

Winston Churchill Quotes An appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last.
http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/w/winstonchu100130.html

Sir Winston Churchill Quotes - The Quotations Page We have 2 book reviews related to Sir Winston Churchill. ... Sir Winston Churchill; I have always felt that a politician is to be judged by the animosities ...
http://www.quotationspage.com/quotes/Sir_Winston_Churchill

Note that Winston never gave a speech or made any other kind of public utterance that he had not first rehearsed and rehearsed and rehearsed.

Answer 4

Pretty much. There were a couple of times when the Axis powers had the Allies properly on the ropes and we got let off the hook. The Battle of Britain was one. Just one or two waves of German bombers and I'm not sure we would have had much left to fight with.

Answer 5

There is indeed a lot in that - but I do not accept that it is the whole explanation. The Germans were never allowed to end the war but were made to keep on fighting until they made a fatal mistake - waging war on two fronts.

Answer 6

there was said to have been a time during the Battle of Britain, when every single aircraft was up.

Had the Germans pushed a bit harder then, 1940, they could have invaded

Answer 7

Yes but it takes a bit of thinking about

Answer 8

I'm pretty well versed on Churchill and don't recall this quote.

Do you have a source for it?

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Thanks for the reply. I really don't think this is Churchill, but will agree with BigJohns reply.

Answer 9

It is a broad statement but has an element of truth.

Answer 10

The real expression could have been during his drunken tirade like this..

You know I know that you know that I know that you know, so now both of us know what you know and I know that both of us know that you know what I know.

He was a better author. worth reading is "History of the English Speaking People"