The day Hitler acquires a fierce opponent

On May 10, 1940, Great Britain is at a crossroads— and the entire world stands with it. Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain has just resigned and two men are ready to take his place— two men who could not be more different from each other. One is a man of peace, the other advocates war. While Lord Halifax wishes to continue his predecessor’s policy of placating Hitler, the other man knows Hitler must be crushed. The public thinks of Winston Churchill as a warmonger because he has been issuing warnings about the Nazis for some time. However the German attack on Poland on September 1, 1939, proves his point; two days later Churchill becomes the First Lord of the Admiralty. When Churchill is named Prime Minister by Parliament on May 10, 1940, Hitler gains a powerful adversary— a military genius and, like Hitler himself, a master of speeches and slogans. Right from his first speech Churchill makes it clear to his countrymen that he will demand blood, sweat, and tears, and the war must end in “victory at all costs.” “Churchill had always advocated a continuation of the fighting,” says historian Ian Kershaw. “He was one of the most important factors that contributed to the success of the Allies.” World War II could have ended in disaster if Halifax had become prime minister. His friend recalls a 1936 visit to Germany: “Halifax told me he liked all the Nazi leaders, even Goebbels, and was very impressed. He thought the regime was fantastic.” If Germany and Great Britain got along, Hitler would have had free rein in the East— and been very hard to beat.