The war situation at the time of Churchill’s speech of 20 August 1940 seemed desperate as the German air force was attacking Great Britain.
On August 20, 1940, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill gave a famous speech known for the phrase “Never before have so many owed so much to so few.” (Battle of Britain).
Churchill had assumed the post of Prime Minister three months and ten days earlier (May 10, 1940), and gave the said speech before members of the House of Commons of the British Parliament. During these previous few months, the beginning of his term, Prime Minister Churchill gave three more famous speeches: “Blood, effort, tears and sweat”, “We will fight on the beaches” and “It was their best hour”. The war situation at the time of the said fourth speech of 20 August 1940 seemed desperate as the German air force was attacking Great Britain and bombing its cities, and the Wehrmacht’s ground invasion of England was being prepared.
Yet this Churchill speech, like the previous three, gave impetus to the morale of the British soldiers. And indeed, the Germans soon lost the Battle of Britain, and Adolf Hitler had to cancel the invasion of the British mainland.
