Documents of World War II

Site Issues 2007 Archive Room
#1

Found a fascinating war document earlier this morning:

[b]PRIME MINISTER WINSTON CHURCHILL’S BROADCAST ON WAR WITH JAPAN

December 8, 1941

[/b]

http://www.ibiblio.org/pha/policy/1941/411208e.html

Thought that it would be nice to share it with the whole Forum.
History, a looking back over your shoulder is often so surprising.
The proud and tough language used in 1941 is almost painful to read in 2007.
Millions of men, women and children were killed during World War Two, indeed all over the world.

#2

Churchill was the last person in a position to complain about the Japanese attack on Malaya.

Britain lost Malaya as much because of political reasons, almost exclusively Churchillian, as military ones.

Percival was hamstrung by the knowledge that he needed to go into Thailand to stop the accurately predicted points of Japanese landing and airfield establishment, while Churchill insisted that he not do it so that Malaya would be a victim to elicit American support rather than Britain being seen as the aggressor by initiating action against Japan.

Malaya is considered here, with various digressions by 32 Bravo and me

http://www.ww2incolor.com/forum/showthread.php?t=4781&highlight=Blamey

but about post 19 there’s a reasonable summary of some of the aspects which places Malaya’s loss at Churchill’s feet, but more detail as the thread progresses.