In its long and proud history, the British Empire has stood as the beacon of civilization for all to follow. Our fleets have dominated the waters of Europe for centuries. Our air force has become one of the proudest of all the world. And our men shattered the German Empire in the last Great War. Since Versailles, we have stood as the dominant power in the world, maintaining a peace that was to last forever.



But we were naive. In our haste to humiliate Germany, we didn't stop to consider how resentment could have led them to grow strong -- stronger even than the Germany we fought in the Great War. Now, in no small part due to Adolf Hitler and his Nazi Party, Germany has built its military into a force unlike any we have ever faced. Their air force now controls the skies of Europe, their submarines haunt the channel, and their men march all over the face of the continent. France and the Low Countries fell within a matter of weeks. Mainland Europe belongs to the fascists of Germany and Italy. Now, they're bombing London day in and out. It's chaos.



But they forgot one thing. The United Kingdom is still a strong and mighty country, with many friends still ready to join the fight. My half-sister in America wrote to me that President Roosevelt, while still hesitant to send men to die in Europe, has thrown his support behind us. We will endure the Luftwaffe's attacks on our capital and stand stronger when at last our people can emerge from the underground and free Europe from Nazi tyranny. We must stand and we must fight! And we must remember Prime Minister Churchill's words.



"We shall go on to the end. We shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our island, whatever the cost may be. We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender!"



And we never will!