Jump to content

Draft:This is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Citation bot (talk | contribs) at 05:25, 30 June 2025 (Alter: template type, title, url, last, first. URLs might have been anonymized. Add: duplicate_access-date, duplicate_title. Removed parameters. | Use this bot. Report bugs. | Suggested by LeapTorchGear | #UCB_webform 583/911). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.
Winston Churchill, cigar in mouth, gives his famous 'V' for victory sign during a visit to Bradford, 4 December 1942.

This sentence, taken from one of his most memorable wartime speeches, was publicly delivered.[1] by Winston Churchill, on 10 November 1942[2], at the Lord Mayor's Day luncheon[3], at London's City Hall, where he had arrived with his wife in an open car preceded by loudspeakers, making his way through a cheering crowd in the City[4]. After the decisive victory at El Alamein and the launch of this major complex Allied operation launched on November 8, the success of which was already underway on November 10[5], it marked the turn of the tide[6][7], the reversal[8][9], announcing the turning point of the war[10][11][12] on the Western Front in World War II. As a celebration following, the ringing of the church bells in Great Britain, suspended since 1940, was reestablished throughout the country[13][14] Tempering any premature triumphalism, with restraint and humor, Churchill, the British Prime Minister, declared, without predicting the timeframe for achieving final victory, the beginning of the retreat of the Nazi armies, a conjecture confirmed by history.

An awaited moment reached

After the defeat of France in June 1940, Churchill continued the war against the Axis forces without compromise ("We shall never surrender"), under difficult conditions. Setbacks had been mounting for the Allies for more than two years, despite the United States' entry into the war after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, and the Soviet army was struggling on the Eastern European front.

The British Prime Minister, who supported this landing in North Africa, had succeeded in winning President Roosevelt's decision despite the reluctance of Gen. Marshall and the American General Staff: landing in North Africa in 1942 rather than attempting a landing in France across the Channel in 1943.[15][16] which required resources that were then unavailable. The risk of another defeat in this delay could lead the Soviets to seek a separate peace with the Nazis, giving them access to the Balkan oil fields. This would also have allowed dozens of German divisions to return west, making a future Allied landing in Europe even more uncertain. Victory changes sides[17] after the British success at El Alamein (November 4, 1942) and that of Operation Torch[18] (on November 8, 1942, the Allied landings in North Africa) later called the bisector of the war[19][20], opening to the West in time and at the right time, the second front promised to Stalin by Roosevelt and Churchill to prevent the tottering USSR from concluding a separate armistice[21] with Germany.

But this Battle of Egypt, so important in itself, was also intended to be the prelude and counterpart to the crucial operation undertaken at the western end of the Mediterranean, an operation led by the United States and in which our army, our air force, and especially our navy played an important role. Very comprehensive accounts of what was happening have been published.[22][23].

The end of 1942 is regularly described as the turning point of the Second World War: This feeling was shared by the Allies of the time, civilians and military alike, aware of the shift that was taking place[24]. The successful landings in North Africa on November 8, 1942, were one of the elements that would turn the military situation in favor of the Allies from 1942 onward. On the other hand, was this impression shared by all the protagonists? [25][26]

On January 14, 1943, the Anfa Conference opened in Morocco, a French protectorate then liberated by the Allies from the collaborationist tutelage of the Vichy government. It brought together Roosevelt and Churchill (Stalin, invited, did not attend), and also, under this aegis, Giraud and De Gaulle. The Soviet counterattack at Stalingrad began in late November 1942; victory came on February 2, 1943, confirming the retreat of the Axis forces. "The end of the beginning," a shortened sentence appearing in the speech of November 10, 1942, became its heading.[27][28], lucid and restrained expression, announcing the very beginning of the turn that has occurred, with a humor understood in the turn of its terms[29]. The rest of history has not contradicted it in facts, time and memories, The End of the Beginning also establishing itself as the headline[30][31] from the volume of his wartime speeches of the year 1942. The war was still far from over, but with 'the turning point of the war' having arrived and the Allies making progress, important lessons were being learned[32] for the success of the Allied landings in Normandy[33] June 6, 1944, Operation Overlord.

References

  1. ^ "Autumn 1942 (Age 68)". International Churchill Society. 2015-03-12.
  2. ^ Winston Churchill. Decca Music Group (ed.). The End of the Beginning, Wartime Speeches 1939-1945. Universal Music Group. 4:08 minutes in. Retrieved 2025-05-25.
  3. ^ Time To Remember - The End of The Beginning 1942. britishpathe.com (motion picture). Reel 4 (1942). London: British Pathé. 7 minutes in. Retrieved 2025-06-15.
  4. ^ "Autumn 1942 (Age 68 )". International Churchill Society. March 12, 2015.
  5. ^ "operation-torch-algeria-morocco-campaign". ushmm.org. Wasnington,DC. Jan 7, 2019. Retrieved May 15, 2025. {{cite encyclopedia}}: Unknown parameter |DUPLICATE_title= ignored (help)CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  6. ^ Christine Levisse-Touzé (1998). L'Afrique du Nord dans la Guerre 1939-1945 (in French). Paris: Éditions Albin Michel. p. 332. ISBN 2-226-100695.
  7. ^ Howe, George F. (1993). "Northwest Africa: Seizing the initiative in the West" (PDF). p. 675.
  8. ^ MAJ Gray; COL Tavares; LTC Kahn; MAJ Arnold; MAJ Bird; MAJ Dunham; MAJ French; MAJ Gay; MAJ Kogle; MAJ Olsen; MAJ Wright; CPT Owens (1985-03-21). "Operation Torch, North Africa Campaign, 8 November 1942: Offensive Deliberate Assault Amphibious" (PDF). Fort Leavensworth, KS: Combat Studies Institute, USACGSC. p. 101.
  9. ^ Pathé-Newsreels (1943-11-23). "The Turn of the Tide - Allied Landings in North Africa". Retrieved April 14, 2025.
  10. ^ Roger Carcassonne-Leduc; Gérard Linquier (2000). 8 Novembre 1942, la Première Victoire. Editions Louis Pariente. p. 9. ISBN 2840590530.
  11. ^ "Operation Torch, Les Débarquements Alliés en Afrique du Nord, 8 Novembre 1942" (in French). November 8, 1942. Retrieved April 26, 2025.
  12. ^ "The successful landings in North Africa on November 8, 1942, were one of the elements that would turn the military situation in favor of the Allies from 1942 onward".
  13. ^ Time To Remember - The End of The Beginning 1942. britishpathe.com (motion picture). Reel 4 (1942). London: British Pathé. Event occurs at 5:20. Retrieved 2025-06-15.
  14. ^ "Autumn 1942 (Age 68 )". International Churchill Society. 2015-03-12.
  15. ^ Maj Gray; Col Tavares; Ltc Kahn; Maj Arnold; Maj Bird; Maj Dunham; Maj French; Maj Gay; Maj Kogle; Maj Olsen; Maj Wright; Cpt Owens (1985-03-21). "Operation Torch, North Africa Campaign 8 November 1942: Offensive Deliberate Assault Amphibious". Fort-Leavensworth, Kansas: Combat Studies Institute, US Army Command and General Staff College. p. 131.
  16. ^ "Operation Torch, North Africa Campaign, 8 November 1942: Offensive Deliberate Assault Amphibious" (PDF). p. 98.
  17. ^ Roger Carcassonne-Leduc; Gérard Linquier (2000). November 8, 1942 The First Victory (in French). Editions Louis Pariente. p. 9. ISBN 2840590530.
  18. ^ MAJ Gray; COL Tavares; LTC Kahn; MAJ Arnold; MAJ Bird; MAJ Dunham; MAJ French; MAJ Gay; MAJ Kogle; MAJ Olsen; MAJ Wright; CPT Owens (1985-03-21). "Operation Torch, North Africa Campaign, November 8, 1942: Offensive Deliberate Assault Amphibious" (PDF). Fort Leavensworth, Kansas: Combat Studies Institute, USACGSC. p. 8.
  19. ^ Richard René; De Sérigny Alain (1947). Fayard (ed.). L'énigme d'Alger, la Bissectrice de la Guerre, 8 Novembre 1942 (in French). p. 1.
  20. ^ Howe, George F. (1993). "Northwest Africa: Seizing the initiative in the West" (PDF). p. 189.
  21. ^ "Operation Torch, North Africa Campaign, 8 November 1942: Offensive Deliberate Assault Amphibious" (PDF).
  22. ^ Winston S. Churchill (January 1, 1943). The end of the beginning. Vol. The third volume of Winston Churchill's war speeches, 1942. Little, Brown and Company, Boston. p. 344.
  23. ^ "Churchill's speech". November 10, 1942. Retrieved April 26, 2025.
  24. ^ "The successful landings in North Africa on November 8, 1942, constitute one of the elements that would turn the military situation in favor of the Allies from 1942 onwards".
  25. ^ "L'Opération Torch, un tournant de la Seconde Guerre Mondiale" (in French). Paris: L'Humanité. November 11, 2012.
  26. ^ "Operation Torch, the Allied landings in North Africa". November 8, 1942. Retrieved 2025-04-26.
  27. ^ Winston S. Churchill (January 1, 1943). The end of the beginning. Vol. The third volume of Winston Churchill's war speeches, 1942. Little, Brown and Company, Boston. p. 8.
  28. ^ "Les Bons Mots du Vieux Lion" (in French). Retrieved April 20, 2025. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |DUPLICATE_access-date= ignored (help)
  29. ^ Winston Churchill (2000). "The End of the Beginning (November 10th, 1942) Wartime Speeches 1939-1945". Universal Music Group. Retrieved May 15, 2025.
  30. ^ Winston S. Churchill (April 1, 2013). The end of the beginning. Vol. The third volume of Winston Churchill's war speeches, 1942. New York: Rosetta Books, LLC. p. 448. ISBN 9780795331787.
  31. ^ "The Churchill Book Collector" (in French). Retrieved May 17, 2025.
  32. ^ Howe, George F. (1993). "Northwest Africa: Seizing the initiative in the West" (PDF). p. 677.
  33. ^ MAJ Gray; COL Tavares; LTC Kahn; MAJ Arnold; MAJ Bird; MAJ Dunham; MAJ French; MAJ Gay; MAJ Kogle; MAJ Olsen; MAJ Wright; CPT Owens (1985-03-21). "Operation Torch, North Africa Campaign, 8 November 1942: Offensive Deliberate Assault Amphibious" (PDF). Fort Leavensworth, KS: Combat Studies Institute, USACGSC. p. 103.

Bibliography

  • (en) Winston S. Churchill, The end of the beginning, vol. The third volume of Winston Churchill's war speeches, 1942, Little, Brown and Company, Boston, January 1, 1943, 344 p.

Primary sources

Secondary Sources

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Draft:This_is_not_the_end._It_is_not_even_the_beginning_of_the_end._But_it_is,_perhaps,_the_end_of_the_beginning.&oldid=1298045440"