【至暗时刻】演讲：我们将战斗到底（温斯顿丘吉尔）

一周前的今天，当我要求下院把演讲安排在今天下午时，我担心这将使在我们漫长历史上难以宣布的巨大军事灾难。我想，可以准确的判断大概有2万到3万人可能需要重新上船。但是可以预见整个法国第一军以及整个英国远征军在亚眠-阿贝维尔山口以北会在开阔地带被击溃，或者因为食物和弹药匮乏而被俘。这是一周前我向下院和全国人民宣布的一个艰难而沉痛的消息。、

整个英国军队的基础、核心成员以及参谋智囊，都建立在我们过去曾经的建设以及随后的建设之上。 过去几年建立起来战争中的大英帝国陆军，似乎要在战场上惨死，或者变成可耻而饥饿的俘虏。敌人以强大的力量从四面八方进攻，而他们的主力——他们无数的空军江北投入战斗，或者集中于敦刻尔克市区以及海滩。从东西两面向狭窄的海滩推进。敌人开始用大炮向可以登陆船只的海滩射击，他们在海峡和海中布下水雷，他们不断调动敌机——有时一个编队就有100多架，把他们的炸弹扔到仅存的一个码头上，投在部队当做掩体的沙丘之上。他们的U型潜艇，有一艘沉没了，但是他们的潜艇造成的大规模运输损失开始出现。四五天来，激烈的战斗一直在进行。他们所有的装甲师——或者他们剩下的那一部分，连同大量的步兵和炮兵，把英法军队的作战区域不停地挤小，并且向不断缩小的残余部队发起攻击，但都是徒劳的。

与此同时，英国皇家海军在无数的商船海员的帮助之下，竭尽全力，让英军和盟军上船。220艘轻型军舰和650艘其他船只参与了战斗。他们不得不在困难的海岸上作战，常常是在恶劣的天气下，在几乎不间断的、越来越密集的炮火下作战。正如同我所说的，海中本身也是有水雷和鱼雷的。正是在这种条件下，我们的人民日夜不停的航行，几乎没有休息，一次又一次越过危险的水域，带回他们救助的人们。他们成功救援的人数代表了他们的奉献精神和无畏勇气。那些载着成千上万英国和法国伤员的医疗船是纳粹炸弹的一个如此明显的特殊目标，但是船上的男男女女没有在他们的岗位上动摇过。与此同时，已经尽可能在其航程允许范围内尽可能战斗的皇家空军从本土基地起飞，投入了保卫城市的一部分战斗机，向德国轰炸机和大量保护他们的战斗机发起攻击。这场斗争是漫长而激烈的。

突然，进攻停止了，飞机的轰鸣声暂时消失了，但只是暂时消失了。我们大家都看到了一个得救的奇迹，这个奇迹是由勇敢、由毅力、由完美的纪律、由完美的资源调配服务、由战斗技巧、由不可征服的忠诚所实现的，显而易见属于我们所有人。敌人被撤退中的英国军队击退。他们被粗暴地对待以至于没有能够妥善地整理行装。

我们必须非常慎重，不要把这次援救说成是胜利，战争不是靠撤退赢得的。但是在这次援救中却蕴藏着胜利，这一点应当注意到。这个胜利是由空军获得的。归来的许许多多的士兵们没有看到过我们空军的行动，他们看到的只是逃脱我们空军掩护性攻击的敌人轰炸机，他们低估了我们空军的成就，我听过了许多有关于此的讨论，这就是为什么我在这里要谈及这些。我一定要向你们审明，这是英国和德国空军实力的一次重大考验。你们是否能够想象德国空军的更大目标不在于空中，而是让我们无法从海滩撤退，并且击沉所有密集在那里数以千计的船只？除此之外，从整个战争的目的来说，还有什么更大的军事重要性和军事意义呢？他们曾经全力以赴，但是他们最终被击退，他们在执行他们的任务中遭到挫败，我们的陆军得以撤退。他们付出的代价四倍于他们给我们造成的损失。

.我们考虑到在保卫这个岛屿上空免受海外攻击时，我们的优势会有多大时，我必须说，我发现这些事实是一个可靠的基础，可以作为实际和令人安心的想法的基础。我对这些青年飞行员表示敬意。强大的法国陆军在几千辆装甲车的冲击之下大部分溃退了。难道不可以说文明的事业本身也将由这几千名飞行员的战斗机巧和无私奉献来捍卫么？我想，在整个世界上，在整个战争史上，年轻人从来没有过这样的机会——那些圆桌骑士、十字军战士、他们都已经成为过去，不仅遥远而且平淡无奇——这些年轻人，每天早晨都手持这些巨大的毁灭性武器去保卫他们的祖国和我们所代表的一切。我们可以说：每天早晨都会有一个崇高的机会，每一个机会都会带来一个高贵的骑士，值得我们感激，像感激所有那些勇敢的人，那些随时随地准备好并一次又一次地为他们的祖国献出生命和一切。

尽管如此，我们对我们的陆军和许多其他人的撤退感到高兴，他们的亲人已经痛苦度过了一个星期。但是我们不能忽视在法国和比利时所发生的的巨大军事灾难。法国军队已经被削弱，比利时军队损失惨重，大部分被寄以厚望的军事工事已经被攻破。许多有价值的矿区和工厂已经被敌人占有。整个海峡的港口都在他们的手中。考虑到所有可能发生的糟糕后果，我们可以确定接下来被袭击的一定是我们或者法国。我们听说希特勒有侵略不列颠岛的计划。以前也有人这样设想过。当拿破仑带着他的平底船和他的大军在布洛涅停留了一年的时候，有人告诉他，“英国那边有厉害的杂草。”自从英国远征军归来后，这种杂草当然就更多了。

我们目前在英国本土拥有的兵力比我们在这次大战中或上次大战中任何时候的兵力不知道要强大多少倍，这一事实当然对抵抗入侵本土防御问题方面起到有利作用。但不能这样继续下去。我们不能满足于打防御战，我们对盟国负有义务，我们必须重新组织，在英勇的总司令戈特勋爵指挥下发动英国远征军。这一切都在进行中，但是在这期间，我们必须使我们本土上的防御达到这样一种高度的组织水平，即只需要极少数的人便可以有效地保障安全，同时又可发挥攻势活动最大的潜力。我们现在正进行这方面的部署。

这次战役尽管我们失利，但我们决不投降，决不屈服，我们将战斗到底，我们将在法国战斗，我们将在海洋上战斗，我们将充满信心在空中战斗！我们将不惜任何代价保卫本土，我们将在海滩上战斗！在敌人登陆地点作战!在田野和街头作战！在山区作战！我们任何时候都不会投降。即使我们这个岛屿或这个岛屿的大部分被敌人占领，并陷于饥饿之中，我们的由英国舰队武装和保护的海外帝国也将继续战斗，直到新世界在上帝认为恰当的时候，拿出它所有的力量来拯救和解放这个旧世界。

这次战役我军死伤战士达三万人，损失大炮近千门，海峡两岸的港口也都落入希特勒手中，德国将向我国或法国发动新的攻势，已成为既定的事实。法兰西和比利时境内的战争，已成为千古憾事。法军的势力被削弱，比利时的军队被歼灭，相比较而言，我军的实力较为强大。

现在已经是检验英德空军实力的时候了！撤退回国的士兵都认为，我们的空军未能发挥应有的作用，但是，要知道我们已经出动了所有的飞机，用尽了所有的飞行员，以寡敌众。

在今后的时间内，绝非这一次，我们可能还会遭受更严重的损失。曾经让我们深信不疑的防线，大部分被突破，很多有价值的工矿都已经被敌人占领。

从今往后，我们要做好充分准备，准备承受更严重的困难。对于防御性战争，我们决不能认为已经定局！我们必须重建远征军，我们必须加强国防，必须减少国内的防卫兵力，增加海外的打击力量。在这次大战中，法兰西和不列颠将联合一起，决不屈服，决不投降

When, a week ago today, I asked the House to fix thisafternoon as the occasion for a statement, I feared it would be my hard lot toannounce the greatest military disaster in our long history.

I thought-and some good judges agreed with me-thatperhaps 20,000 or 30,000 men might be re-embarked. But it certainly seemed thatthe whole of the French First Army and the whole of the British ExpeditionaryForce north of the Amiens-Abbeville gap would be broken up in the open field orelse would have to capitulate for lack of food and ammunition.

These were the hard and heavy tidings for which Icalled upon the House and the nation to prepare themselves a week ago. Thewhole root and core and brain of the British Army, on which and around which wewere to build, and are to build, the great British Armies in the later years ofthe war, seemed about to perish upon the field or to be led into an ignominiousand starving captivity.

The enemy attacked on all sides with great strengthand fierceness, and their main power, the power of their far more numerous AirForce, was thrown into the battle or else concentrated upon Dunkirk and thebeaches.

Pressing in upon the narrow exit, both from the eastand from the west, the enemy began to fire with cannon upon the beaches bywhich alone the shipping could approach or depart.

They sowed magnetic mines in the channels and seas;they sent repeated waves of hostile aircraft, sometimes more than a hundredstrong in one formation, to cast their bombs upon the single pier thatremained, and upon the sand dunes on which the troops had their eyes forshelter.

Their U-boats, one of which was sunk, and their motorlaunches took their toll of the vast traffic which now began. For four or fivedays an intense struggle reigned. All their armored divisions-or what Was leftof them-together with great masses of infantry and artillery, hurled themselvesin vain upon the ever-narrowing, ever-contracting appendix within which theBritish and French Armies fought. Meanwhile, the Royal Navy, with the willinghelp of countless merchant seamen, strained every nerve to embark the Britishand Allied troops; 220 light warships and 650 other vessels were engaged.

They had to operate upon the difficult coast, often inadverse weather, under an almost ceaseless hail of bombs and an increasingconcentration of artillery fire. Nor were the seas, as I have said, themselvesfree from mines and torpedoes.

It was in conditions such as these that our mencarried on, with little or no rest, for days and nights on end, making tripafter trip across the dangerous waters, bringing with them always men whom theyhad rescued.

The numbers they have brought back are the measure oftheir devotion and their courage. The hospital ships, which brought off manythousands of British and French wounded, being so plainly marked were a specialtarget for Nazi bombs; but the men and women on board them never faltered intheir duty.

Meanwhile, the Royal Air Force, which had already beenintervening in the battle, so far as its range would allow, from home bases,now used part of its main metropolitan fighter strength, and struck at theGerman bombers and at the fighters which in large numbers protected them.

This struggle was protracted and fierce. Suddenly thescene has cleared, the crash and thunder has for the moment-but only for themoment-died away.

A miracle of deliverance, achieved by valor, byperseverance, by perfect discipline, by faultless service, by resource, byskill, by unconquerable fidelity, is manifest to us all. The enemy was hurledback by the retreating British troops. He was so roughly handled that he didnot hurry their departure seriously. We must be very careful not to assign tothis deliverance the attributes of a victory. Wars are not won by evacuations.

But there was a victory inside this deliverance, whichshould be noted. It was gained by the Air Force. Many of our soldiers comingback have not seen the Air Force at work; they saw only the bombers whichescaped its protective attack.

They underrate its achievements. I have heard muchtalk of this; that is why I go out of my way to say this. I will tell you aboutit.

This was a great trial of strength between the Britishand German Air Forces.

Can you conceive a greater objective for the Germansin the air than to make evacuation from these beaches impossible, and to sinkall these ships which were displayed, almost to the extent of thousands?

Could there have been an objective of greater militaryimportance and significance for the whole purpose of the war than this?

They tried hard, and they were beaten back; they werefrustrated in their task. We got the Army away; and they have paid fourfold forany losses which they have inflicted.

When we consider how much greater would be ouradvantage in defending the air above this Island against an overseas attack, Imust say that I find in these facts a sure basis upon which practical andreassuring thoughts may rest.

I will pay my tribute to these young airmen. The greatFrench Army was very largely, for the time being, cast back and disturbed bythe onrush of a few thousands of armored vehicles.

May it not also be that the cause of civilizationitself will be defended by the skill and devotion of a few thousand airmen?

There never has been, I suppose, in all the world, inall the history of war, such an opportunity for youth.

The Knights of the Round Table, the Crusaders, allfall back into the past-not only distant but prosaic; these young men, goingforth every morn to guard their native land and all that we stand for, holdingin their hands these instruments of colossal and shattering power, of whom itmay be said that:

Every morn brought forth a noble chance

And every chance brought forth a noble knight,

deserve our gratitude, as do all the brave men who, inso many ways and on so many occasions, are ready, and continue ready to givelife and all for their native land.

Nevertheless, our thankfulness at the escape of ourArmy and so many men, whose loved ones have passed through an agonizing week,must not blind us to the fact that what has happened in France and Belgium is acolossal military disaster.

The French Army has been weakened, the Belgian Armyhas been lost, a large part of those fortified lines upon which so much faithhad been reposed is gone, many valuable mining districts and factories havepassed into the enemy’s possession, the whole of the Channel ports are in hishands, with all the tragic consequences that follow from that, and we mustexpect another blow to be struck almost immediately at us or at France.

We are told that Herr Hitler has a plan for invadingthe British Isles. This has often been thought of before. When Napoleon lay atBoulogne for a year with his flat-bottomed boats and his Grand Army, he wastold by someone.“There are bitter weeds in England.” There are certainly agreat many more of them since the British Expeditionary Force returned.

I have, myself, full confidence that if all do theirduty, if nothing is neglected, and if the best arrangements are made, as theyare being made, we shall prove ourselves once again able to defend our Islandhome, to ride out the storm of war, and to outlive the menace of tyranny, ifnecessary for years, if necessary alone.

At any rate, that is what we are going to try to do.That is the resolve of His Majesty’s Government-every man of them.

That is the will of Parliament and the nation. TheBritish Empire and the French Republic, linked together in their cause and intheir need, will defend to the death their native soil, aiding each other likegood comrades to the utmost of their strength.

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 confidenceand growing strength in the air, we shall defend our Island, whatever the costmay be,

we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on thelanding grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shallfight in the hills;

we shall never surrender, and even if, which I do notfor a moment believe, this Island or a large part of it were subjugated andstarving,

then our Empire beyond the seas, armed and guarded bythe British Fleet, would carry on the struggle, until, in God’s good time, theNew World, with all its power and might, steps forth to the rescue and theliberation of the old.