One Man’s Fortitude – Winston Churchill’s true story

The year was 1940 and the Nazi War Machine had gobbled up much of Europe. Britain stood alone; the island nation had truly become an island of resistance.

Almost anyone else leading a country in such a perilous spot would have faltered or shook, but not Winston Churchill.

Churchill held numerous government positions before he came to power on May 10, 1940. Just a few months later, Hitler’s Blitz on Britain began. Nazi Germany peppered Great Britain with bombs hoping to frighten them into surrender, and as in all troubled times, the nation turned to their leader. Churchill’s steadfastness gave rise to the British “iron resolve” in World War 2. He did not hesitate to inform the citizens of England that “we shall not flag or fail. 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.”

In a time of crisis, these were the words they needed to hear, and these were the words they remembered. Eventually, it was Hitler who beat a retreat east. Undoubtedly, Churchill was afraid. But his determination to stand strong for Britain was more powerful than that. Who knows how many lives were saved by the courage of one leader in a difficult time? It’s hard to say. But Churchill’s lesson of fortitude is truly one for the ages.