It was 85 years ago today when Winston Churchill delivered a famous World War 2 speech as Prime Minister to the House of Commons.
The iconic piece of rhetoric included the line “Never in the field of human conflict has so much been owed by so many to so few”.
He was, of course, referring to the Royal Air Force’s brave ongoing effort during the Battle of Britain against the German Luftwaffe, amid Hitler’s plans to invade Great Britain.
Of the 3000 aircrew of the UK, Commonwealth and other Allies taking part in the battle, a third were killed or wounded.
Thanks to their sacrifice, the Luftwaffe suffered enough losses that Hitler wasn’t confident enough to mount Operation Sea Lion, so he postponed the plan indefinitely. Less than four years later, D-Day marked the beginning of the end.
An underrated film with Brendan Gleeson playing Churchill during World War 2 includes a dramatisation of the prime minister’s speech. The 2009 HBO TV movie Into the Storm is a sequel to 2002’s The Gathering Storm starring Albert Finney during Churchill’s Wilderness Years. Gleeson would go on to win the Lead Actor Emmy in a Miniseries of a Movie for his role in this excellent drama that rivals Darkest Hour.
Both The Gathering Storm and Into the Storm are streaming on NOW.
