Winston Churchill's Leadership in WWII

Winston Churchill's Leadership During World War II

1. Early Challenges and Controversies

In fact, Churchill's job was to ensure the safe arrival of British merchant ships, which were hunted down by German U-boats. However, instead of listening to the key experts at the Navy, Churchill decided to seek out and attack the U-boats, leaving the merchant ships without protection. To convince the public that the British Navy was on top of the U-boat threat, Churchill publicly lied, claiming that the British Navy managed to sink half of the U-boats sent by Germany, while knowing for a fact that they had only sunk 9 out of 57 U-boats. When his claims were questioned or challenged by experts on German submarines, Churchill fired them. Churchill's ruthless behavior and blatant lying ostracized him from his colleagues and earned him public dislike. Furthermore, Churchill was known to interfere in affairs that were beyond his responsibility.

2. The Norway Campaign and Rise to Prime Minister

Churchill's indecisive and interfering leadership led to the German invasion of Norway on April 7th, 1940. This fiasco resulted in Chamberlain's deposition, and Churchill was appointed as Prime Minister. The reason behind this was his views on Hitler during the 1930s when he was out of office. More precisely, while many politicians admired Hitler, Churchill saw right through him and warned of the threat Hitler posed to Britain and Europe.

3. Wartime Strategy and Cabinet Formation

Whereas many politicians advocated for an appeasement policy, Churchill was determined to fight the war with Germany. Aiming to gain the support of his colleagues in the war against Germany, he decided to include them in his war cabinet.

4. Embodiment of Resistance

Churchill became the living embodiment of the opposition to the Nazis. To project this image, he recurred to oratory and image. Some of his trademarks were waving his hat on his cane and the "V" sign for victory. Moreover, he proved how ruthless he could be by sending away anyone who questioned his decisions.

5. Streamlining the War Effort

Churchill understood that, in war, decisions had to be made quickly and effectively, which is why he downsized the war cabinet from 9 to 5 members. Moreover, he abolished the military coordination committee and created a new position for himself: Minister of Defense.

6. Addressing the Aircraft and Pilot Shortage

Instead of interfering in Britain's aerial defense, Churchill left it to the head of the fighter (planes) command, Hugh Dowding, who reported that they were lacking fighter jets. To tackle this problem, Churchill created a new post: Minister of Aircraft Production, which he gave to Lord Beaverbrook, a successful businessman. Aircraft production rose by 50% thanks to Lord Beaverbrook. This led to another challenge: manpower shortage. More specifically, pilots were being killed quicker than they could be replaced.