The Churchill Series - Nov. 8, 2005

(One of a series of daily posts about Winston S. Churchill.)

For most of World War II, a battle for Britain's survival raged in the North Atlantic. German U-boats sought to destroy the convoys that were Britain's lifeline while British, Canadian, and later American, ships and planes sought to sink the U-boats.

During the early Winter of 1940,Churchill, as First Lord of the Admiralty in Chamberlain's government, spoke to the nation. Ted Morgan, an FDR biographer, tells us of the impression Churchill made on a government colleague who until then had doubted Churchill could lead the nation:

One evening, Lord Normanbrook, who was private secretary to the home secretary, turned on the radio and heard the voice that would become so familiar say:"The Royal Navy has immediately attacked the U-boats and in hunting them night and day - I will not say without mercy, because God forbid we should ever part company with that - but at any rate with zeal, and not altogether without relish!" The word "relish, " so unexpected as if he was actually enjoying the job, convinced Normanbrook that Churchill was the man needed to prosecute the war.

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Ted Morgan, FDR: A Biography. (p. 521)