Worksheet to accompany the scheme of work by RJ Tarr at www.activehistory.co.uk
How Churchillian are YOU? – Part 1 (1940-42)
▪ In 1939, Adolf Hitler invaded Poland after signing a non-aggression pact with Stalin’s USSR.
▪ Britain and France declared war on Germany. The British quickly sent their army to France to help defeat the Nazis.
▪ In May 1940, Winston Churchill became British Prime Minister.
▪ Your teacher will start by reading through the first slide in this online presentation.
▪ Use this to complete the gaps in the account in the first row.
▪ Next, consider which of the two options you would advise Churchill to take. Divide 10 points between each of these
options to show how strongly you support each one (e.g. 8-2, 3-7, etc).
▪ You will then be told what happened. Highlight this option in bold to indicate that this is what Churchill decided to
do. Write further details into the “What actually happened?” column.
▪ At the end you should add up how many points you gave to Churchill. You will then have a clearer idea about the main events of the war, and what you
think of Churchill’s leadership.
Dunkirk:
May 1940
The Fall of
France
Option A
Option B
▪ It is May 1940. Hitler has launched “?” (lightning war) across Europe. Belgium
and ? have collapsed and Nazi armies are rushing into France!
▪ The British Army in France has retreated to the beaches of Dunkirk, and it now
lies at the mercy of Hitler’s ? (tank) divisions, waiting for reinforcements before
making the final kill.
▪ Although "The Miracle of Dunkirk" kept Britain in the war, they lost 50,000
soldiers, 50,000 vehicles, and 100,000 rifles.
▪ Churchill promises “We shall never surrender!” but the French - led by WW1
hero Marshall ? - capitulates to the Nazis in June 1940.
▪ Pétain’s opponents go into hiding and carry on fighting as the French Resistance,
led by Charles de ?.
▪ Hitler then divides France in two, with Northern France under direct Nazi
occupation and Southern France left an 'independent' country led by Pétain, with
? its capital city.
Negotiate a
peace
because…?
Go down
fighting
because…?
5
5
▪ It is September 1940. Hitler plans to invade Britain: "Operation ?".
▪ The first step is to destroy the British Air Force, after which the Nazis will be able
to launch a seaborne invasion.
Fire the antiaircraft guns
because…?
Don’t fire the
guns
because…?
5
Sink the
French fleet
because…?
What actually
happened?
5
Leave the
French fleet
alone
because…?
Video
Notes [1]
Image to illustrate this part
of the story (add later)
Worksheet to accompany the scheme of work by RJ Tarr at www.activehistory.co.uk
Battle of
Britain /
The Blitz
Video
Notes [2]
USSR /
USA join
the war
against
Hitler
Stalingrad:
the tide
turns
against
Hitler
Video
Notes [3]
▪ After weeks of British Spitfires and ? fighting German Messerschmitts over the
skies of Britain, it becomes clear that Hitler has failed to destroy the RAF.
▪ Churchill gives his thanks to the British airmen: "Never, in the field of human
conflict, was so much owed by so many to so few".
▪ Hitler unleashes further fury against Britain by ordering the ? to bomb British
cities instead of its airbases. "The ?” particularly affects London.
▪ The British are largely defenceless against these air-raids, as the planes fly above
the range of anti-aircraft guns, and so ? in London is in danger of collapsing.
▪ By the end of 1941, Britain is no longer standing alone - instead, two other
powerful countries are fighting Nazi Germany:
▪ The ? declares war on Germany in June 1941, when Hitler launched a surprise
attack on his former ally in "Operation ?".
▪ The ? goes to war in December 1941, after Japan (Hitler's ally) launched a
surprise attack on the US naval base at ? Harbor.
▪ The 65-year-old Churchill flies out to both Moscow (to meet Josef ?) and
Washington (to meet Franklin ?). Both of these men are keen to launch an
invasion of Western Europe to take pressure off Soviet forces in Eastern Europe.
▪ Some of your own advisors, though, think that this is too ambitious and want a
modest attack somewhere else - for example North Africa, or Sicily.
▪ By 1943, the tide has turned against Hitler.
▪ In particular, the Nazi advance into Russia is halted at the Battle of ?, which ends
with the surrender of ? German soldiers!
▪ With communist Russia now marching towards Europe, Churchill decides that
it’s time for the British and the Americans to plan their own invasion of Western
Europe.
▪ Churchill sets up a team of British experts to work out the details, Led by Lt.
General Frederick ?, who decides to codename the invasion "Operation ?".
5
Support
Stalin and
Roosevelt
because…?
5
Refuse to
support
Stalin and
Roosevelt
because…?
5
Accept
"Operation
Mothball"
because…?
5
Demand an
alternative
name to
"Operation
Mothball”
because…?
5
5