Bell:īefore the Second World War, Churchill was influenced by the views of Britain’s top naval advisers and by experiences in the Spanish Civil War (1936-39), which suggested that the (often-extravagant) claims of the air power enthusiasts were exaggerated. They conclude that the decision to sail those ships into harm’s way was that of their commander, and that Churchill, who acted at the advice of naval experts, was well aware of their vulnerability. The Churchill Project asked two eminent military historians to consider these arguments. ![]() (Wikimedia Commons)Ĭhurchill has long been criticized for the sinking of HMS Prince of Wales and Repulse by Japanese aircraft three days after Pearl Harbor-and for failing to realize how vulnerable warships without fighter cover were to air attack. Churchill, the man at the top, received most of the blame. The sinkings were an appalling blow to British prestige. ![]() A British destroyer is in the foreground. Featured image: A heavily retouched Japanese photograph of HMS Prince of Wales (upper) and HMS Repulse after being hit by Japanese torpedoes on 10 December 1941, off Malaya.
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