Before World war Two, Russia signed a non-aggression pact with Germany.
This meant that Stalin and Hitler were friends.
At least as far as Britain was concerned.
Because Russia was supplying Germany with oil.
To run their tanks, their submarines, their bombers.
By 1941 it became obvious to Churchill that we’d have to do something about this.
We would have to disrupt this supply of oil.
This meant bombing the Russian oilfields that were supplying it.
Now that sounds like madness.
To start a war with Russia when we were already fighting Germany.
But Churchill didn’t see we had a choice.
Unless we could interrupt the flow of oil to Germany’s war machine, we must eventually lose.
It seemed a gamble he had to take.
So, in the Mediterranean, we began preparing British bombers to bomb the Russian oilfields.
It was a doomsday scenario.
No one wanted to do it.
No one could see an alternative.
So preparations went ahead.
Ten days before the first bombers were due to attack, Hitler beat them to it.
He invaded Russia.
Suddenly a state of war existed between German and Russia.
Now Russia switched sides, and became an ally of Britain.
Now the problem of oil was solved.
Britain didn’t have to attack Russia.
And even better, the bulk of the German war machine would be aimed at Russia.
Not at Britain.
No one could believe it.
In a day, the entire world situation changed 180 degrees.
No one could see it coming.
No one could have predicted it.
It’s worth remembering that when things look bad.
When everything looks bleak and depressing.
When you just can’t see any way out.
Churchill’s maxim was “Keep buggering on”.
In other words, stay in the game.
Things can change, as long as you stay in the game.
What’s happening with you isn’t the only thing that’s happening.
There are other things going on that you know nothing about.
Who knows how things can change?
As Churchill later said, “If you’re going through hell the best thing to do is keep going.”