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The Unsavory Similarity Revealed
It struck me that there are several similarities between Britain’s noble stand against Nazi Germany in 1940 and Iran’s stand against the US/Israel this year.
The Battle for Britain 1940
After the “Miracle of Dunkirk” followed quickly by the fall of France to Nazi Germany, Britain stood alone. Germany offered Britain a choice: give Germany a free hand on the continent and Germany would not disturb Britain’s oversees empire. Or, Germany would invade Britain with its apparently unstoppable military power. Some within the British political elite wanted to take the deal. After all, it was assumed that once a bridgehead had been established somewhere on the English coast, the British Army would be no match for the blitzkrieg tactics of the powerful Wehrmacht. Only one force stood in Germany’s way—the English Channel protected by the Royal Navy.
But the Royal Navy itself would be hampered greatly by the Luftwaffe and dare not enter the Channel as long as Germany had control of the skies. Thus developed one of the key battles of the war—the Battle for Britain—which pitted the Luftwaffe against the Royal Air Force. We all know how that famous battle turned out. The Luftwaffe could not defeat the RAF, which meant that any invasion barges from France would be sitting ducks for attack by the RAF from the air and the Royal Navy by sea.
But that did not end Germany’s attempt to defeat Britain. Next, Germany tried to terrorize Britain into surrender by attacking population centers, primarily London. Today the world knows this second wave of attacks as The Blitz. Still the English did not surrender and, in fact, English resolve increased as the ordinary English citizen became the key to winning this phase of the war. The implications of this battle would be far reaching, because without Britain, it is probable that there would not have been a D-Day invasion from America.
The Attack on Iran
At the end of February 2026 the US and Israel attacked Iran without warning. In fact, the US had presented Iran with an attractive offer to ensure that it would not produce nuclear material that could be used for a bomb. Iranian leadership gathered to study the offer and draft their response when Israeli fighter/bombers destroyed the building and killed all inhabitants including women and children. The US/Israel leadership expected that the people would rise up and form a new government that would make Iran a vassal state to the US/Israel. It didn’t happen. There were reports that the Revolutionary Guards put down tens of thousands of demonstrators, even perhaps killing that many. We may never know. But there was no new vassal government.
Then the US and Israel attacked military and nuclear sites throughout the vast country, all to no avail. Iran did not capitulate. But it closed the Strait of Hormuz, through which around one fifth of the world’s crude oil passed. It used inexpensive drones in the hundreds to chase away tankers. Furthermore, it used drones and missiles to severely damage US military facilities and assets in some Gulf Coast Countries (GCCs). Later the Yemeni Houthis closed the passage through which Saudi oil flowed to the Red Sea and damaged some Saudi military facilities used by the US. All this is well documented by now. Furthermore, Iran warned the Gulf Coast Countries that supported US forces that it would completely destroy their oil infrastructure if the bases were used in further attacks by the US. It is a very credible threat.
The US has tried to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, but its warships have been damaged by drones which forced the US to withdraw attempts. The US ruled the skies but not sufficiently to prevent further drone and missile attacks that threaten GCCs.
The Main Similarity: Reverting to Terrorism (AKA war crimes)
To break this stalemate the US has threatened to attack Iranian civilian infrastructure, such as power plants, water treatment plants, bridges, roads, etc. In other words, the US threatened a modern Blitz to break civilian morale. So far, it hasn’t worked any better against Iran than it worked against England in 1940. The point is that neither Germany in 1940 not the US/Israel in 2026 had a credible plan in case the British or the Iranians did not become vassal states. Instead Britain got Churchill and Iran got a new leader with deep ties to hard-line elements of the Revolutionary Guards. With no choice other than a humiliating admission of failure, both sides reverted to terror of the civilian population.
© Patrick Barron 2026 Website
