19th June 1940 : Hitler gives his 'Last appeal to reason' speach at the Reichstag..
"If this struggle continues, it can only end in the annihiliation of one of us. Mr Churchill thinks it will be Germany. I know it will be Britain. I am not the vanquished begging for mercy. I speak as a victor... Mr Churchill ought perhaps, for once, to believe me when I prophecy that a great empire will be destroyed - an empire which it was never my intention to destroy or even harm."
This came 3 days after Hitlers Directive No 16 - Authorised preparations for the invasion of Britain.
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