战斗到底

【背景】1940年5月，温斯顿·丘吉尔在二战中临危受命成为英国首相。当时盟军正在西欧节节败退，英国远征军和一部分法军被包围在了法国北部的海岸上。在名为“发电机”的紧急行动持续实施9天后，33万士兵被撤回到了不列颠岛。撤退行动之后的6月4日，丘吉尔在议院发表了这篇著名演说《战斗到底》，表达了英国面对纳粹强敌决不妥协的意志。

When, a week ago today, Mr. Speaker, I asked the House to fix this afternoon as the occasion for a statement, I feared it would be my hard lot to announce the greatest military?disaster in our long history. I thought, and some good judges agreed with me, that perhaps 20,000 or 30,000 men might be re-embarked. But it certainly seemed that the whole of the French 1st?Army and the whole of the British Expeditionary Force north of the Amiens-Abbeville gap would be broken up in the open field or else would have to capitulate for lack of food and ammunition. These were the hard and heavy tidings for which I called upon the House and the nation to prepare themselves a week ago. The whole root and core and brain of the British Army, on which and around which we were to build, and are to build, the great British armies in the later years of the war, seemed about to perish upon the field or to be led into an ignominious and starving captivity.

在一周前的今天，议长先生，我要求下议院在今天下午的这里举行一场说明会时，我担心我将需要宣布我们历史上最糟糕的军事灾难。我认为——一些好的法官也认同——大约2至3万人需要被运回国内。但是位于亚眠-阿比维尔缺口以北的整个法国第一军和整个英国远征军将在开阔地带被击溃或者由于缺乏食物和武器而投降似乎将成为事实。在一周前，我就呼吁议员和整个国家来为上述艰难而沉重的消息做好准备。英国军队的整个核心和大脑——那是我们在战争后几年中建立和将要建立伟大的英国军队的基础——似乎即将在战场上灭亡，或者在饥饿和耻辱中投降。

The enemy attacked on all sides with great strength and fierceness, and their main power, the power of their far more numerous air force, was thrown into the battle or else concentrated upon Dunkirk and the beaches. Pressing in upon the narrow exit, both from the east and from the west, the enemies began to fire with cannon upon the beaches by which alone the shipping could approach or depart. They sowed magnetic mines in the channels and seas. They sent repeated waves of hostile aircraft, sometimes more than a hundred strong in one formation, to cast their bombs upon the single pier that remained, and upon the sand dunes on which the troops had their eyes for shelter. Their U-boats, one of which was sunk, and their motor launches took their toll of the vast traffic which now began. For four or five days an intense struggle reigned. All their armored divisions, or what was left of them, together with great masses of infantry and artillery, hurled themselves in vain upon the ever-narrowing, ever-contracting appendix within which the British and French Armies fought.

敌人以强大的武力从各个方向发起猛烈的进攻。他们的主力——他们占据数量优势的空中力量——被投入到战斗中，或者集中于敦刻尔克港和海滩上的战斗。敌人从东西两个方向夹击狭窄的口袋，并且开始用大炮朝船只停靠和启航的海滩上开火。他们在海峡和海上布置了磁性水雷。他们派出一波又一波的飞机，有时一支编队中就多达百余架，来把炸弹投掷在残余的码头上，以及军队用作掩体的沙丘上。他们的U型艇——其中一艘被击沉了——以及他们的摩托艇现在开始对我们的交通运输造成了巨大的损失。激烈的战斗持续了四五天。敌人所有的装甲师——或者所有剩下的师——连同大量的步兵和炮兵，在朝日渐缩小的包围圈中的英法军队进行徒劳的进攻时自己受到伤害。

Meanwhile, the Royal Navy, with the willing help of countries merchant seamen, strained every nerve to embark the British and Allied troops. 220 light warships and 650 other vessels were engaged. They had to operate upon the difficult coast, often in adverse weather, under an almost ceaseless hail of bombs and an increasing concentration of artillery fire. Nor were the seas, as I have said, themselves free from mines and torpedoes. It was in conditions such as these that our men carried on, with little or no rest, for days and nights on end, making trip after trip across the dangerous waters, bringing with them always men whom they had rescued. The numbers they have brought back are the measure of their devotion and their courage. The hospital ships, which brought off many thousands of British and French wounded, being so plainly marked were a special target for Nazi bombs, but the men and women on board them never faltered in their duty.

与此同时，皇家海军在我国海洋商人的自愿协助下竭尽全力运载英国军队和盟军。220艘轻型战船和650艘其他各类船只被投入到了这次行动中。他们不得不经常在恶劣的天气中，在如冰雹般倾泻而下的炸弹和越来越密集的炮火中艰难地在海岸上行动。如我之前所说，没有哪一片海是安全的。正是在这种情况下，我们的人们几乎没有休息过，持续日夜不停地一次又一次穿越危险的水域，并且总能将他们救出来的士兵安全带回。他们所拯救的士兵数量是他们忠诚和勇气的证明。那些带走了成千上万英法伤员的医疗船被标记得过于明显，以至于他们成了纳粹分子投弹的特殊目标，但船上的人们从未对自己的职责感到动摇。

Meanwhile, the Royal Air Force, which had already been intervening in the battle, so far as its range would allow, from home bases, now used part of its main metropolitan fighter strength, and struck at the German bombers and at the fighters which in large numbers protected them. This struggle was protracted and fierce. Suddenly the scene has cleared, the crash and thunder has for the moment-but only for the moment- died away. A miracle of deliverance, achieved by valor, by perseverance, by perfect discipline, by faultless service, by resource, by skill, by unconquerable fidelity, is manifest to us all.

与此同时，已经介入战局的皇家空军在它们作战半径允许的范围内——现在它们已经从大城市的空中战斗力量中抽调一部分——来拦截德国轰炸机和为它们护航的战斗机。这是一场漫长又激烈的战斗。突然间视野清楚了，撞击声和轰鸣声暂时——也仅仅是暂时——消失了。显而易见，这是一个通过勇气、坚持、严明的纪律、完美的服务、物力、技巧和不可征服的忠心造就的撤退的奇迹。

The enemy was hurled back by the retreating British troops. Hitler so roughly handled that he did not hurry their departure seriously.

敌人被撤退中的英军击退了。希特勒如此粗糙地处理战事，以至于英军有充足的时间撤退。

We must be very careful not to assign to this deliverance the attributes of a victory. Wars are not won by evacuations. But there was a victory inside this deliverance, which should be noted. It was gained by the air force. Many of our soldiers coming back have not seen the air force at work, they saw only the bombers which escaped its protective attack. They underrate its achievements. I have heard much talk of this, that is why I go out of my way to say this. I will tell you about it. This was a great trial of strength between the British and German air forces. Can you conceive a greater objective for the Germans in the air than to make evacuation from these beaches impossible, and to sink all these ships which were displayed, almost to the extent of thousands? Could there have been an objective of greater military importance and significance for the whole purpose of the war than this? They tried hard, and they were beaten back. They were frustrated in their task. We got the army away, and they have paid fourfold for any losses which they have inflicted.

我们必须十分谨慎，不要把这次撤退定义成一场胜利。战争不是靠撤退赢得的。但应该注意到，在这次撤退中隐含着胜利。这个胜利是空军赢得的。许多返回的我军士兵不曾看到空军在岗，他们只看见了逃离空军掩护性袭击的敌军轰炸机。他们低估了空军的成就。我听到了许多这方面的流言，因此我要特意在这里提及。我来告诉你们真实情况。这是对英德两国空中力量的重大考验。你们能想象出德国空军有比阻止我军从海滩撤退、并击沉停靠在那里的成百上千的船只更大的目标吗？对整个战争来说，难道还会有比这更具有军事意义的目标吗？他们努力试着这么做，但被击退了。他们的行动遭到了挫败。我们撤回了军队，敌人付出的代价是他们造成我们损失的4倍之多。

When we consider how much greater would be our advantage in defending the air above this island against an overseas attack, I must say that I find in these facts a sure basis upon which practical and reassuring thoughts may rest. I will pay my tribute to these young airmen. The great French army was very largely, for the time being, cast back and disturbed by the onrush of a few thousands of armored vehicles. May it not also be that the cause of civilization itself will be defended by the skill and devotion of a few thousand airmen?

当我们估计在我们的岛屿上空抵抗来自海外的侵袭时有多大胜算的时候，我必须说，实际和令人安心的想法可以依赖于我在上述事实中找到的一个可靠的基础。我要向这些年轻的飞行员们致敬。强大的法国军队正在很大程度上被几千辆装甲车的猛烈攻击击溃扰乱。难道说，文明的事业本身不是由几千名飞行员的技巧和奉献来捍卫的吗?

There never has been, I suppose, in all the world, in all the history of war, such an opportunity for youth. The Knights of the Round Table, the Crusaders, all fall back into the past, not only distant but prosaic. These young men, going forth every morn to guard their native land and all that we stand for, holding in their hands these instruments of colossal and shattering power, of whom it may be said that: Every morn brought forth a noble chance, and every chance brought forth a noble knight, deserve our gratitude, as do all the brave men who, in so many ways and on so many occasions, are ready, and continue ready to give life and all for their native land.

我想，在全世界的战争史中，年轻人从未这样有过表现的机会。圆桌骑士和十字军全都消逝在了历史长河中，不仅遥远而且平凡。而这些年轻人每天早晨都启航去保卫他们的祖国，掌握着那些强有力的武器，他们会被人这样评论：每天早晨带来一个高贵的机遇，每个机遇带来一个高贵的骑士，他们值得我们感激，因为那些勇敢的人们通过许多方式、在许多场合中都已经准备好、并时刻准备着为祖国献出他们的生命和一切。

Nevertheless, our thankfulness at the escape of our army and so many men, whose loved ones have passed through an agonizing week, must not blind us to the fact that what has happened in France and Belgium is a colossal military disaster. The French army has been weakened, the Belgian army as been lost, a large part of those fortified lines upon which so much faith had been reposed is gone, many valuable mining districts and factories have passed into the enemy’s possession, the whole of the Channel ports are in his hands, with all the tragic consequences that follow from that, and we must expect another blow to be struck almost immediately at us or at France.

然而，我们对撤回我们的军队和许多他们的亲人度过了难熬的一周的人的感激不能让我们对这个事实视而不见：在法国和比利时发生的是一场巨大的军事灾难。法国军队被削弱，比利时军队被击溃，那条为人们带来巨大信心的坚固防线如今已有大半失守。许多有价值的矿区和工厂落入了敌人手中，所有英吉利海峡的港口都已经失陷，由此造成的最坏的后果是敌人很可能会立即对我们或法国发动又一场大规模攻势。

We are told that Herr Hitler has a plan for invading the British Isles. This has often been thought of before. When Napoleon lay at Boulogne for a year with his flat-bottomed boats and his grand army, he was told by someone, “There are bitter weeds in England.”?There are certainly a great many more of them since the British Expeditionary Force returned.

我们被告知希特勒先生有一个入侵不列颠群岛的计划。以往也时常有人这么盘算。当拿破仑带着平底船和他的大军在布伦港待了一年后，有人告诉他：“英国有苦的杂草。”在英国远征军撤回之后，这样的杂草当然更多了。

I have, myself, full confidence that if all do their duty, if nothing is neglected, and if the best arrangements are made, as they are being made, we shall prove ourselves once more able to defend our island home, to ride out the storm of war, and to outlive the menace of tyranny, if necessary for years, if necessary alone. At any state, that is what we are going to try to do. That is the resolve of His Majesty’s government-every man of them. That is the will of Parliament and the nation. The British Empire and the French Republic, linked together in their cause and in their need, will defend to the death their native soil, aiding each other like good comrades to the utmost of their strength.

我自己有充足的信心，只要所有人各司其职，不忽视任何细节，做出最好的安排——就像已经做出的安排那样——我们就能再一次证明我们有能力保卫我们的岛屿，安然度过战争的风潮，并且幸存于暴政的威胁，即使这需要花费数年，即使我们需要孤军奋战。这就是我们将不惜一切代价做到的。这是国王陛下的政府中每一个人的决心。这也是议院和国家的意志。大英帝国和法兰西共和国在它们的事业和需求中联合到了一起，它们将誓死保卫各自的祖国，像好同志一样尽最大努力给予对方帮助。

We shall go on to the end. We shall fight in France. We shall fight on the seas and oceans. We shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air. We shall defend our island, whatever the cost may be. We shall fight on the beaches. We shall fight on the landing grounds. We shall fight in the fields and in the streets. We shall fight in the hills. We shall never surrender! And if, which I do not for a moment believe, this island or a large part of it were subjugated and starving, then our empire beyond the seas, armed and guarded by the British Fleet, would carry on to struggle, until, in God’s good time, the New World, with all its power and might, steps forth to the rescue and the liberation of the old.

我们将战斗到底。我们将在法兰西战斗。我们将在海上战斗。我们将以越来越强的自信和力量在空中战斗。我们将不惜一切代价保卫我们的岛屿。我们将在海滩上战斗。我们将在敌人的登陆场战斗。我们将在乡村和街巷上战斗。我们将在山间战斗。我们决不投降！哪怕——我从未相信——这座岛屿的全部或者大部分沦陷并陷入饥饿之中，我们帝国的海外领地也将在英国舰队的武装和保护下继续战斗，直到上帝认为时机合适，并使新世界不遗余力地拯救和解放旧世界。