Winston Churchill saved Britain from Nazi rule. Other politicians of the time (and much of the population) had no stomach for war following "The Great War" of 1914-1918 and the depression of the early 1930s. Churchill managed to rally the population to resist the Nazis, even after the disastrous campaign of the British Expeditionary Force and the fall of France in 1940. The Americans believed that Britain would fall and were unwilling to help in what they saw as a lost cause. Churchill helped ordinary British people to believe that they could resist and win. The Americans agreed to help after Hitler had given up the planned invasion of Britain in the Spring of 1941.

Saying "Americans believed" is a gross misstatement. There was a lot of different thinking by Individuals and Government types such as FDR who wanted in the war. Their is a lot of simplistic or dumbed-down history fed to us in school on the matter. I would recommend some reading from lewrockwell.com This is specifically on Churchill http://www.lewrockwell.com/orig/raico-churchill1.html

"Under the circumstances, Churchill, a life-long anti-communist, had to make friends with Stalin, which his granddaughter called 'an uneasy alliance.'" This statement by Churchill's granddaughter sounds pretty dubious. Not only Churchill was an irredeemable anti-communist, he was also a lifelong enemy of Stalin. The favor was returned, of course. Churchill was a cajoler and first class liar. He caused an irreparable damage to peace before as well as after WWII. He was a prime warmonger of the British Empire since he was in his twenties. I am not surprised to hear her granddaughter say that this man's greatest disappointment was that he could not cause more damage to other people.

In the late 1920ies and early 1930ties when UK was not yet threatened by Germany and Italy Winston Churchill PUBLICLY praised both Italian fascism as well as German Nazism for their anti-communist policies. Speaking about Benito Mussolini W. Churchill said: "What a man! I have lost my heart!... Fascism has rendered a service to the entire world... If I were Italian, I am sure I would have been with you entirely from the beginning of your victorious struggle against the bestial appetites and passion of Leninism." Speaking about Adolf Hitler W. Churchill said: "There must not be lacking in our leadership something of that spirit of the Austrian corporal" "Those who have met Hitler face to face in public, business, or on social terms, have found a highly competent, cool, well-informed functionary with an agreeable manner, a discerning smile, and few have been unaffected by a subtle personal magnetism."