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[[File: Wc0107-04780r.jpg|thumbnail|300px|left|Winston Churchill- 1940]]

In September 1939, the German war machine invaded Poland. Then Prime Minister Neville Chamberlin declared war on Germany. The British adopted a cautious policy. The sent the British Expeditionary Force to France. Both the Allied British and French adopted a defensive posture and waited for a German attack. This was called the Phoney War because were the allies were waiting for Germany’s next move.<ref>Hastings, p. 117 </ref> Chamberlin knew that Churchill, was wildly popular, and he invited him to join the war cabinet as the First Lord of the Admiralty, on the day that Britain declared war on Germany. Churchill began to prepare the British navy for war against Germany.

Many believed that Chamberlin invited Churchill to join the war cabinet to ensure that he did not cause problems for the government in the House of Commons. It proved to be a popular move and the public welcomed Churchill’s return to the cabinet. Poland was defeated within weeks by Germany and after the Molotov-Rippentrop pact, Hitler turned his attention west towards France. Churchill argued strongly in favor of an aggressive strategy. He wanted the British and French to attack Germany and he proposed that the Allies occupy Norway, to prevent it from falling into the hands of the Germans.<ref>Hastings, 211</ref> In the Spring of 1940, the German navy and army attacked Norway, even though it was a neutral nation. Like Churchill, Germany realized that Norway had great strategic importance. When Germany invaded Norway, it was the main source of their iron ore and they need to keep Norway's iron ore flowing to Germany. <ref>Hastings, p. 117 </ref>