Today in World War II History—July 19, 1941
Sunday, July 19, 2026 by Sarah Sundin
Prime Minister Winston Churchill in Downing Street, London, 5 Jun 1943 (Imperial War Museum: HU 55521)
85 Years Ago—July 19, 1941: British Prime Minister Winston Churchill gives a speech about BBC’s “V for Victory” campaign promoting resistance in occupied Europe, which features Beethoven’s Fifth (V) Symphony as theme music—opening chords sound like dot-dot-dot-dash, the Morse code for the letter V; Churchill first flashes the V sign.
Capt. Benjamin O. Davis Jr. and twelve Black aviation cadets begin flight training at Tuskegee Institute, AL, under white officers; Davis serves as commandant of cadets—he has an officer’s commission from his previous Army service.
