In July 1940, Hitler issued a directive formally launching Operation Sea Lion, Nazi Germany's plan to invade and conquer Britain. Despite the fall of France, Britain, under its new Prime Minister Winston Churchill, showed no intention of surrendering. In a series of defiant speeches, Churchill rallied the British people, famously vowing that they would fight on the beaches, in the streets, and in the hills. It soon became clear to Hitler that if he wanted to end the war in the West, he would have to force Britain to its knees.