Winston S. Churchill (1874—1965)
本文选自英国前首相邱吉尔所著《第二次世界大战史》第六卷（即最后一卷）Triumph and Tragedy（1954）的第一章。邱氏才气纵横，吐属隽雅，其历史著作与演说讲稿不少为可传之作。渠文字修养甚深，同书中收其致外务部“手谕”一通，甚饶趣味，现抄录如下：
Prime Minister to Foreign Office 4 Apr. /'45.
Attention should be drawn to the mis-spelling /"inadmissable./" I have noticed this several times in Foreign Office telegrams.
邱氏于戎马倥偬，日理万机之余，对于一字之微，也不轻易放过，真可谓心细如发矣。
Our long months of preparation and planning for the greatest amphibious operation in history ended on D-Day, June 6, 1944. During the preceding night the great armadas of convoys and their escorts sailed, unknown to the enemy, along the swept channels from the Isle of Wight to the Normandy coast. Heavy bombers of the Royal Air Force attacked enemy coast-defence guns in their concrete emplacements, dropping 5200 tons of bombs. When dawn broke, the United States Air Force came on the scene to deal with other shore defences, followed by medium and fighter bombers. In the twenty-four hours of June 6 the Allies flew over 14,600 sorties. So great was our superiority in the air that all the enemy could put up during daylight over the invasion beaches was a mere hundred sorties.
● long months：很多月以来。long这个字安得很好。preparation and planning：准备和设计。amphibious operation：两栖作战。D-Day：预定发动攻击的那一天。本适用于任何战役，现常专指联军反攻欧陆，登陆诺曼第的那一天。
● preceding night：六月五日夜里。armada本为西班牙文，等于英文的fleet（舰队）。十六世纪时，西班牙曾发“无敌舰队”（The Invincible Armada）攻英，英人谈虎色变，所以现在这个字在英文里的涵义，声势似乎比fleet更壮。convoys：护航队。escorts：保护那些商船运输舰的兵舰。
● swept（sweep的过去分词）：障碍物业已肃清的。（“扫雷舰”的英文名称是mine sweeper）。channels：海里可供航行的通道。（此字亦作“海峡”解：The English Channel即英法之间的英伦海峡；但此处应作“the deeper part of a waterway”解。）
● Isle of Wight：英国南部一小岛。Normandy：法国西北部的半岛。
● Heavy bombers：重轰炸机。Royal Air Force：皇家空军，即英国空军，简写为RAF。英国的海军是Royal Navy (RN)。英国军舰的前面都加“皇上陛下的舰船”（His or Her Majesty/'s Ship），如H. M. S. Hood，即为英舰虎特号。
● coast-defence guns：海岸防御大炮（defence是英国拼法，美国通常作defense）。
● concrete：混凝土（水泥、沙石等）砌成的。emplacements：炮兵阵地。
● When dawn broke：天亮的时候（天亮是daybreak，入暮是nightfall，注意两个动词break和fall的用法）。第二次大战后期，英国空军担任夜间轰炸任务，美国空军白天轰炸。
● medium bombers：中型轰炸机。fighter bomber：战斗轰炸机两用飞机，较中型轰炸机为小。重轰炸机先来，继之（followed by）以中型与战斗轰炸机。
● over 14,600 sorties：超过一万四千六百“架次”。一架飞机出动一次，称为“架次”（sortie），此字源自法文sortir，有“出动”之意。一架飞机出动两次或两架飞机出动一次，都是“two sorties”。
● superiority in the air：空中优势。“so great…”连后面的“that”。all the enemy could put up=all that the enemy could put up：敌方所能发动者。over the invasion beaches：用之于登陆作战的海滩上空者。invasion是“侵入”，与aggression（侵略）不同。侵略是坏事，侵入只指行动的方向，不问行动的是非。德国攻入法国是invasion，联军攻入欧陆也是。
From midnight three airborne pisions were alighting, the British 6th Airborne Division northeast of Caen to seize bridgeheads over the river between the town and the sea, and two American airborne pisions north of Carentan to assist the seaborne assault on the beaches, and to check the movement of enemy reserves into the Contentin peninsula. Although in places the airborne pisions were more widely scattered than had been intended, the object was in every case achieved.
● airborne pision：空运师。borne是bear（载运）的过去分词。alighting：着陆。人下车或鸟栖止都可以用这个字。此处用过去进行式，有“不断地降落”之意。
● Caen：法国地名。bridgeheads：桥头堡。over the river：这条河大约是指River Ordon。英国登陆地点是在Caen城的北边，初步目标是占领Caen城；Caen和海岸之间，有河阻隔，故先用空运部队，在河对岸占领桥头堡，直接威胁Caen，并和海岸登陆大军相呼应。
● two American airborne pisions：该两师的番号是第82和第101两空运师。Carentan也是诺曼第半岛上的一个城市。seaborne：请参看前面airborne的注。
● check：阻止，抑制。enemy reserves：敌方后备部队。the Contentin peninsula：诺曼第半岛上一块凸出的小半岛。敌方后备部队如开入该处，可影响美军的成败。
● in places：中国学生喜欢用in some places或in many places，但有时候只说in places就够了。
● more widely scattered than had been intended：较原定计划散布为广，不能如原定计划那样集中降落。than此处用如relative pronoun，做had been intended的主语。in every case：在每点上，各处统统（完成任务）。
As dawn came and the ships, great and small, began to file into their prearranged positions for the assault, the scene might almost have been a review. Immediate opposition was limited to an attack by torpedo-boats, which sank a Norwegian destroyer. Even when the naval bombardment began, the reply from the coastal batteries was desultory and ineffective. There was no doubt that we had achieved a tactical surprise.
● file：单行纵列进行；鱼贯而驶。prearranged positions：预定阵地。for the assault：准备攻击。the scene might almost have been a review：这景象几乎像是在军事检阅。队伍整齐，一切按部就班，几乎不像是在作战，但事实上是在作战，故动词用虚拟语气might have been。
● Immediate opposition：当前的抵抗（仅限于……）。这句用了被动语态，句法很紧凑，如用主动语态，就要松懈得多。
● torpedo-boats：鱼雷艇。Norwegian destroyer：挪威驱逐舰。
● naval bombardment：海军排炮轰击。coastal batteries：海岸炮台。reply：还击。desultory：断续散漫。ineffective：效率很低；不能命中。这句动词是个很简单的was，句子重心在was后面的两个形容词，这两个字定要用得贴切稳妥才好。作文炼字的功夫，往往见之于verb to be后面的两三个形容词。
● tactical：战术的。一般读者翻起英汉字典，查到“战术的”三个字，恐怕仍旧莫明所以；这时候顶好再翻一本有英文解释的字典，便可获得更进一步的了解。普通英汉字典把strategy解释作“战略”，把tactics解释作“战术”。详言之，strategy着眼于全面战争的胜利，tactics着眼于局部战役胜利。联军横渡海峡在法国西海岸登陆，假如德国事前毫无所知，便可称strategic surprise。但事实上，第二战场之说，在那时已甚嚣尘上，德军在西海岸一带早已结阵而待，故此事已经不成为strategic surprise（此点作者并未明言）。但从1944年6月5日夜间起，联军纷纷出动，机密神速，大举登陆，把德军杀得一个措手不及，这可称为tactical surprise。联军登陆诺曼第，在兵法上虽不算是出奇制胜；但是在军事部署调动方面，确是做到“出敌不意，攻敌无备”这一点的。
Landing and support craft, with infantry, with tanks, with self-propelled artillery, and a great variety of weapons and engineer demolition teams to deal with the beach obstacles, all formed up into groups and moved towards the beaches. Among them were the D. D. (swimming) tanks, which made their first large-scale appearance in battle. It was still very rough from the bad weather of the day before, and a good many of the swimming tanks foundered on the way.
● landing craft：登陆艇。support craft：支援或掩护登陆作战的舰艇。注意：craft作舰艇或飞机解时，其复数形式通常不加s。self-propelled artillery：自行（无需车辆拖曳）炮。infantry（步兵）和artillery（炮兵或炮）都是集合名词。
● engineer：工兵。demolition team：爆破班。beach obstacles：海滩上的障碍物。formed up into groups：结成队伍。
● D. D. tanks：D. D. 二字为何字之简写不详。唯邱氏恐读者不识此字，已代为注明是swimming tanks（水陆两用战车）。这种战车大规模在战场上出现，这是有史以来第一次。
● rough：风浪甚大。foundered：浸水沉没。
Destroyers and gun and rocket batteries mounted on landing-craft pounded the beach defences, while farther to seaward battleships and cruisers kept down the fire of the defending batteries. Ground opposition was slight until the first landing-craft were a mile from the shore, but then mortar and machine-gun fire grew. Surf and the partly submerged obstacles and mines made the landings hazardous, and many craft were wrecked after setting down their troops, but the advance went on.
● Destroyers：驱逐舰。gun batteries：炮列，排炮。rocket batteries：排列成行的火箭炮。这两种炮都架设（mounted）在登陆艇上。pounded：轰击。
● farther to seaward：离海岸较远处。战斗舰（battleships）和巡洋舰（cruisers）吃水较深，船上大炮射程较远，作战时以离海岸较远为宜。kept down：压制（对方火力）。
● Ground opposition：（敌方）地面的抵抗（微弱）。first landing-craft：此处的动词是用复数形式were，故知landing-craft也是复数——“第一批登陆艇”，不是“第一艘登陆艇”。mortar：臼炮。
● Surf：拍岸巨浪。partly submerged obstacles：一部分浸在水里的障碍物。mines：水雷。这三样东西都使登陆时平添危险（made…hazardous）。setting down：放下，送……上岸。军队登岸之后，很多登陆艇也随即被击毁（wrecked）。船舶损坏，有一个专用的字：shipwreck。
As soon as the foremost infantry got ashore they dashed forward towards their objectives, and in every case except one made good progress. On /"Omaha/" beach, northwest of Bayeux, the Vth American Corps ran into severe resistance. By an unlucky chance the enemy defences in this sector had recently been taken over by a complete German pision in full strength and on the alert. Our Allies had a very stiff fight all day to make any lodgment at all, and it was not until the 7th that, after losing several thousand men, they were able to force their way inland. Although we did not gain all we sought, and in particular Caen remained firmly in enemy hands, the progress made on the first two days of the assault was judged very satisfactory.
● the foremost infantry：步兵的先头部队。in every case except one：除一处以外，各处进展都很顺利。
● /"Omaha/" beach：诺曼第半岛上Bayeux城西北一带的海滩，恐怕本无名称，美军为行军指挥方便起见，替他杜撰一个名字Omaha。Omaha原是美国Nebraska州的一个地名。the Vth American Corps：美国第五军团。照美国陆军编制，师以上的单位是军团（corps：此字的ps不发音），军团以上是军（army），军以上是集团军（army group）。担任诺曼第登陆任务的是英美联军的第二十一集团军，由美国第一军和英国第二军组成，美国第一军统辖第五和第七两军团，第五军团统辖第一和第二十九两师。
● this sector：这一地段。taken over：接防。in full strength：实力毫未受减损的。on the alert：在警戒状态中。
● Our Allies：美国盟友。stiff fight：艰苦作战。make any lodgment：占领任何地点。在敌人土地上占领据点，在军事学上称为lodgment。
● the 7th：六月七日。force their way inland：向内陆挺进。这句的结构是“It was not until the 7th that…they were able to force…”。“after losing several thousand men”只是插进去补充说明之用，和主要结构无关。英文的逗点（comma）常常有括弧的用处（parenthetical），初学者应该注意。
● we did not gain all we sought：我们的目标，没有全部达到。这里的“我们”，恐指英军而言。in particular：尤其是。英军主要的目标，是袭取Caen城，但该城尚在敌军固守中。
● made是过去分词，发动攻击后头两天的进展，被认为很满意。“被认为”恐怕是欧化的说法，谁认为是满意呢？大约是联军指挥首脑部门，但是英文里不必明言，只要用一个被动语态就够了。
From the Biscay ports a stream of U-boats, facing all risks and moving on the surface at high speed, sought to break up the invasion. We were well prepared. The western approaches to the Channel were guarded by numerous aircraft, forming our first line of defence. Behind them were the naval forces covering the landings. Meeting the full blast of our defence, the U-boats fared badly. In the first crucial four days six were sunk by air and a similar number damaged. They were not able to make any impression on the invasion convoys, which continued to move with impunity and with trifling loss.
● Biscay：法国海湾名，在诺曼第半岛之南，西班牙之北，湾内著名海港有Bordeaux，La Rochelle等。a stream of U-boats：一连串的德国潜艇。U是德文Untersee（undersea）的简写。facing all risks：不顾一切危险。sought（seek的过去式）：图谋。break up the invasion：阻止我们的登陆。break up=stop，put an end to。
● the Channel：英伦海峡。western approaches：西边入口处。our first line of defence：抵御潜艇的第一道防线。
● covering the landings：掩护我们登陆。
● blast原意是强风或爆炸，转作“很大的打击”。the full blast of our defence可解作“我方防御武器的全部威力”。
● fare=get along（遭逢）。fare well就是go well，常用于分别时的祝辞（再会）。welfare（福利）也是从这个字来的。fared badly：遭逢不幸，倒霉。
● crucial：紧要关头的。在起初四天内，有六艘德国潜艇被空军所击沉；被击毁的差不多也有这个数目。
● make any impression on the invasion convoys：登陆护航舰队并不受到潜艇的骚扰。impression：施压力后所留下的痕迹；潜艇尽管出动，叵奈不发生作用乎？impunity：此字与punishment同源，一人做了坏事不受责罚，可以说He did something wrong with impunity。但此字又转作“不受损害，并无不良后果”解（freedom from punishment, injury, or other bad consequences）；联军护航舰队，长驱直入，泰然无虞，损失极为轻微（with trifling loss）。