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It's June 11, 1940, in the Chateau des Muget, a mansion 100 miles south of Paris, one month after German troops invaded France in the beginning of World War II.

British Prime Minister Winston Churchill sits the head of a conference table.

He takes a sip from a cup of tea and silently stares down the British and French officers seated around him.

But the moment of quiet is interrupted by the sound of fighter planes flying overhead.

Churchill puts down his cup of tea and addresses the war council before him.

He doesn't mince words, saying that if the French army does not muster a defense of their country,

France will fall into the clutches of the Nazis. Churchill clamps a cigar between his teeth and lights up.

As he blows smoke across the table, he demands to know how the French generals plan to launch a

successful counterattack. Or a few awkward moments, the general squirm looking uncomfortable.

Until General Maxim Vagon clears his throat,

Vaghan says there's no way France can stop the Nazis,

and they should ask for a ceasefire.

Many generals in the room nod,

make known their approval of surrender,

but Churchill is livid.

He slams his hands down on the table, shocking the room into silence again. He bellows that France must not surrender, and in response, another French general at the table insists that they

have no choice. Hearing this, Churchill rises from his seat and raises his

...