It was symbolic of the war effort as a whole, the British situation being one that in 1939 would have seemed disastrous beyond belief.
从整个战局来看，英国现在置身于难以置信的灾难。
The loss of all European allies, the reversal of early gains from Italy, the surrender of Singapore—these and other blows were still offset only by the promise of help from an ill-prepared, inexperienced America.
欧洲联盟受损、意大利派兵、新加坡投降，这种种打击和失败，都只能指望新手上阵的美国来弥补。
For what it was worth, which was very little, the RAF was gaining superiority over the Luftwaffe in crude bombing capacity.
皇家空军在与纳粹空军的交战中处于上风，但这只是杯水车薪，
Yet this did not prevent the Scharnhorst and Gneisenau passing Dover in broad daylight.
无法阻止沙恩霍斯特号和格奈泽鲁号战列巡洋舰在光天化日之下驶过多佛尔。
Meanwhile the economy of German Europe, hitherto complacently assessed as 'taut', was in reality only just beginning to adapt to full-scale war production.
与此同时，德国在欧洲范围的经济状况，到目前为止仍是秩序井然，他们只是刚刚转为全面战时生产。
And its principal enemy had only just staved off defeat at the gates of Moscow.
而他的对手，仅能在莫斯科老家门口勉强逃过一劫。
They had to think impossible things, and to think them before breakfast.
他们不得不想些奇招了，而且要趁早。
An American army had to be created out of almost nothing, and conveyed across the Atlantic to invade a heavily fortified continent dominated by a no less advanced industrial power.
他们幻想美军横空出世，护航穿越大西洋，打到正被强大势力严防死守的大陆。
But even the preparations for that invasion, let alone its success, were impossible while the Atlantic U-boat fleet was allowed to operate.
但就算美军真有个打算，在大西洋U艇遍布的情况下，也是不可能实现的。
With Hitler now taking the war seriously, the U-boat force had swollen to a fleet of a hundred larger vessels by January 1942, and was increasing every week.
现在希特勒对战争很认真了，到1942年1月，U型潜艇的数量已经增加到100艘，而且每周都在继续增加。
After February, with invisibility restored, they were able to inflict damage that approached disaster levels—half a million tons a month, exceeding the construction rate of the new Allies combined.
2月之后，他们造成的运力损失高达每月50, 0000吨，这远远超过了同盟的补充速度。
It would be hard even to stay in the same place, let alone build up to the possibility of a victory.
连维持现状都几乎不可能了，更别说获得什么新的成功。