What does “Never have so many owed so much to so few” mean here?

Question

Can anybody paraphrase it for me, please? Does it mean "Never let so many people owe so much to so few people"?

With a population of only slightly more than 2 million people in the 1770s, how was the United States able to produce an extraordinary leadership team that included John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Alexander Hamilton, Thomas Jefferson, and George Washington? In World War II, did anyone believe that Britain’s Royal Air Force could defend the island nation against the overwhelming power of Hitler’s Luftwaffe? As Winston Churchill later commented,“Never have so many owed so much to so few".

Source: Reframing Organizations: Artistry, Choice, and Leadership
By Lee G. Bolman, Terrence E. Deal

Answer 1

Never = "At no time in the past"
have = "did"
so many [people]
owed = past tense of "have a debt of honor" (where "honor" is meant literally, rather than meaning "gambling debt")
so much = "their lives, freedom, and ability to continue as Englishmen"
to so few [people] = the R.A.F. was relatively small compared to other British military organizations, let alone the population of the United Kingdom

Answer 2

I think that we can reorder the phrase a bit without changing its meaning. This may help you to understand it. It does not represent a command or advise like the one that you have guessed.

@Jasper has previously explained each element so I'm not going to repeat it, please check his answer for futher information about each term.

So many have never owed so much to so few.

being

So many - subject
have never owed - verb - present perfect tense with adverbial modifier.
so much - direct object
to so few - indirect object