Why do people say that the British didn't do a thing in WW2?

[DarkRyter]

Simple question in fact I was in history today learning about WW2 and my teacher said that the british didn't do a thing and that the americans oh the bloody americans held up everything defending the land.
For when I read the book then it was mostly in Russia and the russians did most of the killing and the biggest sacrifices.
So guys I'm thinking what did the british do?

P.s.I'm a british patriot (16) who lives in Iceland so the education here for history isn't exactly great.

They were the major force on the Eastern front after the fall of France. They conducted numerous bombing raids upon Germany, much in response to the raids Germany took on the British Isle. The western front was taken care of by the Soviet Union. Lots of shit happened all up in the western front.

 

[DefunctTheory]

I usually summarize the whole American, British and free French forces as "western allies", so no one gets left out.

Norwegians, Danish, Dutch, Belgians, Canadians... Still nothing like a complete list. I'm reading an excellent book at the moment about a British cryptographer, there's lots of stories of the efforts made by agents of all nationalities in occupied Europe, all based and briefed in London, such as the sabotage of heavy water plants and so on by Norwegian agents, I think if the Axis powers developed nuclear weapons things might have turned out differently...

Although as previously stated, the German's weren't exactly that close to developing atomic weapons. Of course, one of those sabotages was against a civilian steamer. Which, y'know, isn't so nice. At least it was carrying heavy water. (Hurray Nova peoples for finding that out!)

According to some sources, Germany was actually pretty close. If the had ever figured out you didn't NEED heavy water (All you needed was refined graphite), they could have made an atomic warhead.

Thankfully, they were so fixated on heavy water, they forgot how to think laterally.

 

[Cmwissy]

If I had to point out a single nation and say 'They helped the most in WW2' I would probably say the Russians.

Everyone else would be put in the 'other' group.

 

[RedDeadFred]

Without Britain, the allies would have lost the war...

 

[rt052192]

Britain did do alot, but the americans and russians did most of the work according to my american-based education

 

[PhiMed]

PIt was only the Americans and the Brits left on the field, and guess who came out of the war with a massive industrial production surplus, no damage to the country itself and an already established massive entertainment industry?

Yet the British managed to create a universal health care system 60 years before it would be attempted in the US and this was in the cold war, where threats of being a socialist were serious.

Lol. What? Way to miss his point.

What does a universal health care system have to do with the worldwide propagation of a particular viewpoint?

 

[Snipermanic]

ignorance is a major factor in everything. For example I live in Cambridgeshire and the entire regiment was captured at the fall of Singapore, yet hardly anyone in this area even knows we fought the Japanese because of the dominance of the American perspective in film et c, I'm not criticising that I'll have you mind, just the ignorance of people.

 

[Cmwissy]

Britain did do alot, but the americans and russians did most of the work according to my american-based education

Cut out the 'American' part. Wherever you get your education is one of the countries that helped, I of-course got the 'BRITAIN DID EVERYTHING!' speech from my teacher, although the Russians are the only ones who deserve this whole hype.

No meanness intended to my American friends, but when did this whole AMEWIKUH SAVED ALL YO ASSES! begin?

Who started it, can anyone inform me?

 

[GrinningManiac]

Who the fuck said that?

That's just stupid. And unfair, and quite horrible.

And very ignorant

And very hurtful

[HEADING=3]AND VERY DISRESPECTFUL TO THE MILLIONS OF SERVICEMENT WHO LOST THEIR LIVES IN EUROPE, NORTH AFRICA, ASIA AND THE SKIES OVER BRITAIN ITSELF[/HEADING]

Don't try to be sarcastic or mean to that teacher, or even challenge their statement about the inactivity of Britain. Just ignore them, they are possibly the most horrid and ignorant bastards to whom I have ever had the displeasure of knowing they existed

 

[Chris^^]

it was our bloody war.. it's the fault of all the American movies/programmes which make it seem as though it was only American troops fighting (king examples - Band of Brothers and Saving Private Ryan which display the British as inconsequential and arrogant, or non existant)

 

[Pigeon_Grenade]

the British Kicked Rommels ass out of Africa,

 

[rt052192]

Britain did do alot, but the americans and russians did most of the work according to my american-based education

Cut out the 'American' part. Wherever you get your education is one of the countries that helped, I of-course got the 'BRITAIN DID EVERYTHING!' speech from my teacher, although the Russians are the only ones who deserve this whole hype.

cut out the american part!? was it not the americans that for the most part liberated North Africa, Italy, and France!? How can you possibly claim that america did not have a substantial effect on the war. Not to mention the fact that we supplied the Brits when we were neutral, so therefore, America did come in and save the day.

As for the Russians, it was the RUSSIAN WINTER and Hitler's tactical blunders that saved Russia, not the disgrace of an army that was the Red Army. The Red Army only had manpower and Stalin to keep it running.

 

[Cmwissy]

Britain did do alot, but the americans and russians did most of the work according to my american-based education

Cut out the 'American' part. Wherever you get your education is one of the countries that helped, I of-course got the 'BRITAIN DID EVERYTHING!' speech from my teacher, although the Russians are the only ones who deserve this whole hype.

cut out the american part!? was it not the americans that for the most part liberated North Africa, Italy, and France!? How can you possibly claim that america did not have a substantial effect on the war. Not to mention the fact that we supplied the Brits when we were neutral, so therefore, America did come in and save the day.

As for the Russians, it was the RUSSIAN WINTER and Hitler's tactical blunders that saved Russia, not the disgrace of an army that was the Red Army. The Red Army only had manpower and Stalin to keep it running.

The axis forces took 77% of their casualties on the Eastern front.

Yes, cut out the American part.


Everything you just said to me was also told to me by my History teacher, with America replaced by 'Britain' and was probably told by the Polish History teacher.

 

[Brian Mastin]

well as far as I know (which isn't that far)the Russians did the most of the allies work, then the americans, then the british, then the french. The french gave up during the german invasion and once they were liberated by the americans they barely made any effort to assist, but to their credit they had a fairly small military. Russia did in fact do most of the killing but suffered most of the casualties, mostly becasue every adult male in russia was forced into the military and most of those men were fueled by a deep rage at the germans because for much of the first three years of the war, the germans had ravaged their country. Russia suffered some 2 million casualties. America, suffered some 500 thousand casualties and brittian suffered 200 thousand casualties. Brittian had a significant role in North africa and the Liberation of France. Be assured, the war would not have been won without the brittish.

 

[Baldry]

That's weird back in Britain we believe that America did jack all and tryed to all the glory, also that the French were lil' kitten's and surrendered instantly.
I'd like to take this moment to say I don't agree with this. Although I do have some patriotic feeling towards Britain but I've always thought that it was the Russian's who won the war for us, I mean if not for Hitler's stupidity in attacking the Russians for "lebensraum" Hitler would of won the war against Britain... and then attack Russia...And then that would be interesting...I wonder who would win....Game idea!!!

 

[Cmwissy]

well as far as I know (which isn't that far)the Russians did the most of the allies work, then the americans, then the british, then the french. The french gave up during the german invasion and once they were liberated by the americans they barely made any effort to assist, but to their credit they had a fairly small military. Russia did in fact do most of the killing but suffered most of the casualties, mostly becasue every adult male in russia was forced into the military and most of those men were fueled by a deep rage at the germans because for much of the first three years of the war, the germans had ravaged their country. Russia suffered some 2 million casualties. America, suffered some 500 thousand casualties and brittian suffered 200 thousand casualties. Brittian had a significant role in North africa and the Liberation of France. Be assured, the war would not have been won without the brittish.

China came before the British and Americans, as did the Yugoslavians and the 'others'

 

[rt052192]

Britain did do alot, but the americans and russians did most of the work according to my american-based education

Cut out the 'American' part. Wherever you get your education is one of the countries that helped, I of-course got the 'BRITAIN DID EVERYTHING!' speech from my teacher, although the Russians are the only ones who deserve this whole hype.

cut out the american part!? was it not the americans that for the most part liberated North Africa, Italy, and France!? How can you possibly claim that america did not have a substantial effect on the war. Not to mention the fact that we supplied the Brits when we were neutral, so therefore, America did come in and save the day.

As for the Russians, it was the RUSSIAN WINTER and Hitler's tactical blunders that saved Russia, not the disgrace of an army that was the Red Army. The Red Army only had manpower and Stalin to keep it running.

The axis forces took 77% of their casualties on the Eastern front.

Yes, cut out the American part.


Everything you just said to me was also told to me by my History teacher, with America replaced by 'Britain' and was probably told by the Polish History teacher.

its fact though, Hitler made the same mistake as Napoleon: invade Russia during the winter. They ran out of supplies and were ill-suited to the conditions. All im saying is that Russia lost ALOT of men and outside factors, not russian military superiority, was what decided the outcome on the Eastern Front. Had AMERICA not re-opened the western front, Russia would have gotten bent over.

 

[Cmwissy]

Britain did do alot, but the americans and russians did most of the work according to my american-based education

Cut out the 'American' part. Wherever you get your education is one of the countries that helped, I of-course got the 'BRITAIN DID EVERYTHING!' speech from my teacher, although the Russians are the only ones who deserve this whole hype.

cut out the american part!? was it not the americans that for the most part liberated North Africa, Italy, and France!? How can you possibly claim that america did not have a substantial effect on the war. Not to mention the fact that we supplied the Brits when we were neutral, so therefore, America did come in and save the day.

As for the Russians, it was the RUSSIAN WINTER and Hitler's tactical blunders that saved Russia, not the disgrace of an army that was the Red Army. The Red Army only had manpower and Stalin to keep it running.

The axis forces took 77% of their casualties on the Eastern front.

Yes, cut out the American part.


Everything you just said to me was also told to me by my History teacher, with America replaced by 'Britain' and was probably told by the Polish History teacher.

its fact though, Hitler made the same mistake as Napoleon: invade Russia during the winter. They ran out of supplies and were ill-suited to the conditions. All im saying is that Russia lost ALOT of men and outside factors, not russian military superiority, was what decided the outcome on the Eastern Front. Had AMERICA not re-opened the western front, Russia would have gotten bent over.

I redirect you to the chart above I posted, Yugoslavia was more help than Britain and America.

 

[chenry]

I would probably wager that the people who say they did nothing are HUUUUUUUUUUUUGE morons. And arguing with them will likely make you stupider.