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

[Guvnorium]

why do "people" say the British didn't do anything?

No no "people" know damn well the importance of the British and indeed every nation who fought.

Switch "people" with "Americans" and then that's a more accurate question to which the answer is that Americans can't admit that any other country can shape/save the world or probably cos we used to rule you guys and this is the American way of getting back at us.....

Really though, the reason that so many American's talk about how important America is is because, uh, well, it's an important and influencial country. (Argueably he most in the last fifty years or so.) Some take it to far, but I've already addressed that. I hate being steryotyped. I will defend my countrie's honor on the interwebs, and try to inform the misinformed on how American's really are. Most of us are nice people.

 

[rt052192]

Sorry, that was meant to be a quote. FROM STALIN.

I never meant that America was the only, or the best. Trying to make a point that having the most deaths isn't the only measure of importance.

Okay, then, here's another measure of importance

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Sino-Japanese_War

Or perhaps

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_history_of_Australia_during_World_War_II

(inb4 Wikipedia bias)

Not to say that America did nothing, I would be ashamed of myself if I was to say that, however, I care very much about the truth, and Holy wood history (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/AmericaWinsTheWar) is beginning to spread into real history.

to start, bravo for the illusion to the rape of the native americans. whether the inclusion of scalps was used for that purpose, im not sure, but thats what i got out of it. Totally appropriate, and god bless Andrew Jackson and James K. Polk, my two favorite presidents, who initiated the Trail of Tears(Jackson) and Manifest Destiny(Polk) to their full potential, but now im off track...

It was a quote from the satirical movie Inglorious basterds, I am sorry you misunderstood.

The sheer amount of casualties does not compare with the mental and psychological factors the americans brought with them.

I'm not quite sure what this means, I'm pretty sure America brought guns, not songs and poetry to deal with Europes mental deficiency.

(No, a psychological boost doesn't count in an argument)

They were the reinforcements for a Europe which desperately needed it. In the larger scope of things the Russians did more "work," but the americans got more work done

This is a very off-shoot form of the No True Scotsman fallacy, it implies that the work that the Chinese, Yugoslavian, Polish, Canadians and Russians did wasn't really 'work'

i.e. Normandy, North Africa, France, Italy

No arguments there, we needed help, and we got it, and we thank you, and you certainly saved the day however, you barely scratched the surface of the war.

and the little thing called the Pacific Theatre, which the Brits dropped the ball in.

Things like that seem to happen when your capital city is being bombed.

Yes, the Americas did have a massive part, ofcourse, nowhere near as massive as they make out to be.

Of-course, some of the more right-wing britons like to think they win ever war, too.

Australia was used basically as Cannon Fodder in alot of British battles. Then when Australia was about to be invaded by Japan, the British did nothing. It's one of the reason in Australia that you will get racism towards British people. It use to be extreme in the 70's and 80's. Lucky America came and backed us up.

Australia also won a few decisive battles. They were the first to defeat the Japanese on land. There is a movie about it called Kokoda. The end bit of it is sweet.

I can appreciate this, people often forget Australia and Canada the most when it comes down to it.

lets agree to disagree, we both bring up valid points. only b/c i have to leave and am tired of goin back and forth, but i must admit that it was an epic history battle. bravo

 

[kickyourass]

Same reason somepopele don't think the French did anything, cause the Americans got all the media attention once we stepped in and everyone forgot about the others (Sometimes it feels like I'm the only one who knows about the Canadians).

EDIT* I'd like to add a sidenote, to the people who say "The British did nothing" in the Pacific, I'd like to see if america could scrap up enough troops to fight a war on the other side of the world if say, Canada, spent about 3 years leveling our cities to the ground, and our troops barely holding the line HERE when the other side of world needed help.

 

[dragonslayer32]

this stuff really pisses me off. im british and get this all the time over xbox live from little american kids that know nothing(not a shot against americans, just these little shits, every country has them) yes, the americans did supply us weapons and give us loans, but who fought the war for the first 3 years? we went in because hitler was destroying europe and committing mass genecide. the americans went in because of pearl harbour. yes, we may not have won the war if the americans didnt come in but does anyone really think that america would still be in afganistan if we wernt there? (and we wernt 3 years late)

 

[Agayek]

...except the French. But to be fair, they were pretty much overrun before they even realized a war was on. The Germans pulled off the governmental equivalent of a suckerpunch to the scrot.

While this is more or less true, the French resistance was a major reason the war ended as it had. The Allies wouldn't have been able to take Paris as quickly as they did without them, and the Germans might have been able to at least turn around the fighting on the Western front.

 

[Guvnorium]

this stuff really pisses me off. im british and get this all the time over xbox live from little american kids that know nothing(not a shot against americans, just these little shits, every country has them) yes, the americans did supply us weapons and give us loans, but who fought the war for the first 3 years? we went in because hitler was destroying europe and committing mass genecide. the americans went in because of pearl harbour. yes, we may not have won the war if the americans didnt come in but does anyone really think that america would still be in afganistan if we wernt there? (and we wernt 3 years late)

Once again, the fact that almost noone knew about the mass genocide must be brought up.

 

[RJ Dalton]

I think she was confusing the British with the French.

 

[Enigmers]

Well, the Germans didn't attack the British as Hitler tried to convince the British to join him.

From what I learned, the British were also very lively and hardy people, the kind who would go on living their day-to-day lives, going out to get the mail and whatnot while the risk of bombs falling overhead was nigh.

 

[maddawg IAJI]

I think your teacher should proably brush up on his History. The British were one of the last European powers still fighting Hitler. They helped largely in D-day, in Africa, in Italy and in France.

 

[JoshGod]

your teacher needs a slap we did more than iceland ever did.

i mean what about the battle of britain. it showed that the germans just couldnt out manouver us in the air despite their superior planes.

also because the americans were determined to stay out of a war that would eventually get to them anyway. i suppose it allowed them to come out on top. though i fail to see how they got any glory in joining late.

 

[Baconmonster723]

Simple math. Russia=Great Britain=USA all instrumental in the victory the allies achieved.

If Great Britain doesn't hold, the US would never have entered the war in Europe. All of Western Europe would have fallen and maybe eventually Russia.

If Russia doesn't fight back Germany and falls then the bulk of German ground forces would return to the western front and crush the combine forces of a weakened GB and a far from fully committed US.

If the US doesn't enter the war GB eventually loses the war of attrition to Germany, falling to their relentless attacks after many incredibly hard fought years.

If even one of these three had fallen in WWII the war probably would have gone a different way. The only constant would most likely have been that Japan would eventually have fallen to the US. Europe was a total toss-up through the entirety of the war. Each faction had an instrumental role in the victory of allied forces over Axis forces. USA, Great Britain and Russia simply more so than the others.

I will say this to all the Europeans who seem to lack some sense of understanding as to why the Americans didn't enter the war until the end. We were only being fed information from GB, we were very skeptical that things were just as bad as you made them out to be. We had no other information to go on. Also, during this time period a significant portion of the US was of German decent. This isn't meant to be offensive to you, but honestly this is something you wouldn't understand, considering your population at the time (not talking about now, but then). To be honest aside from the Native Americans every person living in the US was an immigrant. It's not that we didn't want to help, it's just that we weren't sure what to do. If the Japanese don't bomb Pearl Harbor the only way the US would have been in the war would have been indirectly sending material support and through American volunteers serving in the RAF (as had been done before). War is a significant contribution of not only materials but human life. Honestly, this war didn't concern us until we were attacked and our interests aligned permenantly with the Allies. Europeans had been fighting for centuries, sadly it didn't concern us.

No nation's contribution to the war should be belittled. For each paid with the blood of their people. May they all rest in peace.

 

[dragonslayer32]

this stuff really pisses me off. im british and get this all the time over xbox live from little american kids that know nothing(not a shot against americans, just these little shits, every country has them) yes, the americans did supply us weapons and give us loans, but who fought the war for the first 3 years? we went in because hitler was destroying europe and committing mass genecide. the americans went in because of pearl harbour. yes, we may not have won the war if the americans didnt come in but does anyone really think that america would still be in afganistan if we wernt there? (and we wernt 3 years late)

Once again, the fact that almost noone knew about the mass genocide must be brought up.

tell u what, have 6 million of your people killed, then comment

 

[Guvnorium]

this stuff really pisses me off. im british and get this all the time over xbox live from little american kids that know nothing(not a shot against americans, just these little shits, every country has them) yes, the americans did supply us weapons and give us loans, but who fought the war for the first 3 years? we went in because hitler was destroying europe and committing mass genecide. the americans went in because of pearl harbour. yes, we may not have won the war if the americans didnt come in but does anyone really think that america would still be in afganistan if we wernt there? (and we wernt 3 years late)

Once again, the fact that almost noone knew about the mass genocide must be brought up.

tell u what, have 6 million of your people killed, then comment

Uh...I didn't say it didn't happen. Just that at the time, almost no one knew it was happening.

 

[TurboPanda]

I am British and I admit that without American resources we would have lost the war. However If Britain did not hold out for as long as we did the Americans would not have a stepping stone they needed to get into Europe. Without that the later years of the war may have had more in common with Turning Point Fall of Liberty than Call of Duty 1-3.

 

[ClunkiestTurtle]

Switch "people" with "Americans" and then that's a more accurate question to which the answer is that Americans can't admit that any other country can shape/save the world or probably cos we used to rule you guys and this is the American way of getting back at us.....

Easily one of the most ignorant things I've ever read. Stereotyping isn't going to get you anywhere. The whole "Americans only care about themselves and think they did everything" shtick doesn't cut it here.

As I stated above, its what we're taught. How many other countries teach the things America did during the war? Each country is going to teach their stories, battles, and the things they did. It's up to you as an individual to research the entire picture.

As an American, I can safely say that we did not do everything. Every country involved played a large part. Without every country sacrificing its resources, and most importantly, its people, the war would have gone a completely different way.

Don't worry about those that think otherwise. Let them wallow in their own ignorance.

ummmm no no go look up the definition of ignorance and get back to me on this one.....

The fact is that is exactly what most Americans think, a fact to which you admit in YOU'RE OWN POST lol

So yeh its what you are all taught as you say, hence why most people think it making my statement all the more true....

I didn't say its makes them bad people but the fact is that's what a good majority of Americans think whether it be due to not so broad coverage at school or patriotic loyalty but its true none the less so thanks for the amusing attempt at an insult all the same but while you and the good majority of intelligent Americans on this site know the facts as they are most Americans simply put don't and my opinions on this are ironically enough formed mostly through talking about it with my American friends who said pretty much the same as me, but with that said i think the British OVER play what we did in the war, patriotism does nothing but amuse me with its pointlessness.

 

[celladoth]

From what i know of history after France became occupied by Germany the British were defending themselves from German bombing raids and secretly supplying the French resistance. during the first part of the war, Russia and Germany had something to the effect of a non-hostility agreement that eventual ended wen German forces began invading Russia. I don't know when that occurred but i think it was after Japan bombed Perl Harbor (please forgive the possible spelling errors). Any who, after the United States entered the war the British were instrumental in setting up supply chains and intelligence that the American forces simply didn't have wen they entered the war in Europe. Not to mention the hundreds of thousands of British troops they sent to fight.

Don't take my word on any of this, Its likely i may have gotten my information reversed somewhere and its pretty obvious I left some curial details out. but it is my opinion that without the British the war was likely to have ended very differently, or perhaps the first W.M.D. would have had a very different target with some father reaching consequences than what had actually taken place.

 

[dragonslayer32]

this stuff really pisses me off. im british and get this all the time over xbox live from little american kids that know nothing(not a shot against americans, just these little shits, every country has them) yes, the americans did supply us weapons and give us loans, but who fought the war for the first 3 years? we went in because hitler was destroying europe and committing mass genecide. the americans went in because of pearl harbour. yes, we may not have won the war if the americans didnt come in but does anyone really think that america would still be in afganistan if we wernt there? (and we wernt 3 years late)

Once again, the fact that almost noone knew about the mass genocide must be brought up.

tell u what, have 6 million of your people killed, then comment

Uh...I didn't say it didn't happen. Just that at the time, almost no one knew it was happening.

i didnt say that they did, but we had our suspicions, you know, when millions of people went missing and europe was falling apart

 

[celladoth]

Besides, that opinion just seems like American Bravado because they all secretly know they haven't done anything that significant since. well, anything significant that did something good for the world.

 

[the idiot computer]

Actually some germans helped the allies in the war effort against the Nazi's so let me give a rundown of what i know about each country.

America: Fashionably late as always, supplier and productive.

Russia; A massive help in war effortt, helped allies in pincer movement.

Engaland: took the brunt of the war mostly, constantly tying not to be out-flanked, created Colossus a computer that cracked all German codes.

France: Sabotage and guerill atactics, damaging infrastructure and attempted assasnations on main leaders.

Poland: First to fall, took alot of oppression helped in war with manpower.

So as you can see each country did alot and thats only a fraction of the allies.

As for your teacher get him an IQ test.