Alone May 1940 May 1941 (Part 5/5)

[DashaLoveLeps]

thank you for this video!!

[ptolemy1989]

i get so irritated when my fellow Americans say that America made the biggest difference and won the war for the allies. it was Britain who refused to submit to Germany's terms it was Britain who fraught alone. it was Britain who won at el Alamein and it was Britain who kept the chance of a allied victory alive. America did make a big difference but it was Britain that made all the the other allied contributions successful

[MrB0ud]

I agree

[TheBelovedButterfly]

@ptolemy1989 Yes, we were the figurehead for this, and that makes me very proud, but remember that Canadians, Australians, New Zealanders, South Africans (black and white), Indians, Poles, Czechs, Free French, Irish, Norwegians etc all fought with us from the start. Those people are much undersung - we owe them our freedom.

[ptolemy1989]

@TheBelovedButterfly they certainly played a very important part even when occupied there residence made a large impact on the war. a good example is Greece, France, and Yugoslavia. in my opinion (witch doesn't at all mean that i am right) is that Britain did the most for the allied war effort. the U.S.S.R would be second and America would be third.

[TheBelovedButterfly]

@ptolemy1989 I would agree with you there - but under the "British" umbrella were all those people I mentioned. And, above all, ALL those young men, who had more enjoyable things to do than lay down their lives far from home, deserve our gratitude.

[TheBelovedButterfly]

@ptolemy1989 you said that your countrymen annoyed you, with the attitude that they did everything - but they are heavily primed by Hollywood! "Saving Private Ryan" actually happened, but was British; "The Great Escape" actually happened but there were no Americans in the camp: "Schindler's list": the Schindler Jews were actually given rations and vodka by Russian troops, who declared "you are no longer untouchable" and solemnly hugged each one!

[TheBelovedButterfly]

It's as if they can't bear to imagine there is a world outside America; those stories were marvellous, without needing to be "Americanised"; it is rather like Europeans making a film about the Alamo...set in Holland! It's very annoying, but it doesn't downplay the REAL role of those 400000 young Americans buried in Europe, even if they were late arrivals, they were magnificent.

[sidensvans67]

All this sacrifice for the EU.?

[TheBelovedButterfly]

@sidensvans67 So that we are a united force which is so linked that war in Europe won't happen again, yes. As recommended by Churchill, by the way.

[mc0558]

Wavell was a great general. Unfortunately, Greece and a restless Churchill ousted him.

[Timbul53525253]

The thing missing from this version (because it was still secret at the time) was the role of 'ultra' intelligence from Bletchley Park. TWAW is a historical document of great value, but needs to be reassessed in places because of what's come out since.

[Fridomfry]

Britain evidently benefitted from these forces, (particularly as it had been very slow in setting up an army). Yet, after June 1940, the UK was the only European power which faced the beast. For the 1st time since 1815, it was a "chief operator" in a world war. Honour to the men and women of all origins who joined the fight, but also honour to the Boss !

[Nevenius]

You forgot brave YUGOSLAVIAN PARTISANS!!! Randolph Churchill in military/diplomatic mission in Yugoslavia wrote to his father Winston in May 1944: IF YOU WANT TO FIND SOME PEACEFUL AND LIBERATED PART OF EUROPA, COME TO VISIT IN TOPUSKO IN CROATIA. ( then part of Yugoslavia) Pardon my grammar if I made mistakes.

[Fridomfry]

That's right. I did not forget Yugoslavia, which was in early 1941 a real national war, then a partisan guerilla.

But Yugoslavia, as a military force, couldn't resist more than a few weeks to the German invasion (like all other Europeans).

Somehow Yugoslavia was, just like Greece, Belgium or France, an instrument for British world policy.

Draža Mihailović, the general who organized the partisans, said in February 1943 that "The English are now fighting to the last Serb in Yugoslavia".

[Timbul53525253]

No, we didn't forget - we're talking about the period June 1940-May 1941, before Yugoslavia was invaded.

[Paciat]

Alone? Are Canada, ANZAC, India, Free French, Polish, Norwegian etc. troops nothing?

[Timbul53525253]

The British Empire/Commonwealth stood alone, not Britain entirely on its own. And the free European troops would not have been able to carry on the fight without Britain as a base. (This is not meant to downplay their contribution, which was enormous.)

[Redcarpet01]

No foreign troops helping guard Britain, correct.

[Paciat]

Canada helped. Their troops were in England so long that by 1942 Canadas army was called the most overtrained army in the world. Olso at the battle of britain 1/4 pilots were foreign. So not correct.

[MrTriggr]

well, don't forget the Irish, French, Belgians, Norwegians, Poles, Tjechzchoslovaks, Dutch, Yugoslavs, Palestinian Jews, Greeks, hell, even a handfull of germans and austrians refugees/volunteers. Add to them quite a few Americans and of course the commonwealth troops.

No foreign government helped, thats right, but lots of people did.

[fordia]

There were the Dominion governments who did help too: Australia, New Zealand, Canada and South Africa, plus all the people from the Empire, especially India

[1a9d8a4m]

Thankyou very much for taking the time and uploading these films

[ridley9000]

thanks for the this

[Fridomfry]

Thanks for this good documentary. Just a remark:

Britain was alone, not from May 1940 to May 1941, but from 20 June'40 to 21 June' 41. In early June 1940, after Dunkirk, it was the French who felt alone on the front therefore the armistice. Anyway, thanks, Britain, for your "finest hour".

[Danny77uk]

So much for Maginot!

[geraberl]

This entire World At War series captured me completely as a young teenager upon it's original release. After having the great opportunity of being able to re-see it due to your kindness and patience in uploading all this, it is no less gripping. I thank you tremendously.

[BlackCountryLad]

Not one word about the Polish Pilots of the Battle of Britain. Even as late as when this documetary was made in the 60's the powers that were still refused to acknowledge their brave efforts. They were key to the turning of the tide. Without them the RAF would have lost air supremacy. Everyman women amd child in Britain owed there freedom to those Polish Pilots. Who by the way did not have to come.

[geraberl]

I totally agree with you. I went to school in Ealing through the 70's and had many Polish mates there. Ealing had a huge Polish community due mainly to it's close proximity to the RAF base at Northolt, where many of these polish pilots were stationed. We do indeed owe them a huge debt of gratitude and it was disappointing that no reference whatsoever was made to it.

[AllanR2D2]

So Hitler says the Battle of Britain was only a camaflauge for the Russian campaign. Was this his primary intention at the beginning or does Hitler say this only because the RAF defeats the Luftwaffe and therefore cancels any chance of invading British soil?

[KronprinzAdam]

I think he was expecting that the british will simply seek peace and make a deal, and recognize german conquests in Western Europe. He had some admiration for England indeed, as an empire founded by germanic rulers (anglo-saxons) who achieved an empire through supremacy in the seas). This time there was no secret plan to defeat england (similar to the one that Von MAnstein devised for France), so he just gave hands free to Göring and his Luftwaffe...

[TariqAlSuave]

Its pretty hard to figure out Hitler's exact intentions in anything. He wasn't exactly the most rigorously logical of men, and was prone to big moon swings.

However, it seems to me that, if the Battle of Britain was a diversion, it was a pretty costly one. Throwing away 2000 aircraft isn't something to be done lightly.

[shureek]

excellent documentary. thanks!

[BeantownJim]

my family was in the blitz of england i want to thankyou for this vid

[zxwar]

ur welcome BeantownJim ...