War months WW2 - Prelude 1

This is not just another film about war. Inevitably some sceens of war acts occur, but its emphasis lays on people - civilians and soldiers , british. french, germans, italians and other - what they endured, and how they reacted.

The series ends at the most critical time for Britain, the only european nation which still withstood the mighty Nazi-Germany and now was frightfully near the breakingpoint.

Forget that you know, how the war ended, and these videos will give you a better understanding of the anciety, stress and sorrow, war means to people, and of some gallows humour too.

These videos focus on the british - and with good reason. Britain fought the whole war from day one until the end - for freedom for all of Europe.
When the war ended, the british economy lay in ruins, and Britain was near bankrupcy. It took many years to regain a healthy british economy and a standard of living, which matched that of many of the european nations, that had benefitted from Britains costly war effort.

This does'nt mean - as we all know - that there not were other nations, that suffered much more than Britain. Their sad story has been told - and shall be told time after time.

This story may be seen as a token of eternal gratitude towards Great Britain from an ordinary dane, who was five years old, when the war ended and who also think thankfully and proudly on the many danes, who volunteered to fight in british service - in the navy, airforce and army.
Many lived and many died.
The highest ranking among them was RAF-Wingcommander Kaj Birksted DFC DSO OBE and Major in Special Boat Service (commando-force) Anders Lassen, who fought all five years in british service and took part in many precarious raids behind enemy lines, and who lost his life as late as April 9th 1945 during a fire fight. Anders Lassen was one of WW2's highest awarded soldiers and was posthumous awarded The Victoria Cross.

If you already have started the playlist "War Months 1939 - 1941", You don't need to read the following lines.

Else:

To see all videos of the series: Click on "olfux" and choose "playlists". "War Months 1939 - 1941" is at the bottom of the row. Here all 36 videos are arranged in a proper order.

Carl Vendler

Category:

Education

Tags:

• The
• first
• two
• years
• of
• WW2
• Britain
• alone
• against
• Germany
• and
• Italy

[Maurosso]

The immense power that is often portried of the german army is often over coloured...in sep. 1939 Germany had most of it's army transported by horses...hitlers DEMAND was to show his army moving motoriezd only, just to break morale of other nations. He did not have to many tanks, they ware unexperienced, Panzer Is, and PzII, no mach for the advanced french tanks. All his armor power Hitler gaind after oppening the Cechoslovakian armories.

[Olfux]

Just tell me then; Why was it those advanced french tanks did'nt kill the weak german tanks and prevented the germans from marching into Paris after few weeks of war?

[billclymer]

Why is there very little mention of the mass killings and deportations of the Germans by the Polish after the annexation of Austria

[drwk]

The french tanks where much more powerful then the german tanks but the french tanks where so complicated to steer that the time it took for the french to actually aim, shoot and reload gave enough time for the simple german tanks to come in to point blank range and blast the french. Also the german tanks did do that much of a damage to the french tanks, it was mostly storm troopers. the german tanks however spread fear along the french lines.

[Maurosso]

All I'm saing is that if Britain and France would go right ahead and attacked germany in september 1939, the war could've ended very..very fast. Hitler nad no means to wage war on two fronts, against 3 agresors. Blitzkrieg would not work if he was the defender...instead, he just did a practice in poland, gaind experience for his fieldmarshals and troops, boosted morale of his coutntry that Germany could do Every thing, even invadeing a whole coutry, and not be punished.

[Maurosso]

The truth is, Hitler was not as strong as it is shown in the archive movies (at least in 1939 he wasn't). His army was transported by horses in the main part. It was Hitlers order, to show only motoriezd transportaion, just to boost his soldiers and civilians morale. His armor divisions were unexperienced, and cosisted of Panzer I and Panzer II tanks, which were (at that given time), no mach for the advanced french tanks. Most of his tanks he gained later from the Cechoslovakian armouries...

[Maurosso]

sry, my bad, miss-wrote the part about the east front, I meant west front, sry for that...I am not neglecting Britans role in defeting the Nazi Germany...I never did, I also do belive that helping Poland in September 1939 would've change nothig...even if you teleported 100 000 troops to Warsaw...Poland was in no oposision to fight against two agresors. But what could have been done, was an West front beeing oppened immiedetly. The very thing Hitler feared so much.

[Olfux]

I'm also afraid you're beeing contradicting yourself, when you firstly admit, that Britain (and France) did'nt have the means (at once to come to the aid of Poland), and thereafter say: "If the British and frch acted uickly etc." With what? Open an East front? You are confusing things quite a bit. If you mean Stalin should have opened an eastern front i september 1939 - he would need much quicker units. Besides, he was buisy charing Poland with Hitler. I certainly do not agree with you.

[Olfux]

My advise to you: Study history more in dept before you draw any conclusions. In the meantime: Be proud of the many poles who faught bravely in british service and did their part to free us all.

[Olfux]

You read things in my reply which I did not write. What I wrote was, that WW2 began with the Battle Of Britain. Why? Because when Britain was at war with Germany, the whole of Commonwelth was too - that is from Canada to New Zealand, to South Africa and so on. Britain WENT to war not only for the sake of the poles, but to free all human beeings from the evil nazism! I'm afraid you just do neclect the leading role of the british during the WHOLE war, they offered hundreds of thousands lives.

[Maurosso]

I'm not neglecing the lead role of britain during the oppening of the west front, but be assured that if the british, and french accted quicly and helped Poland in time we could've ended the conflict in a few months! Even in the documantery it is said that Hitler hoped that britain just bluffed about the wars...seems they did. If a east front was oppednd in september 1939 germany had no chance to defend...It would be over befor chriistmas...don;t you agree?

[Maurosso]

yep, you do have a point about not beeing strong enough at the start...BUT, you said the war began with the declaration of war..whose delcaration? Britains? You think Poland didn't declere war on the Nazi? Poland and Britain were allies and there was a treaty to help each other in case of war...and they wait 3 or 4 days...to declere war? And do nothing for the next few months? Only to help the lame french to evacuate? France had twice as much tanks in the begging of the war as the Germans had...

[Olfux]

During the socalled Phoney War when Luftwaffe tried to bomb the british supply ships in the Channel, until The Battle of Britain - the beginning of World War Two, the british had valuable time to update its air force so that it defensively matched the Luftwaffe, and gradually thereafter it more than matched the Luftwaffe, and when Churchill finally suceeded in bringing USA into the war against the nazis the final fight for freedom for all european contries could begin.

[Olfux]

In the fall of 1939 Britains army was much smaller than that in France and poorely equipped as was its air force, only the fleet was of substance. Defend Poland with the fleet? Nonsense. There was no way to help Poland, The Netherlands. Belgium, France, Denmark and Norway but to give way to volunteers from these nations to do service in Britains army, air force and navy, and good service they did. Only the Channel lay between Germany an Britain and lukily so.

[Olfux]

France had based its defense almost solely on the Maginot Line behind which stood the huge outdated army was. And what did Hitlers generals? They simply surpassed it and smashed their way through The Ardennes, The Netherlands and Belgium in a massive Blitz Krieg. Many british soldiers in the expeditionary force invain lost their life in a hopeless fight to help France. Fhe french strategy simply made France indefensable. . . .

[Olfux]

Allright, let's see how it was then. Did WW2 begin, when the german entered the Rhineland? No. Did it begin, when the germans occupied The Sudetenland? No. Did it, when the Anschluss with Austria took place? No. When germany occupied the rest of Czekoslovakia? No. When the germans waged Blitz-Krieg against Poland and together with the Sovjet Union split this country in two? No, but war against germany was declared. . . .

[Maurosso]

"These videos focus on the british - and with good reason. Britain fought the whole war from day one until the end - for freedom for all of Europe." Fougth from day one!? BULLSHIT! You did nothing when my country was invaded! Nothing! We ought to be allies! And when Warsaw laid in ruins...you just sat in london...When Paris was over run by Germany...Where were you? Where was the awsome RAF firepower when Westerplatte stood it's groud for over a month!? Only one word describes that...Hypocrisy

[arubberball]

Is history repeating it's self once again by Russia invading Georgia?

[Olfux]

???

[arubberball]

Can the same be said about Russia after attacking Georgia now.

[Kalydosos]

Excellent video very informative.

[MikeNC2371]

Excellent so far.  Thank you for posting this.