MoFo World War 2 Thread

[Nostromo87]

Come in and talk about World War 2. Talk about the Allied Powers, talk about the Axis Powers, talk about anything dubya-dubya 2. People might say this is not relevant anymore. But WW2 is one of the most interesting periods of human history. I'm becoming more and more fascinated reading through this time period.

The other day i got the Axis & Allies: 1941 board game, and i am very much looking forward to playing it with my brothers and some friends this weekend down at the beach.

http://www.ugg.de/Avalon%20Hill%20Hasbro/axisandallies1941bottom.jpg

There are so many directions this thread can go. You can be a jokester, or you can discuss some of the strategy involved and turning points in the war. Last week i read about the strategy from the German perspective, and they made some very critical blunders in crucial moments. Such as when they were bombing Britain's air fields and attaining wild success early in the war... Britain as an almost desperate move decided to bomb German civilian territory in hopes to get Germany's high command to shift their attention elsewhere. Germany was close to wiping out Britain's air supply factories, though Germany did not know this. After Hitler and his commanders caught wind of Britain attacking their civilian mainland, they immediately shifted their attention from Britain's airfields to Britain's civilians for revenge and retaliation. This gave Britain's airfields a chance to rebuild and mount a crucial counter-attack. To me this was a turning point, had Germany stayed persistent on the airfields and not concerned themselves with attacking civilians, the war may have gone quite differently.

http://static.comicvine.com/uploads/original/3/37975/1245125-scissors_win.jpg

Another thing i've come to acknowledge and accept, even as a person born in America, is that i think USA's heroism is a tad overstated in this war. At least relative to what Britain and Russia endured. Especially Russia. I'd go as far to say that Stalin's Russia is the country that did Nazi Germany the most damage and had the most to do with Germany losing. USA did some good things later on, but really, by the point the US became directly involved, it was a far better bet by then that Germany would lose. Greatly due to all the bloodshed that happened in Russia, especially at Leningrad

Anyways, enough from me, feel free to join in and post pictures. Or propaganda. Oh! Propaganda was fascinating!

http://oi57.tinypic.com/2lbmiog.jpg

Plus there's the Pacific Theater and all the air and naval battles that happened there. I'll be back to this thread

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2SLvtP6KMUM

[Citizen Rules]

Interesting thread! I've watched many a WWII documentary and each time I learn more. I had not heard about the British airfields that's interesting.

Have you ever heard of a Victory Girl?

[The Sci-Fi Slob]

Didn't this guy start it all?
https://youtu.be/DFNUdCtMXWE

[Citizen Rules]

I'd say yes.

Also remember, the harsh treatment that Germany was forced to endure by the WW1 treaty of Versailles, helped cause the conditions in Germany that gave rise to a militant dictator. Also Europe's looking the other way as Hitler took aggressive actions early on, allowed him to become more confident that Europe and America were such pacifist that he could get away with anything.

[christine]

Nostramo, I just happen to have finished rewatching The World at War series. Have you seen it? If not its essential watching if you're interested in that period of history. It's a 26 part1972-3 made series that's meticulously put together from archive footage. I used to watch it with my Dad who was interested in WW2 as he'd lived through it was a kid in Liverpool.
I remember even when I was young there were still bombsites through the streets of Liverpool. We used to play building houses with the bricks on the cleared remains of a pub next door to my Nan's house. I grew up with stories of the bombings as we lived within yards of the docks and Liverpool being a port was bombed heavily throughout the war. Life can't have been easy, nor was it for many years after the war as Britain paid a heavy toll from a financial point of view as well as a human one.

[gandalf26]

"The Imitation Game" has totally ruined WW2 for me. It's like, we really won the war cause of a bunch of maths freaks cracking Enigma not because of all the epic battles/events.


Also like 90% of WW2 European casualties occurred on the Eastern Front, and by the time we invaded France the Germans were already truly ****ed. Don't remember learning that at school.


The "Battle of the Atlantic" was fairly important though until we cracked Enigma and crushed the U-Boats, (see Das Boat). Also the "Battle of Britain" between the RAF and the Luftwaffe was very important until Goering retardedly decided to start bombing cities instead of fighting the RAF.

[gandalf26]

I'd say yes.

Also remember, the harsh treatment that Germany was forced to endure by the WW1 treaty of Versailles, helped cause the conditions in Germany that gave rise to a militant dictator. Also Europe's looking the other way as Hitler took aggressive actions early on, allowed him to become more confident that Europe and America were such pacifist that he could get away with anything.

+1


This is hugely important, the Allies were too greedy at the end of WW1 and placed literally impossible conditions on the Germans, they were basically starving and suffering in many ways before Hitler came along.

[christine]

yes the Germans were starving and suffering but the people of France, Belgium and the Netherlands weren't much better off and neither were most of the East European countries. Britain was on it's knees financially. The Japanese were starving too having had their cities firebombed to hell.

[Sexy Celebrity]

http://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=20744&stc=1&d=1427909625

Good idea for a thread.

[ashdoc]

+1


This is hugely important, the Allies were too greedy at the end of WW1 and placed literally impossible conditions on the Germans, they were basically starving and suffering in many ways before Hitler came along.

when russia was defeated by germany in the first world war , the terms forced on russia were worse than versailles . luckily germany was defeated by the allies on the western front and the terms were not fully imposed on russia .but if they had been imposed , the russians would have lost most of their economically productive territory . so no need to sympatize with germany here .

read more of the terms imposed by germany on russia in world war one ---

http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/treaty_of_brest-litovsk.htm

[ashdoc]

i think USA's heroism is a tad overstated in this war. At least relative to what Britain and Russia endured. Especially Russia. I'd go as far to say that Stalin's Russia is the country that did Nazi Germany the most damage and had the most to do with Germany losing. USA did some good things later on, but really, by the point the US became directly involved, it was a far better bet by then that Germany would lose. Greatly due to all the bloodshed that happened in Russia, especially at Leningrad



russia is a poor country and does not have the resources to publicize it's role in the second world war . america is rich and has the money to publicize it's role in the war .

[ashdoc]

one major turning point was hitler forcing jews to leave germany . if the jews had stayed , germany would have been the first country to get the atomic bomb . many scientists who were responsible for the atomic bomb were ones who had fled germany . number one among them---albert einstein .

[The Duchess]

I am a big fan of World War Two.


One of the best series on the war was Victory At Sea.


I recorded it off the TV, then got it in Beta, then VHS.


Now I have it in DVD.


Just coming out is the hour and a half recap of the 26 episodes on DVD.


I had taped it a long time ago and transferred it from Beta to DVD. However, the tape was beginning to go bad.


It was narrated by the actor Alexander Scourby , who like Leonard Graves in the 26 episode set, is excellent.


I also have The World At War and Crusade In The Pacific on DVD as well.


Very interesting time period.


I was about 6 years old when Victory at Sea came on TV in the early 50's. When I would go for a ride with my parents I would worry them to death to get back home in time to see it.


Also I lived by a Naval Air Station which had Grumman Hellcats, Vought Corsairs, Grumman Bearcats, Consolidated Catalinas, a couple of Grumman Gooses, Grumman TBF Avengers . All World War Two aircraft Later on the Grumman Guardian sub hunter and killer pairs were placed there as well.


Unfortunately they could not land jets and the facility was torn down and moved to another parish. Like about 20 miles away.


As you can see that I am a buff

[neiba]

This Ernst Janning's speech on Judgment at Nuremberg (1961) says a lot about what Germany was before the War and why Hitler's rise was so easy:

There was a fever over the land. A fever of disgrace, of indignity, of hunger. We had a democracy, yes, but it was torn by elements within. Above all, there was fear. Fear of today, fear of tomorrow, fear of our neighbors, and fear of ourselves. Only when you understand that - can you understand what Hitler meant to us. Because he said to us: 'Lift your heads! Be proud to be German! There are devils among us. Communists, Liberals, Jews, Gypsies! Once these devils will be destroyed, your misery will be destroyed.' It was the old, old story of the sacrificial lamb. What about those of us who knew better? We who knew the words were lies and worse than lies? Why did we sit silent? Why did we take part? Because we loved our country! What difference does it make if a few political extremists lose their rights? What difference does it make if a few racial minorities lose their rights? It is only a passing phase. It is only a stage we are going through. It will be discarded sooner or later. Hitler himself will be discarded... sooner or later. The country is in danger. We will march out of the shadows. We will go forward. Forward is the great password. And history tells how well we succeeded, your honor. We succeeded beyond our wildest dreams. The very elements of hate and power about Hitler that mesmerized Germany, mesmerized the world! We found ourselves with sudden powerful allies. Things that had been denied to us as a democracy were open to us now. The world said 'go ahead, take it, take it! Take Sudetenland, take the Rhineland - remilitarize it - take all of Austria, take it! And then one day we looked around and found that we were in an even more terrible danger. The ritual began in this courtroom swept over the land like a raging, roaring disease. What was going to be a passing phase had become the way of life. Your honor, I was content to sit silent during this trial. I was content to tend my roses. I was even content to let counsel try to save my name, until I realized that in order to save it, he would have to raise the specter again. You have seen him do it - he has done it here in this courtroom. He has suggested that the Third Reich worked for the benefit of people. He has suggested that we sterilized men for the welfare of the country. He has suggested that perhaps the old Jew did sleep with the sixteen year old girl, after all. Once more it is being done for love of country. It is not easy to tell the truth; but if there is to be any salvation for Germany, we who know our guilt must admit it... whatever the pain and humiliation.