Why do the Amercan youngsters think only they fought in the second world war?

JoeyJoeJoe

rofl i love overly patriotic yanks who know nothing, also most people fail to realise that when france was invaded britain was fighting pretty much the whole of europe and we still pulled through, school children still went to school in bombed out cities, adults went to their places of work, after all hitler through at old britain it was still business as usual. but if americans still want to put it down to military strength lets just remember who was outnumbered and still won at the battle of britain, whos special forces went behind enemy lines in the desert to get the job done, and whos secret service was getting all that juicey information from the french resistance. the only thing america was good for was its sheer number of expendable soldiers, they have quantity, but we have quality

Christopher Michael

Because a young boy's father was a damdumbass. Schools and their teachers teach accurately the history of world war 2. Tell your daughter that the boy is retarded and his father is wrong.

scouse

to be fair mate its just the culture you are brought up in. having studied history quite a bit, and loved doing it, i like to think i have a well rounded view of history and avoid cultural bias as much as is possible. most people do not study history extensively and get their ideas about it from the media and what they are told by parents (as your story illustrates). i am sure most americans do not reckon they won the war on their own, just as most british do not think we did. clearly some do on both sides of the pond, but clearly some people on both sides are also ignorant. you will just annoy people if you make sweeping statements about 'the american youngsters.'

to the bloke who said the campbeltown used to be the buchanan, so what? it is a moot point, the raid was overwhelmingly made by uk forces, and therefore is a reasonable example to use of ignorance if somebody claims otherwise.

guy who quoted us casualty figures as bigger than those of the uk. very true if you only look at military deaths, include thousands of uk civilians who died in bombing and the merchant navy then the picture is different.
bloke who said europeans should remember that without the us they would not have been liberated from germany: not relevant to britain, we were never occupied and studies suggest that a prospective german invasion would have failed. anyway the rest of europe would have been free of the germans when the soviets defeated them, which they would have without the uk, us or anyone else.

ultimately the most important contributors to the defeat of germany was the soviet union. we could all do with remembering that i suspect.

wichitaor1

The only American at the St. Nazairre raid was HMS Cambeltown, formerly USS Buchanan.

Unfortunately, many people lack knowledge of history.

Kojak

Your question is an excellent example of why scientists never base their research on anecdotal evidence

You take the opinion of ONE boy and assume he represents the entire body of American youngsters... While I am not pleased with the quality and level of the education provided American youth.....most of them know America was not the ONLY country in World war II.....

While the losses of military lives to the United Kingdom were tragic and significant......America lost almost 40,000 more...... Yugoslavia lost almost 60,000 more.....China lost 3,000,000 soldiers and Russia lost over 10,000,000......Yes ....America was not the only country in the war......BUT neither was England

While it is true that the "Dam Busters" ( The RAF 617 Squadron ) were not "American".... did you forget that BEFORE America entered the war.....many Americans went to Canada and joined the RAF...... that we fought shoulder to shoulder together and that many of the crew and pilots in the RAF were American.....

SCOUCE....Come on.....you can do better than that.....do not bring in merchant marines and civilian deaths.... there are contries that lost FAR more civilians in the war than England.....

HINT.....look at the death to population ratios....even though the USA lost more troops.... .about 40% compared to the US population....England lost 94% compared to their population.... it is the difference in a rich man giving 5 million and a poor man giving everything..... the numbers do not tell the whole story

I enjoy a good argument but you need to do better than dragging in civilian deaths

BTW....If you REALLY want to get mad.....read Pat Buchannan's new book "Churchhill, Hitler and the Unnecessary War" ...... he blames WW II on you guys.....guess he wont be vacationing in England anytime soon

FINAL NOTE: Whoever is in power writes the history.....and he writes it to fit his needs

The Africans say...." As long as the hunter writes the story.....the story of the lion hunt favors the hunter"

rnwallace07

Just because one boy (and his father) have the facts wrong does not mean all American youngsters have not learned about WWII envolvement by the Allies and Axis Powers. As for the dambusters, the majority of pilots were RAF pilots,but American pilots also participated. Both learned and practiced the "skip-bomb" method to destroy the dams.

CLIVE H

The Dambusters raid was lead by Squadron Leader Guy Gibson VC RAF (then aged 23) - it was a Bomber Command action including 50 Rolls Royce Avro Lancaster Bombers.

This next link will get you the bombers, click any to view. . .
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=avro+lancaster+bomber&search_type=

For your special enjoyment, some Spits and Mosquitos - a high speed lowlevel whizz past - Rolls Royce. . .

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rXSxhM1cgVk

The Woo

If the assumed statement is true, which I doubt, then it's probably just a case of educational nationalism, which exists in pretty much all school systems.

In every society there's pressure from a political element to emphasise their nation's history in school, at the expense of the history of others. To a certain extent this is natural and is usually countered by the time you get to further education.

For example, for most of my childhood I, like many others, was under the impression that Britain pretty much fought the Nazis singlehandedly until at some point towards the end the Yanks came in, took all our women and all the credit. Clearly this is entirely untrue, but it seems pretty normal for a nation to emphasise their role in the war.

Russian kids probably get taught that Stalingrad was the most important event of the war, British kids the Blitz or D-Day and the Americans Pearl Harbour.

Americans aren't the only ones guilty of historical chauvinism.

robert c

The French and American thinking is 'Tunnel Thinking'!What I mean by that is !Both are trying to re-invent actual happenings to their own advantage for future generations!To be fair!At least one of the aircrew on the Dam busters raid was American!So were Australian, New Zealanders and Canadians!!

tominator1uk

To be fair all WW2 countries have their own warped view of WW2 where they're keen to overpay their own role and downplay the limitations.

Japan: Say that they Pearl Harbour was forced upon them by American pressure and it wasn't their fault. Also dismiss huge claims of human rights abuses.

Britain: Constantly see WW2 as nations greatest achievement. But gloss over the fact it bankrupted country and caused the end of Empire.

USA: Think they were the ones who defeated the Nazis and as such Europe owes them a huge debt which can never be paid. Gloss over credible argument Russias effort was more significant

Russia: Germany invaded their lands and killed millions, therefore they were justified in imprisoning Eastern Germany behind an Iron-curtain.

MercadesCage

Perhaps you should do a little reading yourself and give your daughter exact unbiased information.

Pyeblow

I doubt they do. It wouldnt be a war if only America was involved. I think they mean to say that the Allies wouldn't have won without the US's aid. Don't doubt it, its true.

wild-man of Borneo

Expose the young one were living in misery at loss with our creator's universal gifts of life.
The loss of the mystery of the "Red poppy day" that was lost with time.
Exodus 12.14, 21-27
The loss of the mystery of the "Evergreen Tree" that was lost with time.
Exodus 13.21
The loss of the mystery of " Christmas Carol" that too was lost with time.
Exodus 20.1-3
How they no longer swear with the Code of Honour of the Ten Commandments in honouring and worshiping God.
Leviticus 26.13
But swear with code of honour of the dead Mummy with " Over my dead body" in doing things at own whims and fancy with self lack of knowledge in time.
Luke 6.39-40,41-45,46-49
With all of us getting caught with pants down for kicking the butts of God in not worshiping God without being aware of it in time.
Luke 21.30-36
Taking for granted that those celebration was Western or European culture in throwing it away in time in kicking the butts of God in not worshiping God.
While the dead Mummy were having a grand celebration in time.
Luke 11.46,52
What do you think?

fatface

A bit of a sweeping statement, don't you think John. So one family got it a bit wrong - big deal.
Thank god for the Americans, we would have been in a right state without their help during WW2.

Jester

The raid of St Naziare was taken place by British and American Commandos (Mostly British though ,Not being biased) and The Dambusters were British RAF Pilots. Slap him with a wet sock and say "No they didn't ,you NOOB!"

Matt E

because he is a young boy.. i mean come on.

dodgerblue_2008

Why do some european youngsters fail to realize the only reason they have freedom is US troops fighting to free them from Germany

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