April 9, 1940
MontyB
All-Blacks Supporter
Be thankful Germany never had a border with the USA as it would only taken them an extra week to have occupied that as well.
I hope the movie is released in English as it looks interesting.
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BritinBritain
Per Ardua Ad Astra
Members of a private rifle club in Norway held up the advance of German Para's. Riflemen caused so much damage the para's had to fall back and regroup.
Kesse81
Banned
The Danish government surrendered one hour and forty-five minutes after Germany had crossed the border.
MontyB
All-Blacks Supporter
The Danish government surrendered one hour and forty-five minutes after Germany had crossed the border.
Realistically what else could they have done.
The Danish resistance movement was one of the most effective in Europe, the rescue of its Jewish population was a good example of this.
Kesse81
Banned
There was nothing we could do.
The Danish military was almost dismantled by pacifist politicians after WW I and Germany was in any event too strong.
BritinBritain
Per Ardua Ad Astra
Britain is heading down that road right now, Britain spends more on foreign aid then the military.
A senior US officer warned Cameron that the military cuts will render the British Military an ineffective force. Its absolutely disgraceful.
MontyB
All-Blacks Supporter
I agree entirely I was really just responding to Tetvet's sarcasm about it taking Germany a "whole week to occupy it", given that there was little if anything the Danish government could do to prevent occupation and with no ability to successfully prolong the fight until help could arrive the decision to surrender and save lives was the right one.
Actually with the effectiveness of the German army in 1940-41 there wasn't much most of Europe could do. No other country was as well trained and prepared for war as Germany was at the time. Britain was saved by heroic and skilled pilots as Germany decided to stop bombing targets of military significance and start bombing civilian population centers. I believe the war in the USSR could have gone either way had Hitler not declared war on the USA.
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MontyB
All-Blacks Supporter
Personally I think the role of the RAF in the battle of Britain has been over played massively, there is no doubt that the RAF were the front line in the BoB and that its actions were decisive but it was not what saved Britain at all.
If we analyse this a little less emotively I would suggest had Britain been part of mainland Europe it would have fallen in days/weeks just like the rest of Western Europe, its army was poorly trained and equipped due to losses in France so had the Wehrmacht been able to get to grips with the BEF it would have been a relatively easy fight for them.
The RAF fought well but was suffering proportional losses to the Luftwaffe and was being degraded in terms of combat ability so lets face it the RAF would not have stopped a German victory had the Germans got ashore in sufficient numbers.
What "Saved" Britain was the fact that the Germans could not get to Britain or supply troops that did or in other words the English channel and the primary reason it could not cross the channel was that the better part of its navy was at the bottom of Norwegian fjords thanks to the Royal Navy.
My opinion on this matter is that it was primarily geography that saved Britain and not far behind that was the presence of the Royal Navy even had the Luftwaffe defeated the RAF Germany still could not have successfully invaded Britain.
Being an Island certainly did give it some distance from the Wehrmacht. The Wehrmacht really wasn't too prepared for operation Sea Lion. Basically lacking the troop transport and the Navy to support such an operation. Besides after the BOB, (which lets face it, was a bit of a setback since it was the 1st time Germany didn't get a victory) Hitler began to shift his attentions onto his ultimate prize the USSR.
BritinBritain
Per Ardua Ad Astra
Another intelligent post.
Pray tell what exactly do you know about the Battle of Britain if anything? I'd be very interested to hear your anti British views as I am sure others would.
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BritinBritain
Per Ardua Ad Astra
I agree with this in part, but not in total. What the Battle of Britain pilots did was shoot down experienced Luftwaffe aircrew as well as protecting British industry building military equipment. Enfield Lock Small Arms Factory just north of London was targeted many times, but thanks to 11 and 12 Group it was never hit. Enfield Lock was the only factory in UK building the BREN at that time.
RAF aircrew losses were terrible, a high number of pilots died on their first sortie some as young as 19. It did prove to Hitler that Britain was never going to roll over.
But I do agree Germany could never have invaded Britain, it would have been too costly