For anyone who is on right now (or later I don’t doubt that it will be online somewhere) there is a history channel special about WW2.
HOLY ****
I used to just be morbidly interested in the death camps like a lot of people but the war is so interesting! I used to hate how the history channel used to be all about WW2 before it got all weird, I still don’t like it, but I kinda understand it now.
I cannot stress how awesome this thing is! It’s like two hours, but holy !!!
I used to think that when the US entered the war that was what ended Hitler. No. Russia ended Hitler. He might have learned from WW1 but he missed all the history before that. You. Do. Not. Mess with (much less invade). Russia.
A good rule of thumb is if Napolian failed at it, you probably shouldn’t try it. Afghanistan may not be able to be held, but you can take them.
You can’t take Russia.
You just can’t.
It’s a fact.
i will remember that…thank you
Yeah, Hitlers military was spread too thin. But the U.S. did have a lot to do with the victory. The beginning of the end for Hitler was when our long range bombers started dropping bombs on Germany. Our planes caused lots of damage and demoralized the Germans. It was a psychological blow that said to the Germans: You are not safe anywhere. Our bombers softened them up and then our ground troops and Russia’s ground troops both converged on Germany . I’m talking about at the end of the war. if the U.S. had wanted to, we could have invaded Germany and reached Hitler before the Russians. But we let Russia go first for two reasons (maybe more) We wanted to be on Russia’s good side after the war ended.And though it might not seem like it, Russia had a bigger grudge against Germany than we did. Because you have to remember, Hitler and Russia started off as allies in the war until Hitler made the big mistake of turning on Russia and tried to invade them. Everybody knows what happened to that plan. It was like I mentioned before, invading Russia was a HUGE mistake because the Russians were better at fighting in winter amidst the snow. And they were a big country and had a big army and when Hitler tried to overrun them the Russians dug in and massed their troops on their own border. This created what was called the “Eastern Front” A very long front on their own territory which spread Hitlers troops too thin. If you watched 'Hogans Heroes" you always see the heavy-set Nazi General threatening to send Colonel Klink to the Eastern Front. Well this was the Eastern Front. Fighting in snow and ice and freezing cold. Anyway, the Russians fended of the Germans, but both sides had heavy causalities. So THIS is why we let Russia make the final push into Berlin to end the war against Germany. We figured they had more of right to invade than we did. Which ACTUALLY was worse for Hitler. If the U.S. had invaded Germany instead of the Russians we would have shown more self-restraint and we would have been more humane, but the Russian troops pretty much sacked Germany like the barbarians who sacked Rome and ended its rule. The Russians, raped, slaughtered civilians, pillaged, and destroyed everything they could. They HATED Germany and showed no mercy. They got their revenge. This is just a general synopsis.It was way more complicated than this. After all, I think more books have been written about WWII than any other war. And of course the war was still not over when Berlin fell, we were still fighting the Japanese.
I can’t watch things about war. I just can’t take it. Far too triggering. A holocaust museum exhibit came to Seattle and for homework my sis had to go. So I went with her.
The huge pile of baby shoes from children who were just sent to the gas chamber really upset me. That horrid image stuck with me and played havoc with me for a very long time.
SPCA commercials really upset me… Holocaust movies… I’m feeling my nervous shake coming on just trying to describe how much I can’t take it.
The sheer mechanical way that people were tortured and put to death… not something I can watch or get pleasure from.
Most certainly not “interesting” to me.
I hate it when people use that word for horrible things that should not be, “interesting”, what an awful book smarts kind of word to use for such a damnable thing you know, we sure as ■■■■ wouldn’t say “interesting” if we had done it ourselves.
People say that ■■■■ alot about schizophrenia i’ve noticed, some say it’s “interesting” to study or read about, well come down with me and you’ll see just how “interesting” it really is.
@77nick77
That was exactly what I saw in the documentary. If Hitler hadn’t messed with Stalin I don’t know how it would have turned out. I agree from what I saw the U.S did help but we really let England get hit hard before we shifted our butt. I’m kinda surprised that England still talks to us after that… (Not literally).
@SurprisedJ
I’m sorry about that. I realize it isn’t a nice thing to be interested in but hopefully most people will be affected positively in that they get upset enough to want to never see it happen again any where. It makes me sad that it seems to have become more of a psychological curiosity than a lesson.
@pansdisease
I don’t know how else to describe it. I want to learn more about it. What caused it. How it happened. Why it happened. And hopefully what we can do to stop it. If we don’t look at something intently we can never learn about it. It isn’t going to stop on its own.
We watched it. What I thought was interesting was how Chaimberlain only wanted to appease Hitler to avoid domination, until he realized that Truman was right and that fighting was the only way to avoid take over. I had never know those details. I especially liked what Truman said to change Chamberlain’s mind, it was clever.
Correct me if I’m wrong. I’m sure you will. Didn’t Truman assume the presidency AFTER Germany had already given up? Or did Roosevelt die BEFORE Germany surrendered? I know that it was ultimately it was Truman’s decision to drop the bombs on Japan but I’'m not sure when EXACTLY he took office. I thought Roosevelt lived to see Germany surrender.
Yeah, I looked it up on Wikipedia. The war in Europe ended a month after Roosevelt died in office. Roosevelt had been president during the whole war except for that last month. So it was him who initially brought us into the conflict. Truman was vice-president when Roosevelt died, and thus assumed office to replace him.
Incidentally, Roosevelt was the only U.S. president to be elected to office for four terms. After his presidency was over, congress passed the bill limiting presidents to no more than 2-terms.
I find the wars fascinating. I have books, upon book, upon books dedicated to the World Wars, though I always found the Second World War to be more interesting than the First. When I was younger I wanted to be a historian who focused on the Second World War. I can remember toting around this gigantic 1000 page tome wherever I’d go, reading it at every possible convenience. It was one of the things I enjoyed most about school when, everyday in the afternoon, there was a period for only silent reading.
@onceapoet You’re quite right that Russia was what really doomed Hitler, but at the same time it was, I believe, inevitable that Germany and the Soviet Union would find themselves at war before long. Stalin had no illusions about it either, as, just before the start of the German invasion of Russia (it might have even been the day of, but I’m not sure and don’t want to sound too dramatic), Stalin gave a speech to a group of newly trained officers in which he explained they needed to be ready for war, and that Molotov, the Russian Foreign Minister, was doing all he could to stall a German attack. In fact there’s a theory out there, presented by a British revisionist historian (whose name escapes me) that Hitler’s invasion of the Soviet Union was a preemptive strike that sought to take advantage of the weakened state of the Red Army, which had not recovered from Stalin’s Great Purge. If Hitler had avoided a war with the Soviet Union, it’s very likely the result would have been the same (i.e., Germany losing the war), maybe even sooner. All in all, invading the Soviet Union, though a bad move, was the only move Hitler really had. There was no way the Kriegsmarine was going to overcome the British Navy, and by the end of 1940 the Luftwaffe had lost the Battle of Britain to the RAF. The only thing the Germans could do was go east.
I believe, on the subject of the US’s entry into the war, Roosevelt was in favour of becoming involved, but the public was very much opposed to what was seen as another European war. Roosevelt and the US government supplied Great Britain with tons of supplies and material even before the US joined the war and, as Great Britain began to run low on money, Roosevelt instituted the Lend-Lease program to continue providing aid to the British. Considering how isolated Great Britain was at the time, the sale of good and arms was extremely helpful, and about all that the US could do. In fact, Great Britain was extraordinarily lucky that Hitler declared war on the US after Pearl Harbour, which was something he wasn’t required to do. Having launched the invasion of the Soviet Union six months earlier, with less than stellar results, Hitler hoped that by declaring war on the US, Japan would likewise declare war on the Soviet Union, opening up a second front and diverting resources from the west. Japan of course wanted nothing to do with it. Had Hitler not declared war on the US, it might have taken months, or even years, to get involved in the war in Europe, prolonging the conflict even further.
My Mom taught me the history of WW2 as a child, so i grew up with this…she had lived through it from age 10 - 16.
I have always said Hitler spread himself too thin, overextended his forces…for a small country land wise, he took on all of Europe and north Africa, the U.S. when they got involved, while he couldn’t reach the mainland easily, he did send subs to wreak havoc in the shipping lanes, all the way to the coast, and his industries were working on 4 and 6 engine bombers with the capacity to cross the Atlantic to attack America. like this that thankfully was never developed…
After Hitler gained control of most of Europe he turned his sights on Russia which was his hugest mistake.
I agree, Russia should not be messed with…
A huge blow to Hitlers plans was when Rommel was finally defeated in Africa. There was a lot going on all over the world but that was a big deal.
To put it simply wars are ■■■■■■■ stupid. Sending off kids to fight and die is a very stupid, selfish thing to do. Gaining results through peaceful means makes more moral sense. With that said some wars like WW ll had to be fought - some wars are justified. I can name you more unjustified wars than justified ones, but it may get political, and I am purposefully avoiding this
I’m terrible with names, I quickly googled to avoid sounding like an idiot but I guess that didn’t work out too well.
I did watch the special, the American president convicted the prime minister that going to war is what was necessary. I found it interesting.
Both of my grandfathers fought in WW II. I got to hear some interesting stories. I’m glad I have that connection. Shindler’s List was mandatory in our family. I recommend Night by Elei Weisel.
Have you ever read “Maus” by Art Spiegelman? It is a cartoon (for lack of a better term. Even graphic novel doesn’t do the book justice) about the after math of the concentration camp on his Mother and Father, though it is told in the book by the Father in his old age, well after Spiegelman’s Mother had committed suicide.
If I could make everyone in the U.S school system read one book after reading or watching anything about the concentration camps it would be Maus. The story tells all about Spiegelman’s Father. How he met Art’s Mother, what he went through in the camps, and the interview process that Spiegelman went through with his Father that showed how his life was today.
People act like when the victims of the camps were freed that was the end of it. In the end of Shindler’s list the Jews he saved were shown happily running through a field.
The most telling moment to me was when Art’s wife joined him on the patio of his father’s house and asked him was that noise she was hearing was. Art replied, “That’s just my Father screaming in his sleep. He does that every night.”