Neutron
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- Apr 19, 2001
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Ok Eneough is ENOUGH. Last night my ankle was killing me, so I couldn't fall asleep. I was so bored I turned on the Half Truth and Blatant Lies Channel. (You all call it the history channel). The Show was called Heavy Metal, which I watch at times for the vintage footage. Anyways the subject was the Supermarine Spitfire. Now I love the Spitfire, don't get me wrong. They were beautiful, high performance airplanes, and for something so light and graceful looking they packed a fearsome punch. They could also take a beating too. (I do believe that up until late 1942 the Zero was their superior, but only in tropical climes).
Ok the claims made about the Spitfire during that program didn't bother me. I acknowledge her superior war record, and let's face it, every Brit Pilot who flew one said they never wanted to fly anything else.
At the end they used the Churchill quote that nauseates me to nO end. In reference to the Battle Of Britain he said Never have so few owed so much to so many.
BULLSHIT!!!!
1: I realize it's traumatic to have your country bombed.
2: I think Churchill taking a stroll during a bombing raid was a magnificent gesture and a direct slap in the face of Nazi Germany. I also realize Churchill recognized the value of symbology. As much as I hate it, I voted for Churchill to be Time Magazines Man Of The 20th Century for holding Britain together as the sole opponent to Germany after Frances Fall. (A little known fact of WW2. Britain was also organizing Scandinavian resistance against the russians at this time, so she had plenty on her hands)
Now. Saying that.
1: The Battle Of Britain was a relatively minor affair compared with many other battles in the war. Total losses on BOTH sides were less than what the Japanese lost at The Battle Of The Philippine Sea.
2: Germany lost more economic value in ONE bombing raid, on an almost night by night basis.
3: The Germans were never going to invade Britain. Even before the nazis started bombing Britain, Hitler had already decided to invade Russia. He considered Russia the real enemy and never fully understood why BRitain was even fighting the war. He also never understood why Churchill couldn't see the Russians as the "true" enemy. Hitler went on record many times as admiring the Brits and their empire. His BIGGEST concern was if the British Empire fell, it would strengthen the US and Japan. He didn't want that.
4: After Norway, NO WAY was Hitler going to invade Britain.
Germany did not have a large Navy. When Hitler told Raeder he was to prepare the Navy to invade Norway Raeder was against it. Raeder told Hitler they'd loose half their Navy if they went through with it. They lost almot exactly half, with the rest so damaged the germans couldn't mount a Naval offensive for 6 months. Hitler knew invading Britain would cost him the rest of the Navy and most of the luftwaffe.
Here were Hitlers three conditions for invading England
A: The Luftwaffe neutralizes the English Air Force. He knew this couldn't be met because Germany had no 4 engine bomber so couldn't drop enough bombs in any one mission to really make a difference. Any other way was attrition warfare, and with the Russian campaign coming up Hitler couldn't afford it.
B: The Navy seals off both ends of the English Channel with minefields so thick that no RN Fleet could make it to the invasion site.
C: Raeder guarantees complete control of the seas. Impossible. Their Navy wasn't large enough, and the Royal Navy had already thoroughly trounced it off Norway.
While Hitler allowed planning to go on. He never intended to carry it out. In fact, they didn't have large enough landing ships to land tanks. They intended on landing HORSES!!!!. Hitler did this a lot. Many times prior to 1942 he'd tell his Generals to plan operations against the Brits, because the Generals considered Britain the true enemy. Hitler felt the Brits were placing their hopes on the Russians. In other words since Britain wasn't going to get back to the Continent for awhile, hItler felt if Germany crushed Russia that England would say, Ah Fuck it.
5: Last Myth. That somehow the Battle Of Britain bled the Luftwaffe dry. Goering never considered Britain as the major theater of the war. His method of neuitralizing the British Air Force was by launching bombing raids, in hopes the German fighters could shoot down enough Brit fighters to turn the tide against Britain. He never committed more than 2 Luftwaffe Divisions. This strategy was a fallacy in that it's VERY hard to win in Dogfighting warfare over enemy territory, simply because a lot of planes that might not have made it home were simply landed for repairs. A country with Englands industrial might was certainly capable of doing this, and they did do it. In contrast, at one time there were over 50 Luftwaffe Divisions over Russia. Russia bled the Luftwaffe not Britain.
There my rant ends!
Tron
Ok the claims made about the Spitfire during that program didn't bother me. I acknowledge her superior war record, and let's face it, every Brit Pilot who flew one said they never wanted to fly anything else.
At the end they used the Churchill quote that nauseates me to nO end. In reference to the Battle Of Britain he said Never have so few owed so much to so many.
BULLSHIT!!!!
1: I realize it's traumatic to have your country bombed.
2: I think Churchill taking a stroll during a bombing raid was a magnificent gesture and a direct slap in the face of Nazi Germany. I also realize Churchill recognized the value of symbology. As much as I hate it, I voted for Churchill to be Time Magazines Man Of The 20th Century for holding Britain together as the sole opponent to Germany after Frances Fall. (A little known fact of WW2. Britain was also organizing Scandinavian resistance against the russians at this time, so she had plenty on her hands)
Now. Saying that.
1: The Battle Of Britain was a relatively minor affair compared with many other battles in the war. Total losses on BOTH sides were less than what the Japanese lost at The Battle Of The Philippine Sea.
2: Germany lost more economic value in ONE bombing raid, on an almost night by night basis.
3: The Germans were never going to invade Britain. Even before the nazis started bombing Britain, Hitler had already decided to invade Russia. He considered Russia the real enemy and never fully understood why BRitain was even fighting the war. He also never understood why Churchill couldn't see the Russians as the "true" enemy. Hitler went on record many times as admiring the Brits and their empire. His BIGGEST concern was if the British Empire fell, it would strengthen the US and Japan. He didn't want that.
4: After Norway, NO WAY was Hitler going to invade Britain.
Germany did not have a large Navy. When Hitler told Raeder he was to prepare the Navy to invade Norway Raeder was against it. Raeder told Hitler they'd loose half their Navy if they went through with it. They lost almot exactly half, with the rest so damaged the germans couldn't mount a Naval offensive for 6 months. Hitler knew invading Britain would cost him the rest of the Navy and most of the luftwaffe.
Here were Hitlers three conditions for invading England
A: The Luftwaffe neutralizes the English Air Force. He knew this couldn't be met because Germany had no 4 engine bomber so couldn't drop enough bombs in any one mission to really make a difference. Any other way was attrition warfare, and with the Russian campaign coming up Hitler couldn't afford it.
B: The Navy seals off both ends of the English Channel with minefields so thick that no RN Fleet could make it to the invasion site.
C: Raeder guarantees complete control of the seas. Impossible. Their Navy wasn't large enough, and the Royal Navy had already thoroughly trounced it off Norway.
While Hitler allowed planning to go on. He never intended to carry it out. In fact, they didn't have large enough landing ships to land tanks. They intended on landing HORSES!!!!. Hitler did this a lot. Many times prior to 1942 he'd tell his Generals to plan operations against the Brits, because the Generals considered Britain the true enemy. Hitler felt the Brits were placing their hopes on the Russians. In other words since Britain wasn't going to get back to the Continent for awhile, hItler felt if Germany crushed Russia that England would say, Ah Fuck it.
5: Last Myth. That somehow the Battle Of Britain bled the Luftwaffe dry. Goering never considered Britain as the major theater of the war. His method of neuitralizing the British Air Force was by launching bombing raids, in hopes the German fighters could shoot down enough Brit fighters to turn the tide against Britain. He never committed more than 2 Luftwaffe Divisions. This strategy was a fallacy in that it's VERY hard to win in Dogfighting warfare over enemy territory, simply because a lot of planes that might not have made it home were simply landed for repairs. A country with Englands industrial might was certainly capable of doing this, and they did do it. In contrast, at one time there were over 50 Luftwaffe Divisions over Russia. Russia bled the Luftwaffe not Britain.
There my rant ends!
Tron
