65 years ago today...

[Hagar]

I don't know where this comes from Dave as you didn't quote a source. It's a pretty reasonable account but I would argue with some points.

For example: This leads me to believe it was written by an American.

the English public became involved in a way never before seen in warfare:

Nothing wrong with that but Americans commonly confuse England with Britain or vice versa. While most of the action took place over Southern England the threat was to the whole country which is the reason it's known as the Battle of Britain. The RAF fighter pilots came from all over the British Empire & other parts of the world including the US.

PS.

In the spring of 1940 the Third Reich was the largest Empire the world had ever seen.

I'm not sure about that. Forgetting the ancient empires, in 1939 the British Empire covered something like 1/3 of the world's land mass. It was still much the same when I was at school in the 1950s.



The problem with many modern historians is that they base their ideas & arguments on modern concepts. To get the complete picture you need to try & appreciate the way things were at the time they occurred. This can be difficult for anyone not there at the time as life for ordinary people (including their outlook on it) was often very different to what we're familiar with now.

[C]

The RAF fighter pilots came from all over the British Empire & other parts of the world including the US.

Great Britain - 2,341
Australia - 32
Barbados - 1
Belgium - 28
Canada - 112
Czechoslovakia - 88
France - 13
Ireland - 10      
Jamaica - 1
Newfoundland - 1
New Zealand - 127
Poland - 145
Rhodesia - 3
South Africa - 25
United States - 9

Amazingly the Poles, whilst only being 5% of the force, claimed 12% of all victories in the BoB...

I'm not sure about that. Forgetting the ancient empires, in 1939 the British Empire covered something like 1/3 of the world's land mass. It was still much the same when I was at school in the 1950s.

I can't see how the author could think that the Third Reich was ever that big, when the British Empire included countries such as Canada and India...

[H]

Hagar - Nothing wrong with that but Americans commonly confuse England with Britain or vice versa.

That's, unfortunately, quite true; they often don't even know facts within our own union. We're free to roam from state-to-state but some don't seem to comprehend that we are 'unified' individual states and not all of our laws are the same. Many I spoke with in the midwest U.S. thought that New York was part of New England and that the entire northeast is basically concrete (when I led a group into the Guamanian 'jungle' -- oops, Safety Officer with us said never to mention it  :-X -- I found it little different, aside from fauna types, than the forest I grew up with). After an immigrant has studied for citizenship they wind up knowing more about the U.S. than many of its native citizens :-/.

PS.

In the spring of 1940 the Third Reich was the largest Empire the world had ever seen.

This may possibly be true if restated: "In the spring of 1940 the Third Reich was the largest Continental European Empire the world had ever seen." Most previous lacked major portions of Europe (although they may have controlled more adjacent Asian, as well as African, territory).

Amazingly the Poles, whilst only being 5% of the force, claimed 12% of all victories in the BoB...

Wow! You'd think they already had a score to settle .  

[Woodlouse2002]

In the spring of 1940 the Third Reich was the largest Empire the world had ever seen.

This may possibly be true if restated: "In the spring of 1940 the Third Reich was the largest Continental European Empire the world had ever seen." Most previous lacked major portions of Europe (although they may have controlled more adjacent Asian, as well as African, territory).

The Roman Empire covered roughly the same area as the Third Reich and was probably bigger as it covered italy and spain as well as substantial parts of North Africa. The German army didn't arrive in North Africa intill 1942 when it arrived to support the Italians who were making a mess of things. The Third Reich reached it's peak in 1943, after which it only shrank in size as the tides turned against Germany.

As has been stated, the Third Reich was relatively small as empires go. The British Empire at it's peak covered 1/3 of the worlds land mass. The Russian Empire in excess of 1/6 and the Persian Empire carved out by Alexander the Great went from Greece to India including the entire middle east. All of these make the Third Reich seem pretty small.

[C]

[quote]Wow! You'd think they already had a score to settle .

[myshelf]

[quote author=Woodlouse2002

The Roman Empire covered roughly the same area as the Third Reich and was probably bigger as it covered italy and spain as well as substantial parts of North Africa. The German army didn't arrive in North Africa intill 1942 when it arrived to support the Italians who were making a mess of things. The Third Reich reached it's peak in 1943, after which it only shrank in size as the tides turned against Germany.

As has been stated, the Third Reich was relatively small as empires go. The British Empire at it's peak covered 1/3 of the worlds land mass. The Russian Empire in excess of 1/6 and the Persian Empire carved out by Alexander the Great went from Greece to India including the entire middle east. All of these make the Third Reich seem pretty small. [/quote]


well, what if you count heads instead of acrage?

[61_OTU]

(Group Captain) Johnny Kent's book is well worth a read. A Canadian pilot, I think he was either a Flt or Sqn Cdr on one of the Polish Sqns in the BoB...

What's the title of the book Charlie?

[C]

What's the title of the book Charlie?

I shall have a look next time I go upstairs. I think its out of print, but well worth a read...


...Standby...


[runs up stairs]One of the Few[/runs down stairs]

Amazing man - youngest commercial pilot in Canada, aged 19 in 1933, WWII fighter ace, then CTP at Farnborough 1948-52...

[ATI_7500]

The German army didn't arrive in North Africa intill 1942 when it arrived to support the Italians who were making a mess of things. The Third Reich reached it's peak in 1943, after which it only shrank in size as the tides turned against Germany.

Wrong and wrong. The Wehrmacht got involved on the African continent in February 1941 and the Reich had its peak in the late summer of 1942 after the summer offensive, when the german flag waved on the Mt Elbruz in Georgia.

[Woodlouse2002]

Wrong and wrong. The Wehrmacht got involved on the African continent in February 1941 and the Reich had its peak in the late summer of 1942 after the summer offensive, when the german flag waved on the Mt Elbruz in Georgia.

Apologies. Though I still insist 1943 was their peak as it was only then they stopped advancing.

[H]

The Roman Empire covered roughly the same area as the Third Reich and was probably bigger as it covered italy and spain as well as substantial parts of North Africa.

Africa and Asia don't count in my statement. Rome was unable to successfully annex much further in the northeast of the continent than the Rhine, never nearing Scandinavia nor through Russia southward; as well as Iberia, they did incorporate a part of Britain, this being their furthest thrust north in all of Europe: only the predominantly Brythonic areas of the south were annexed, walls (Antonine & Hadrian) being built to keep back the Scots and Picts from further north and Ireland was never touched. As for Italy, it may have been Germany's ally from the start of the war but it was the German occupying forces --  there prior to DDay -- of main concern in the Allied invasion of Italy.