Hitler's Britain

Look round our nation, and thank your lucky stars that we stood alone. The last bastion of freedom. And the eventual saviour of the Continent of Europe.

Sapper

Not entirely alone Brian. "The dominions" (Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Canada) were with Britain from Day1 as they were in The Great War.

Volunteers to a man supported strongly by their Governments.

Cheers

Geoff

 

And they still stand beside us. Makes you rather proud

 

We were alone. Any help was in the far distance. Nowhere in the continent of Europe was there aid of any kind. At that time there were few, if any troops, from anywhere here. The Island was on its own.
Sapper

 

It also strikes me what a brave and risky decision it was to reinforce North Africa at the time that we were standing alone in Europe. It must have been tempting to cut our losses and just concentrate on home defence, but losing Egypt and possibly the Middle East would have made things pretty bleak. And our Dominion friends contributed a lot in North Africa too.

 

Sure, but there were none here at that time.Had they beenm we could not have armed them

 

We were alone. Any help was in the far distance. Nowhere in the continent of Europe was there aid of any kind. At that time there were few, if any troops, from anywhere here. The Island was on its own.
Sapper

There were Canadian troops in France in 1940

 

Don't forget the Indians too....

If memory serves me well on the list of highest recipient countries awarded the VC, India came second to Britian which says something if one considers they were all Army (No Navy or Air Force VC's) and the prejudice that must have been around at the time. I wonder how many were ignored because they were Indian.

 

I was talking to my sister, last night. I mentioned I'm reading " Forgotten Voices of the Holocaust ". She said how things would have gone terribly badly for us, had they not been stopped .....

We both offer our heart felt Thanks to All the Vet's who helped stop them :thankyousign:

 

Not wishing to diminish the goodwill of the Commonwealth, fully demonstrated and undersigned in blood in the continuation, but if the UK had fallen in 1940 how could the CW stop Hitler?

I think this may be what Brian the Sapper is meaning...

 

Actually - there WERE Indian troops here in 1940...about 700 of them! Specialist mule handlers with the BEF IIRC.

There were ALSO two full Canadian infantry divisions - tho' as of June 1940 only the 1st Canadian was fully formated...coring the defence in Sussex and Kent, while the 2nd was equiping.; The 1st Canadian Armoured Division was also arriving in the UK sans armour, to be equiped from British "stocks".

There were also specialist Canadian Army loggers, and two "short" infantry brigade groups from Australia and New Zealand.

 

I suppose (If it hasn't been mentioned already) the whole host of nations that helped fight in the Battle of Britain too and not just Commonwealth countries.

 

England didnt stand alone - and for Canadians, Australians, New Zealanders, Rhodesians, Indians , Pakistanis, Ghurkas and yes even Irish thats a very important point.

 

Don't forget the Indians too....

Hi Owen,

Did not forget them at all as they were predominantly under British control and the "dominions" were not. That was the major reason and that they were not in Britain as were the Canadians, New Zealanders and the Australians.

Cheers

Geoff

 

The events that he described actually took place in the areas dominated by the Third Reich and would have been echoed in a subjugated Britain had the Nazis been allowed to overthrow this island.

Is it too much to ask that this point is well and truly taken into account by this era's researchers when they pose the question "Was it right to have done this, or that, in your fight to survive?"

With respect

Ron

Hi Ron,

There is no doubt whatsoever that what went on in "Hitlers Europe" would have been mirrored in Britain had they been successful in their invasion however they did not and as has been discussed and played out by the Allies and German military leaders in the 70's "wargames" it would not have been successful.

Cheers

Geoff

 

ger,
There was no such place in 1940 !


Look out Gott, he has got his facetious streak back about "Pakistan".

 

Geoff
Hi Ron,
There is no doubt whatsoever that what went on in "Hitlers Europe" would have been mirrored in Britain had they been successful in their invasion however they did not and as has been discussed and played out by the Allies and German military leaders in the 70's "wargames" it would not have been successful.
Cheers
Geoff


I see you say "and as has been discussed and played out by the Allies and German military leaders in the 70's "wargames" it would not have been successful"

We are now back in the wonderful world of hindsight and as my friend Bill Shakespeare said many years before "Aye, there's the rub"

In the stormy days that Brian talks about we did not and could not know that "it would not have been sucessful"

As far as we in England knew at the time we were literally holding the fort, particularly after Dunkirk.

Regards

Ron

 

Not wishing to diminish the goodwill of the Commonwealth, fully demonstrated and undersigned in blood in the continuation, but if the UK had fallen in 1940 how could the CW stop Hitler?

I think this may be what Brian the Sapper is meaning...

That is a "what if" Za!:wink:

The Commonwealth troops were already there.
"Two" Canadian divisions by June 1940, "Two" Australian Brigades, a collection of New Zealand Battalions etc who were trained to defend against Paratroop landings at aerodromes.

Brian was saying "if" Germany had invaded, Britain would have gone under. I do not believe that to be the case.