Quote of the day 4th June 2019
“What is the reality? Britain, and of course the Empire, continued to make immense economic and military efforts throughout the war: an unparalleled level of civilian mobilization, as well as more than five million in the armed forces by 1945 serving from Denmark to China.
Recent research, especially that using German archives, has shown the impact. The RAF’s unrelenting bombing campaign from 1943 onwards had a devastating effect on German production and morale. Even more important, it forced the Nazi regime to concentrate its industrial and military efforts on home defence: in 1943, more than 40% of German war production went into aircraft, and only 6% into tanks; and 900,000 men were manning air defences.
The Russian front was starved of resources, while the Red Army was supplied by its Allies: more than four million tons of war material was sent from Britain via the Arctic, requiring the protection of nearly 900 Royal Navy warships and 260,000 sailors."
"This brings us to D-Day, whose anniversary is about to fall. Everyone, of course, knows D-Day, but how well?"
"Not only in the command and planning of the most complex and formidable military operation of all time, but in the manpower involved: the largest number of soldiers landed on the beaches were British, as were two-thirds of the sailors manning the warships and landing craft."
"D-Day was an astounding success. The Germans, who had spent four years fortifying the whole coast from the Spanish border to the Arctic Circle (Hitler worried that the British might invade Norway), never realised where the attack was coming. They had been comprehensively deceived, and their illusions fed. In the expectation that the true target was Calais, German reserves were held back until the most dangerous moment – the landing itself – was over."
"Except for part of the American sector, losses were relatively low, given the dangers of landing on a defended and fortified coast. The British 50th Division, landing on ‘Gold’ beach, suffered only 413 casualties, partly because they successfully deployed 96 amphibious tanks. Despite the stormy weather, supplies got through, including 500 train-loads of petrol."
"For the Allied soldiers, especially the British, a greater ordeal awaited. Beyond the beach-heads, the Germans were able to dig into a landscape of bocage banks and sunken lanes that made every field a potential strongpoint. The British, with Canadian and Polish support, had to break though the main German force that had been ordered by Hitler to fight to the death – and many of them did. In two months, three-quarters of all the British infantry, over 60,000 men (equivalent in number to all those landed on D-Day), were dead or wounded. It was a battle of attrition comparable with the First World War. Some British infantry units suffered 100% casualties, and many suffered over 50%."
"Eventually, under unrelenting ground and air attack, the Germans died or retreated, losing more men in a shorter time than ever before in a slaughter worse than Stalingrad. Though far more was to come – the taking of Antwerp, the battle of the Bulge, the crossing of the Rhine, the invasion of Germany itself – the result was now inevitable. "
"There is no single monument to the more than 22,000 British troops who died in Normandy. There are many small and often moving regimental memorials and of course many cemeteries. But nothing compares with the American or Canadian monuments, or to the American museum overlooking Omaha beach. This is now going to be somewhat remedied, with the inauguration of the modest British Normandy Memorial this week."
"Recent research by Jonathan Fennell, in his monumental study Fighting the People’s War, shows that the morale of British soldiers, despite heavy casualties, was 'thoroughly sound and the troops who have been in battle are quietly confident of their ability to meet and beat the enemy” … “there is determination and ability to fight on, even when very weary.'”
"The British army took on by far the strongest opposition in Normandy: their loss of life was twice that of the American army, whose subsequent rapid advance was facilitated by the decimation of the main German forces.
The belated monument and statue is, therefore, small tribute to the quiet courage of those boys from Wessex, Northumbria, the Highlands and the Midlands, and to the meticulous preparations of the planners, whose unsparing efforts curtailed humanity’s nightmare.”
(Robert Tombs, extracts from an article on the "Unherd" site, "Imagine if we'd lost D-Day.")
It is important to remember both the contribution to the liberation of Europe of all the millions of men and women from our allies all over the world, and that of the millions of our own British people who took part and every aspect of World War II.
There are those who spread myths which minimise the contribution of Britain to the victories over Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy, and Imperial Japan. They are wrong to do so.
We could not have defeated Hitler and his supporters, possibly the most vile and dangerous threat to the world in all of history, without our allies - but they would have had great difficulty in defeating him without Britain. We can and should be proud of those who contributed to that victory.
Recent research, especially that using German archives, has shown the impact. The RAF’s unrelenting bombing campaign from 1943 onwards had a devastating effect on German production and morale. Even more important, it forced the Nazi regime to concentrate its industrial and military efforts on home defence: in 1943, more than 40% of German war production went into aircraft, and only 6% into tanks; and 900,000 men were manning air defences.
The Russian front was starved of resources, while the Red Army was supplied by its Allies: more than four million tons of war material was sent from Britain via the Arctic, requiring the protection of nearly 900 Royal Navy warships and 260,000 sailors."
"This brings us to D-Day, whose anniversary is about to fall. Everyone, of course, knows D-Day, but how well?"
"Not only in the command and planning of the most complex and formidable military operation of all time, but in the manpower involved: the largest number of soldiers landed on the beaches were British, as were two-thirds of the sailors manning the warships and landing craft."
"D-Day was an astounding success. The Germans, who had spent four years fortifying the whole coast from the Spanish border to the Arctic Circle (Hitler worried that the British might invade Norway), never realised where the attack was coming. They had been comprehensively deceived, and their illusions fed. In the expectation that the true target was Calais, German reserves were held back until the most dangerous moment – the landing itself – was over."
"Except for part of the American sector, losses were relatively low, given the dangers of landing on a defended and fortified coast. The British 50th Division, landing on ‘Gold’ beach, suffered only 413 casualties, partly because they successfully deployed 96 amphibious tanks. Despite the stormy weather, supplies got through, including 500 train-loads of petrol."
"For the Allied soldiers, especially the British, a greater ordeal awaited. Beyond the beach-heads, the Germans were able to dig into a landscape of bocage banks and sunken lanes that made every field a potential strongpoint. The British, with Canadian and Polish support, had to break though the main German force that had been ordered by Hitler to fight to the death – and many of them did. In two months, three-quarters of all the British infantry, over 60,000 men (equivalent in number to all those landed on D-Day), were dead or wounded. It was a battle of attrition comparable with the First World War. Some British infantry units suffered 100% casualties, and many suffered over 50%."
"Eventually, under unrelenting ground and air attack, the Germans died or retreated, losing more men in a shorter time than ever before in a slaughter worse than Stalingrad. Though far more was to come – the taking of Antwerp, the battle of the Bulge, the crossing of the Rhine, the invasion of Germany itself – the result was now inevitable. "
"There is no single monument to the more than 22,000 British troops who died in Normandy. There are many small and often moving regimental memorials and of course many cemeteries. But nothing compares with the American or Canadian monuments, or to the American museum overlooking Omaha beach. This is now going to be somewhat remedied, with the inauguration of the modest British Normandy Memorial this week."
"Recent research by Jonathan Fennell, in his monumental study Fighting the People’s War, shows that the morale of British soldiers, despite heavy casualties, was 'thoroughly sound and the troops who have been in battle are quietly confident of their ability to meet and beat the enemy” … “there is determination and ability to fight on, even when very weary.'”
"The British army took on by far the strongest opposition in Normandy: their loss of life was twice that of the American army, whose subsequent rapid advance was facilitated by the decimation of the main German forces.
The belated monument and statue is, therefore, small tribute to the quiet courage of those boys from Wessex, Northumbria, the Highlands and the Midlands, and to the meticulous preparations of the planners, whose unsparing efforts curtailed humanity’s nightmare.”
(Robert Tombs, extracts from an article on the "Unherd" site, "Imagine if we'd lost D-Day.")
It is important to remember both the contribution to the liberation of Europe of all the millions of men and women from our allies all over the world, and that of the millions of our own British people who took part and every aspect of World War II.
There are those who spread myths which minimise the contribution of Britain to the victories over Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy, and Imperial Japan. They are wrong to do so.
We could not have defeated Hitler and his supporters, possibly the most vile and dangerous threat to the world in all of history, without our allies - but they would have had great difficulty in defeating him without Britain. We can and should be proud of those who contributed to that victory.
Comments