D.Day

Dis86 · 5 Jun 2013 at 21:53

It's the anniversary of D-Day tomorrow. Happened to be talking to a friend of mine and brought it up in conversation. She looked at me blankly.

How can someone get to the age of 26 in this country and not know what D-Day is?!

The sacrifices that the allied soldiers, sailors, airmen and even civilians made less than 70 years ago and people don't even know what it was. Fml!
I for one am grateful, not because my family or even this country would have been oppressed by Nazi Germany but for the freedom that was restored to Europe and the world as a whole however I just can't understand how people can't know about it.

*sigh*

opstrat · 5 Jun 2013 at 22:02

It's ridiculous. Look at the Ann frank fiasco on Twitter over Justin beber.

bitslice · 5 Jun 2013 at 22:03

I like to think that if all those soldiers, sailors and airmen were alive today, then they would have been Beliebers.

*makes heart symbol with thumbs and forefingers*

Gilly · 5 Jun 2013 at 22:03

Absolutely it is ridiculous.

Lad I was talking to today (~22 yo) wasnt aware of d-day or VE day.

arknor · 5 Jun 2013 at 22:06

Don't they teach ww2 any more?

You should force your friend to watch saving private ryan or atleast the beach scene from on youtube

(yaya it's omaha beach hard to find really cool photos of sword beach....)

Efour · 5 Jun 2013 at 22:07

why is it so surprising really ? If they didn't study history or have an interest in Militaria why would they know about specific military campaigns in a 70 year old war?

Can you from the top of you head tell me the events of the battle of waterloo ?

Just saying...

Dis86 · 5 Jun 2013 at 22:11

Actually yeah I could...18th June, 1815.
France vs Britain, Prussia and allies.
I could particularly focus on the amazing tactics by the Duke of Wellington in hiding his forces behind the ridge, allowing for the advance of the French Imperial Guards who then were forced to retreat by spectacular precise British gunfire. Something completely unforeseen as these were the elite French shock troops!

Dis86 · 5 Jun 2013 at 22:13

And to answer your other question, it's surprising because it's not just military history, or history. It changed Europe. It was the major piece in the puzzle of the liberation of Europe. Probably the singular most important historical event for the last 500 years!

Theophany · 5 Jun 2013 at 22:14

I'm in my early twenties. I was smart enough to ask my gramps about it when I was a kid to get a decent idea of it. He was there and had a pretty intense time of it...

His ship was shelled and sunk, he was the only survivor of his boat and was left for dead floating in the channel. A commandeered fishing boat full of Canadians picked him out of the water en route to Dunkirk and saved his life. Still have his medal from the Royal Engineers.

RIP Giorgio (Funnily enough, it's his birthday in a few days) <3

Dis86 · 5 Jun 2013 at 22:16

^^amazing picture Ark

Stolly · 5 Jun 2013 at 22:27

Those who do not know their history are doomed to repeat it. For proof of that look at our current intervention into Afghanistan and its amazing resemblance with the last 3.

Efour · 5 Jun 2013 at 22:30

Dis86 said:
Actually yeah I could...18th June, 1815.
France vs Britain, Prussia and allies.
I could particularly focus on the amazing tactics by the Duke of Wellington in hiding his forces behind the ridge, allowing for the advance of the French Imperial Guards who then were forced to retreat by spectacular precise British gunfire. Something completely unforeseen as these were the elite French shock troops!

Basic, partly accurate knowledge of a teenager with an interest in Military history. (oooh snap)

If its not on a school "sillybus" i wouldn't expect anyone that age to know about it unless they had a wider interest in it. Which most young men do. Not women for sure. Not saying im happy with it.

arknor · 5 Jun 2013 at 22:41

(once a city then a nuke hit)

zoomed in

How can they not teach people about ww2 at school?

EDIT: actually I remember my stepson learning about ww2 and hes only 19 , he never took history for gcse's or whatever they have these days

SexyGreyFox · 5 Jun 2013 at 22:49

Dis86 said:
How can someone get to the age of 26 in this country and not know what D-Day is?!

I don't see why they should :confused:

How long have we got to 'force' young people to remember and how long do we go back in history?
I wouldn't be shocked if a 26 year old didn't know our troops were in Afghanistan.

BTW, I spent my honeymoon in 1980 at Normandy and other war sites.

FoxEye · 5 Jun 2013 at 22:57

Stolly said:
Those who do not know their history are doomed to repeat it.

I think we should all conclude this soundbite is simply a fallacy.

For proof of that look at our current intervention into Afghanistan and its amazing resemblance with the last 3.

No one has forgotten Afghanistan. The idea that wars would end if people remembered the previous wars is simply idealist nonsense.

Wars have been a constant throughout human history. So has appalling brutality, ethnic cleansing, etc, etc.

It's not for want of remembering the past that these things keep happening. It is human nature. It is our arrogance; our thirst for power, resources or expansion; our intolerance and prejudice; and many other reasons.

A good knowledge of history will not prevent conflict. It's in our genes.

Stolly · 5 Jun 2013 at 22:57

Dimple said:
I don't see why they should
How long have we got to 'force' young people to remember and how long do we go back in history?
I wouldn't be shocked if a 26 year old didn't know our troops were in Afghanistan.

BTW, I spent my honeymoon in 1980 at Normandy and other war sites.

Force ? Educate.

Educate the young Gentleman who voted BNP because, as he put it to me, "Those P**kis didn't fight for us in the war so why should they be here"

Yes they did, I calmly told him. They were all volunteers too. In fact, the Indian Army of WWII was the largest volunteer force under arms in history. Not to mention the 30,000 Indians buried outside Baghdad who died, for our country, in WWI.

Dis86 · 5 Jun 2013 at 22:58

I'll explain again Dimple, it's one of the defining moments of European history. That is why people should know about it.

Stolly · 5 Jun 2013 at 23:03

FoxEye said:
I think we should all conclude this soundbite is simply a fallacy.

No one has forgotten Afghanistan. The idea that wars would end if people remembered the previous wars is simply idealist nonsense.

Wars have been a constant throughout human history. So has appalling brutality, ethnic cleansing, etc, etc.

It's not for want of remembering the past that these things keep happening. It is human nature. It is our arrogance; our thirst for power, resources or expansion; our intolerance and prejudice; and many other reasons.

A good knowledge of history will not prevent conflict. It's in our genes.

The chances of us repeating, for the fourth time, similar mistakes to those made previously in the same place no less would have been lessened had people bothered to learn from the previous three occasions. Its not to say the lessons would have been accepted, but they are there nonetheless.

In fact, they could have just looked at the Soviet experience of the previous decade or so. You seem to have misunderstood me. I was not claiming we should have never have gone into Afghanistan a fourth time, but we should have studied and absorbed the lessons of the previous four attempts to bend that place to will of an outside party.

RDM · 5 Jun 2013 at 23:07

Dis86 said:
I'll explain again Dimple, it's one of the defining moments of European history. That is why people should know about it.

I could see that argument being made for World War 2 in general, but why specific battles? D Day was just one step in a long line of actions that led to the end of World War 2 and arguably not even one of the more important ones.

arknor · 5 Jun 2013 at 23:11

Stolly said:
Those who do not know their history are doomed to repeat it. For proof of that look at our current intervention into Afghanistan and its amazing resemblance with the last 3.

History starts to repeat fast some times check this out its almost LOLworthy
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-22726239

For two years, the streets of Benghazi have been controlled by a complicated network of armed militias, many of whom fought to oust Colonel Gaddafi, who now refuse to be controlled by the authorities.

But after a string of attacks, the government is taking action.

They fought to get rid of gaddafi right?
Hes dead right?
Benghazzi is still refusing to be ruled by the goverment just like last time :rolleyes:

But after a string of attacks, the government is taking action.

just like last time :confused:

So do we help them fight for freedom again? or are they actually terrorists this time? LOLOLOLOLOLOL