UK, Ireland /
POLES SUPERIOR TO BRITS? [260]
My debate is not about declaring the war on Germany but rather about the British debt after it was all over. Like I said before, we paid our share so that had nothing to do with us but nice try anyway.
No arguments there,in financial terms,both our countires ended up shafted,but it is plain logic that dictates,if Britain had stayed neutral,which historical evidence proves Hitler would hve been more than happy to live with,we wouldnt have expended the millions of pounds and lives that brought about the collapse of our empire.Without the western nations ( Britain,France and Holland) being involved in a war that hitler plainly wanted to confine to the east the Japanese would never have felt in a position to expand outside of its china/korea empire.Pearl Harbour probably would have never been bombed and,well,you can guess the rest mate as your a very bright guy :)
Simply stating that if it was not for Poland, Britain would not be in the mass it found itself after the war just won't do, or that somehow it's all our fault.
It would be rediculous to state that "if it was not for Poland..." as though it was Polands fault for being invaded....a more accuratte apraisal would be,it was the fault of earlier western governments,britain and france cheiflly who failed to bring hitler in line when that would have been simple,mid 30s. But also,it still doesnt negate the fact that Britain DID declare war BECAUSE Poland was invaded(or rather,because the germans didnt retreat or stick to a fairly legitimate claim for a land corridor),I say again,not Polands fault,Nevile Chamberlins and the cabinet for declaring war.
And if your going to bring up post war again,not that old chestnut,please get it,in 45 no bugger in britain was going to go to war against the red army,sorry about that.
gumishu
hhmmm
the Brits are mostly quite ignorant to Polish history
well,frankly,Poland doesnt register on many peoples historical radar outside of,well,Poland. But ,saying that,have you met all 60 odd million of us to back up your claim?
On the flip side plenty of Poles who seem to have an encyclopedic knowladge of Poland have about as much wider knowladge as the average American or British HighSchool kid, watching a movie about Custers Last Stand(the clue really should have been in the title,"They died with their boots on") I was asked midway through whether the nice cavelrymen escaped from the redskins trap!!!and this by a person who could recite for hours on detailed examinations of anything from obscure home army units to biographies of all the kings of Poland.
and they managed to liberate the English troops who had found themselves completely surrounded due to a huge mistake and the unwillingness to listen from a certain General who happened to be Montgomery. (This event got covered up shortly after the war because of politics and propaganda, but a while ago, the Polish finally got their reqocnition!)
What event is this specifically mate, Im guessing Arnhem 44 but your going to have to narrow it down a bit or Im going to have to point out that those same Poles were "rescued" by British troops of the wessex and Dorset regiments;),Oh,and no arguments,Monty was a tosser,and alleged kiddie fiddler to boot.,still kicked Rommels arse though :)
As for "cover ups" I doubt it,for those interested the Battles around Arnhem are probably the most widely studied and documented of engagements of the war.
It would have been incredibly hard to have a cover up,especially in my neck of the woods,considering that all or most of the Polish airborne veterens stayed on here after the war and socialised with their british airborne comrades.
The only way I could in any way concede a "cover up" is simple with a surfiet of memoires from British veterns of the battle,who after all outnumbered the Poles 10 to 1, those Polish stories may have been lost in the crowd,but again,only for those with little or no interest in the battle anyway,those like myself who have studied it,walked the ground many times and honoured the allied veterens of all nations at their various and combined memorial services both here and in the netherlands on numerous occasions, know just how well the Poles fought,and how tragic were the loses they suffered,and we know that those loses and fighting spirit were a part of every soldier in that battle regardless of nationality,and I do mean totaly regardless,yep,even the moffen SS behaved with (relative) honour and undoubted elan.
