The problem is Magic, Hitler needed to get boots on the ground, and that meant Seelöwe had to work and for that he needed not only Aerial supremacy but Naval supremacy too, which he never had.
Of course when you compare Kriegsmarine to Royal Navy, the first one turns out to look rather sad. Just let us take the sheer number of destroyers that were ready to engage in battle in the 1940, with England having about 40 of them out of 70 stationated near the Isles and Germany a stunning number of 10. OK, maybe 11. :) Talk about huge disproportion, innit? This situation looked rather similarly with other naval units, but that is just why Hitler decided to set everything on one bloody strong card, Luftwaffe!
At first, Hitler didn’t plan any invasion on the British Isles. He always used to say that on the decay of the British Empire everyone will gain except Germany. Hitler was bluffing and by threatening The Britain he wanted to force them to sign a pact on his conditions of course. An agreement between those two countries, where the GB would still rule the seas and III Reich would rule the land. His admiration of British nation stopped however in the moment when Britain overruled all of his proposals for that treat. Hitler really didn’t like it when something was not going according to his schedule, so he totally changed his plans. He knew that the key to conquer Britain was by the air force. If he would manage to eliminate or even strongly damage RAF Royal navy wouldn’t be as much of a problem for him and the possibility of an German invasion would be very serious. We could see it perfectly in the pacific war what a ship is worth without the backup of plains, vide the history of Bismarck, Tarent, Pearl Harbour, Yamato or Prince of Wales with Repuls. Besides, at that time most of the British battleships weren’t equipped with proper antiaircraft artillery and the armor of the deck was usually to thin( vide Hood being sank by Bismarck after only one salvo!).
In conclusion, by having powerful air force the Nazis didn’t need to have likewise powerful naval force to carry out a successful assault, and after taking under consideration that Germans were able to beach land about 300 000 soldiers and 8 500 vehicles, the situation of GB would look very grim. Personally I don’t think that it would be a light campaign for the Wermaht. History showed us that Britons can really fight, and taking under consideration that they would have a bloody good motivation to do so I am far from predicting their defeat, but the damage that they would inflict would be definitely big. Fortunately, RAF didn’t fail the expectations of it’s high command as well as the British citizens, and this long paragraph is just a fiction. :)
To Mat, yes it is a fiction, why did you write it?
As to ‘85% don't want EURO’ eighty five percent of whom or what doesn’t want the EURO? Are you willing to quote your source or are you just back from the pub and talking like a crazy screaming monkey?
I was surfing the net, came upon this website by chance, and this topic caught my eye. After reading these posts (and some others on other topic threads), I have to say that you Brits (some of you, at least) have got to be the most racist and xenophobic people on the face of the earth!
I'm a white, English-speaking American "WASP" who lived briefly in England in the mid-1990s, and I lost count of the number of times I was taunted and harangued for being American, had my accent mocked, etc. This, despite the fact that I come from a white, Caucasian, Anglo-Saxon backround! UNBELIEVABLE!
Are there any races, nationalities, ethnicities that you people DON'T have a problem with, or grudge against? I mean, regarding the Polish, these are fellow white European Christians, and you're acting as though they're invaders from some evil, distant galaxy who have come to Britain to lay waste to it. GET A GRIP!
You folks need to keep in mind that there are millions of Brits living as immigrants in other countries, illegally in a good many instances. How would you like it if the US, or Canada, or Australia, or France, or Spain started blaming the British in their midst for all their problems, if the media in these countries began spewing forth vile and racist filth about the Brit "scroungers" and the burden they pose, if British nationals in these countries were being systematically harrassed, threatened, or attacked in the streets? Would you like that? I THINK NOT!
If you people are unhappy with the way things are in the UK, then do something constructive about it, for Christ's sake! Quit trying to blame people who have nothing to do with your country's problems for everything you think is wrong in Britain. That's exactly what your politicians want you to do - haven't you figured that out by now? And for the love of God, try getting your news from some legitimate media sources for a change! Anyone who actually wastes their money on printed vomit like The Daily Mail deserves to be beaten to within an inch of their pathetic life!
I'm sorry if I've offended any DECENT Brits. I know that most of you are open, tolerant and accepting of differences, but, I have to say, there's a very sizeable minority of you who most definitely are not! And I can, through experience, attest to the fact that this minority makes your country a much less pleasant place than it otherwise could be.
It's called alternative history. "What if..."stuff, and it's actually very interesting. I wrote it as a reply to Heugels post. In my opinion even though Germanys navy didn't stand a chance with RN, the danger of Nazi invasion in to the GB, because of the power of the Luftwaffe, was still very real and serious, and that RAF’s contribution didn’t limit only to pumping up the morals of British public. After reading Huegels post I had an impression that the role of RAF, and what’s more, also the Polish pilots that served in it’s squadrons during the WWII (yeah I know, I’m paranoid :) ) was being diminished, so I just gave my 2 p in the conversation. It’s very late though, so maybe I over reacted a little bit. Just an interesting friendly chat, that’s all. :)
RAF, and what’s more, also the Polish pilots that served in it’s squadrons during the WWII was being diminished
Not in the slightest. Actually, as you may have noticed, the BoB is one of the areas of history that really interests me. (second only to the UBootkrieg and the 1st world war) One of the most impressive "British" squadrons was that of the "glory boys" 303. I'm going from memory here, but what was it, 200 (100+ in BOB) kills. Amazing.
Actually, something i've always wanted to know and perhaps i may finally find out... what did their nickname mean, if anything? "Rafałki"
Actually, something i've always wanted to know and perhaps i may finally find out... what did their nickname mean, if anything? "Rafałki"
It just proves that I'm paranoid after all. :) But, just like Cobain sang "Just because you are paranoid doesn't mean that they aren't after you!". :)
Soz Huegel.
As for Rafałki, it’s just a plural from the diminutive "Rafałek". I will check it and get back to you on this.
If your saying polish pilots won the BOB you need mental attention.
I hope that you didn't get this impression from my post, but if you did I guess I need to explain myself. No, it's not that Poles won BOB and British pilots were drinking tea and doing nothing. British pilots were doing quite well, but the problem was that they was a large shortage of them. Britain could replace destroyed planes but not killed or captured pilots. This whole thing led to a situation where RAF was sending rookies against well experienced German pilotes, which mostly meant certain death for them. That's were the Poles, Czech's, Canadians, etc came into the game. They were the right people at the right time, with poles being one of the best RAF's pilots.
Mr M, my niece is studying WWII in history its one of her subjects which will lead on to a GCSE so its important that she gets good marks, she’s a very intelligent girl, but since none of family (apart from my parents) have extensive knowledge of WWII your help would be invaluable. It wasn't on the curriculum when I was at school (we did the industrial revolution and what shaped Britain, Acts and so forth). If you could write a brief of WWII from the beginning I would be indebted to you as it would be indeed very helpful to my niece for her studies.
Oh my, that's a lot of writing. Currently I am just before my winter session on my studies, so that means a lot of studying for me and I also work, so I don't have to much time to do so, but after it's over, or when I’m going to find some extra free time I will help you. If not write a brief description of WWII than at least provide some interesting links. :)
I was quite serious V, my knowledge of WWII is very limited since I explained I didnt study it at school or college the history I was tought was totally different.
Just wanna say beware to come to Poland!! if you wanna work right now its like "polish jobs for polish people". so plz britains dont come and try to take our jobs........... ITS THE SAME EVERYWHERE!! so the one who started this topic get over it you are a foriginer in youre own LAND!!:)
Polish have takin over Ireland which is a small country of 3.5m,if you have the misfortune of working in the construction industry then you just cannot get work cos these guys are offering to work for less.Its the same in any factory job or minimum wage job.There should be a limit to how many come over.
Frank if the guy is in the construction industry then he probably knows the reality - my friends husband along with 7 of his mates had their contract finished last Friday, on the monday they brought in Polish contractors - the reason was because they will work for less....there's a lot of tension on building sites in the UK, you can retort with "well thats down to the employer" but if there wasnt the labour pool to tap into then it wouldnt be happening...
Quoting: Ireland81 Polish have takin over Ireland which is a small country of 3.5m,if you have the misfortune of working in the construction industry then you just cannot get work cos these guys are offering to work for less.Its the same in any factory job or minimum wage job.There should be a limit to how many come over.
This means that the 70000 Irish people who left Ireland per annum for 70 plus years shouldn't have been welcomed anywhere either?...........ie that have exported one whole equivalent of its current population.....!!
No, its an open labour market...in UK, Ireland Denmark.........they are every bit as entitled to work in any of those countries........as are the locals...who by the way wouldn't work in a fit...still that 1 million hard core locals who never have worked and never will......! They still take the benefits offered......supported by whom.......ah ha.....500000 east europeans who pay taxes etc......laughable huh????!!
And where do you suppose everything thats bought in the UK is made?......
Clue....5 million manufacturing jobs exported to the far east over the last 30 years..........why complain about 500000, east Eurpoeans coming to work here............???????????
So guys...wrong argument....since everyone who lives here wants everything cheaper.......got no cause to complain whatsoever........
There’s no denying that people in the UK have struggled to come to terms with the influx of Polish workers, and it’s my fear that Romanian and Bulgarian workers forced to work illegally will give them [UK citizens] a stick to beat the Polish with.
He's right, I'm not that experienced with employing people I'm only 27 but my work force is primarily Polish and one of my workers did express a concern over his wages, despite the fact that he's getting almost double the minimum wage.
This had me thinking about the Romanians, I've recently had 2 romanians practicly begging me to give them work and they've said they'll work for £3.50 per hour, which is nearlly 3 times less what I pay the Poles.
This had me thinking about the Romanians, I've recently had 2 romanians practicly begging me to give them work and they've said they'll work for £3.50 per hour, which is nearlly 3 times less what I pay the Poles.
so... poles are going to find themselves with competition...?
One more thing, with regards to the euro I 100% completely DISAGREE with it.
The pound is as strong now as it's ever been giving us that all important edge over the euro and US dollar.
If we went euro we'd loose all that. It's also scary to think about how it would effect the european house market considering a lot of the English have investments in Europe.
So it's a vicious circle, soon the Poles will out and the Romanians / Bulgarians in....but that still doesnt explain to me what the English men with famlies and mortgages will do?? I understand it's an open market and Im not against people coming to England to work, my concerns are for my friend at the moment who's husband is out of work and she's just had a child, he's been in the trade for 20 years and is a hard worker not one of these that takes 2 hour tea breaks...he's a grafter....
A, thats no fun, but what can I say........nothing will make it right...but tell that to 500000 people who've had to stop making things...coal miners......car makers......etc......to select just a few......
What would you say to the 5 million Irish who left to work mainly in the UK/USA over the last 70 yrs..........?
so... poles are going to find themselves with competition...?
It's competition but to be fair, even I couldn't pay a fully qualified web developer £3.50 an hour, thats complete and utter slave labour.
I've decided to keep the polish worker because I've had him with me for nearlly 8 months and I trust him. The romanian is now working for a competitor for £3.50 per hour.
The real issue here is the fact that the labour shortage has already been filled by the Poles so the romanians are going to compete directly with the Poles. People wanted the poles to come, but the general consensus is we don't want the romanians here because there is no legal work left for them to do.
In this country, we have a standard of living and the minimum wage insures that no citizen has to live below that standard, the romanians dont care about this and will happily work for less than the minimum wage.
If the romanians take all the jobs who is going to pay for the established but now unemployed Polish immigrants, the tax payers.
That tax payer pays even more because the romanians are paid less and so the employers are also paying less tax for them.
This isn't a personal jibe towards polish people, I just dont feel the UK needs an influx of romanians. The country and jobs are full now.
I understand all that Frank, same as the call centres in India etc., I understand economic migration but the UK is experiencing a mass influx that it cant handle, housing stock, hospitals, doctors, dentists and men losing their jobs for no other reason other than there is a cheaper labour force to employ....I just fear that its all going to blow up.
As for the coal miners, I remeber it all too well and the impact it had on communities and the same for the car manufactures, the steel industry and dockers, all down to economics and importing cheaper products.
There has been job losses but there has been people that have profited from it. I don't know the exact figures but I image those with mortgages will have to sell up and go unemployed.
However A lot of English people I know have done excatly what I've done, started their own businesses, Employed eastern europeans and used the extra income to make investments in Eastern Europe.
We did the same thing 15 years ago in Spain by buying all the houses there, the only problem nowdays is all the houses in spain are too expensive for the spanish people, so we rent them out to them.
I imagine in 10 years a lot more houses in Poland will be English owned and thus too expensive for the average Pole to buy. Unfortunatly for you guys this is going to be the downside of the work you are getting today.
Basically it's up to the Poles to use the money they are earning here and investing it back into your own country, before we (the english) do.
If i get the same service at a cheaper price, I will be happy to have that!
You dont seem to be interested to accept the world the way it is. It is nothing new. This has been happening from the beginning of civilization.
And in modern world, its better to accept migrations and options. If you want to be better, perform better. If you cant, dont hunt the others down. To be first in school, its better to practice more, than throwing all the other students out and being the only one in class :).
All your post seem to have the same sorry tale of England being taken over by Asians. If its such a problem then stad for Prime Miniter with your issues.
Yes...we are all inclined to forget how recent are all the economic changes....few for the better as regards manfacturing things.
In N Ireland........1980s.......20% un-employment..........average......parts 50%....yes...50%!!!!!!!!
Now 2.6%.........and we have 100000 guest workers in N Ireland......how.....explain....?.......some industries have been hit yes........but ok for the moment.......
The economy will cool at some stage....but 90% of these workers are temporary/migrant...will return if jobs dry up....
