American Reacts To Know Your Ally: Britain 

and we finished paying WW2 debt off in 2006

@@googleuser6319 yup , and the US blackmailled us over the war loans from 1945 until then. Meanwhile, Germany was relieved of all reparations in 1950 and Britain *paid* to rebuild their industry And Japan's.

we also didn't finish paying off America for a lend lease agreement until 2006, so you can imagine how much it must of been, we also sent russia thousands of fighter aircraft and tanks, so did Canada, America and other nations, a high Russian general said himself that if it wasn't for America sending their tinned spam that his soldiers would have starved to death and would of had nobody to operate the machinery they were given or the ones they produced themselves

@@TomGodson95 Ialso recall that that brave Merchant Marine who faced those awful terrifying trips through the winter North sea to Russia, recieved no medal from the British, but did from the Russians. They were not included in march past at the Cenotaph either.

And made to brzke up our empire which could have helped make our economy better and come back better, or who know what mignt of happened

Here Here, but also consider that we British are a proud lot and would not ask for relief from a debt. No matter how stubborn and stupid it seems today.

Well said.

I also tend to remember what the US was supplying to Germany, and that from 1941 it was swept under the carpet; and in some cases the supply carried on based from other nations. I wonder how many sunk ships the Kriegsmarine could account for while using SONJ fuel oil.

@@Simon-Davis Incorrect! However Russia continued supplying fuel and oil to Germany for irc around five weeks after operation Barbarossa began, some of this oil/fuel may have been used by the Kriegsmarine, who knows.

@@fruitgums Just the tip of the iceberg. Its well worth looking at the lengths that Walter C. Teagle went to up to his resignation in 1942. He went as far as protecting German patents and stifling US production of synthetic ammonia, acetic acid and methanol, as well as directly preventing the US army from obtaining paraflow, used in lubricants for high altitude aviation. He also refused to supply synthetic rubber to the US. Bear in mind that before the US stepped in during Dec 1941, it wasn't illegal for US companies to trade with Germany, the morality of it was very much questioned at the time though. At one point Teagle was under threat of investigation from the US Department of Justice, and directly petitioned Roosevelt. Even after Teagle, as late as 1944 it is known that SONJ was supplying Spain with oil, and that 48000 tons a month was going from Spain to Germany. There are plenty of other individuals and companies who supplied Germany, but Walter C. Teagle is a good entry point on the subject.

Can't say that now, the food over there is great 👍🏼

Indeed, Mad thing is that for many of the Poor in Britain, War Time Rationing was the Most Healthy Diet they had ever had before especially in the City Slums.

The reputation for tasteless food is totally unfounded and goes back to the British army rations in the Second World War, which were intentionally bland so they lasted longer in the field. The UK food is among the best in the world with a fantastic climate and incredible produce. The English breakfast is second to none, and the English Roast dinner with meat, potatoes, and accompaniments like Yorkshire pudding, vegetables, stuffing, gravy, and various condiments depending on the meat is world leading & beyond compare 🇬🇧.

Fish and chips were never rationed in N Yorkshire so me mum said it's a luxury now but still love it

Britain's stiff upper lip never wavered, we carried on regardless of what was thrown at us.

If any country has nothing in their past which causes an iota of shame, they're lying. People nowadays view history with monochromatic lenses which blot out the nuances of the real world

In 1989 while I was doing my A levels I was working a part time job at a car dealership half a mile from my home in Letchworth (North Herts) when a policeman knocked the door and explained that a demolition crew working in the derelict factory directly opposite on the other side of the road had discovered an unexploded German bomb in the basement. Despite being a shell casing manufacturer during WW2 it was highly unlikely that it was targeted and more likely a stray released from a plane that either got lost or was chased away from London (Leicester Square is about 30 miles due south of Letchworth and the docks and warehouses in Tottenham, Middlesex were a high priority target, barely 20 miles away). I found it amazing that nobody noticed the hole in the roof or the holes through the floor at the time but I suppose it may have buried itself in from the side without striking the building itself, anyway I digress. The officer informed me when the army bomb squad had arrived and they decided that the safest thing to do was force the bomb to detonate, no point risking lives for a building that's been out of use for 20 years and coming down anyway. Now, I know while I sat outside I was only about 100 yards from the explosion but I was flabbergasted by the sheer force it unleashed, it was like being at the epicentre of an earthquake. It gave me an appreciation, not an understanding, of what people went through day after day then night after night. It's truly unfathomable to conceptualise in any way, unfathomable to imagine the sheer grit of the British public in those times. Truly a very special generation, no finer generation of Humans have ever existed on our little speck of dust in our Universe. We as a species may never see the like again, we must remember and honour them for all the time we breath and live.

@@darthwiizius A truly remarkable generation - but not the only one. Northern Ireland - and specifically Belfast - endured bombings and shootins every day for thirty years, and still managed to get to work, shop, live and play. More than 3,000 civilians were killled, thousands more with varying injuries, 300 -plus police officer killed, and nearly 400 soldiers killed. Most British people seem to have forgotten that, and many that I know have never heard of it all. Worst of all, most peole don't give a toss! But they never had to live through it! As a police officer at the time, I've witnessed the carnage and devastation and the bits of bodies almost unrecognisable - something that everyone should see at some time in their lives in order to appreciate what human beings are capable of.

Onya mate ❤ from Oz.

​@@reggriffiths5769It's terrible what the people of Northern Ireland had to endure day in day out for not just months but years! People's nerves must have been absolutely shattered wondering what was going to blow up next. I'll certainly not forget what went on over their.But you might be surprised,because"the Irish Question" was on my school syllabus and was part of my GCSE studies.And luckily for me,my History teacher Mr Hannon was stationed in N.I. when he was in the Army so i was able to learn a lot from his own personal experiences. Don't think it just gets brushed under the rug mate.

Don't forget the Hurricane fighter. There were 6 Hurricanes to 1 Spitfire fighting the Battle of Britain.

My great grandad flew the Spitfire Mk-IX against the Japanese, he was based out the cocos islands in the 136th squadron and fought at imphal I think, of you google the squadron there's a picture of spitfires lined up with their crew standing outside their planes. My great grandad remembered having the photo taken

Also John Chadwick, the English Nobel prize winner and scientist who discovered the neutron, and was pivotal in the development of the atomic bomb. Not once mentioned in the film Oppenheimer.

@@spizzenergi2292 I think a lot of people forget the large contribution non-US allied scientists made to the Manhattan Project. They also are not taught about the Tube Alloys project in the UK with participation from Canada that was developing nuclear weapons during WW2. It was started before the Manhattan Project. Rudolf Peierls and Robert Otto Frisch co-wrote a memorandum about Uranium-235 and its devastating properties. This led to the formation of the MAUD Committee, which called for an all out effort to develop nuclear weapons. Due to the staggering cost and proximity to enemy bombing, ultimately Tube Alloys was subsumed into the Manhattan Project. The shame of it was, despite agreeing share all technology under the Quebec Agreement, the United States did not share the complete details. The soviets got valuable information from its atomic spies who had infiltrated both the UK and the US projects. The US then terminated co-operation completely after the war ended under the Atomic Energy Act 1946. This prompted the UK to relaunch its own efforts, under the hilarious project name High Explosive Research. Little, if anything, is mentioned about Tube Alloys or the immense contribution it made to the Manhattan Project. The British and Canadians are just listed as having provided assistance. Thankfully, we have a new generation in the United States who are looking beyond their shores and learning world history.

Thanks for sharing that

And I hope many more young Americans see this. As they all made great sacrifices at the time. Thank you for this. 👍

It was a terrible time, but one to be proud of too. I hope many can better relate to the situation in Ukraine after seeing this film.

It's a wonder anyone could do a day's work on those rations. In New Zealand the butter ration was 8oz per person per week. My Grand parents had 9 children, that's 5 and 1/2 lbs of butter every week

Obesity was not a thing then, maybe the bank manager and MPs.

Thanks for this information

And don't forget, we were allowed 1 egg per person per week!

​@@suemcgregor9248During certain times of the year, depending on where you lived, there's a lot you can forage in the UK too. More people back then would've had a small vegetable allotment or garden too. But yeah I think mostly people just helped each other out as well. It's why there used to be much more of a sense of community here than there is these days.

Thankyou

My grandparents were still feeding us tripe and other ration type food well into the 1980s. Grandad was in the merchant navy, torpedoed twice, watched his friends head roll off his shoulders, are which point he joined the army so he could shoot back. Now the English are voting for fascists. Betrayal of the highest order

My great grandad fought in burma in the 136th squadron, so sad that msot ppl don't even realise it was a front

@@piercecowley255 the forgotten army . The Chindits . Orde Wingate. It must have been hell .

@bobbytreetop1701 yh, I don't have many stories as he didn't like talking about it, but from what my dad learnt when he was drunk is that he flee Bristol blenheims, but the engines failed once causing the plane to crash, killing everyone on board other than him but the bones in his calf had been completely crushed and he had to get a metal replacement, he was told he would never fly again, thats when he joined the 136th squadron I think, pretty sure he fought at imphal.

Absolutely and Brittany still alone from about the summer of 1940 during the Battle of Britain & I think that continued for three months, but I keep thinking it was six months, and Hitler realized as angry as he was discovering from the Navy & Luftwaffe it was going to be impossible invade England by navy or paratroopers, and make an amphibious assault like the allies did on D-Day, and even Great Britain in the USA going into North Africa. The thing is that the USA was pumping out as much as we could to help Brittany and started the lend lease program with them in March 1941. The thing about this video is absolutely true but it goes on to talk about the British beating the Italians and Germans in Africa and it was not necessarily the British fine by themselves because they got there in Africa and November 1941 and the USA got there in December. It was a good thing because they need it. All they could get in the USA had M3 Tanks that were made by one of the automobile manufacturers and it was an OK tank, but it didn’t have a very long gun & after they were in Africa, three or four months, they sent word back to DC that it essentially sucked and they needed something BETTER!! They needed these auto industry to get really creative and make them something bigger, but not too heavy that they couldn’t ship by the hundreds of thousands light would be needed. Within about two months, they had the M4 Sherman. That tank was not as tough as the Panzer tiger tanks BUT It was a darn good tank, and it was just big enough, and it was not too heavy on purpose because they needed to ship thousands and thousands of them at a time but it was fast and penetrable and it was very capable of getting through tight squeezes. My granddad was over in World War II and he said the best thing that the British tank division under Montgomery did that really helped with the British morale was when the Shermans first got delivered over to Africa. Do USA and British were playing with them for a day or so practicing on them and Montgomery went into battle with the Germans and they win the Germans’ butts all by themselves and no back up from the USA team, divisions, or anything and they just whooped German but all the way across- and then finally, the Americans joined them I think up in Tunisia. That was about the time the Germans surrendered and it was the summer or so 1943. It’s just that this video doesn’t add anything about that, but I have to give credit to the British people because Brittany was so crowded and then when all of the American sailors soldiers came over there with all of our armory and tanks, ships & Everything else needed for everybody because we shared and knew we needed to seriously go in with everything we had, & people in great Britain, or so nice after going through so much hell because they have been through the battle of Britain and then Germany was trying to starve them out when we were trying to send food and some of the German U-boats sunk Several of our ships and if they would’ve been military ships I am so certain that the USA but I declared war on Germany then but they were merchant ships and so much got something to the bottom of the Sea so they had to start sending smaller boats out to accompany them on each side so they can look out for the U-boats and bomb them but it was the only way to get supplies over to Britain. Great Britain did have the benefit of being an island for sure and those wins off the coast of Britain held off the Spanish armada in 1588. They were going to do the same thing to the Germans as well but for some reason, the USA ships sailed right on up and went to port somewhere, trying to stay out of sight of the Germans. People in Britain jokingly said that the island was going to sink because there were so many Americans there with all of the millions of British people already live in there plus all of the tanks and ships & artillery. There’s really not any or much difference between the “YANKS”- even though people in the south, think that being called a Yank is cute but southerner is probably a better word, but Yank he’s really perfectly fitting. My granddad said it was absolutely so miserable over in Africa and it was hot dry and the sand storms were awful and he was thankful when they got over to Sicily because it was humid sometimes but at least they were out of the desert. And the British got tickled at the Americans when they got over to Italy because the Royal Air Force in US Naval planes were bombing Italian cities, but they were not using incendiary but just bombing them.. My grandpa said that the British got tickled at the way the Americans referred to it as “ putting the city in the streets”.😂😂 granddad said the British got tickled at that because the Americans wees just gonna put the city in the streets”. The reason behind that is because there would be so much trouble that the German tanks could not come up from behind them and ambush them or chase them wherever they were going, and the British and Americans could just haul butt and go wherever they need. Sadly, that was when the Italian surrendered and my granddad was talking about them surrendering or changing sides, and I couldn’t understand what, but I think it was a bit of c da the Germans ran all the way to Italy to disarm them.

That's a seriously long comment on a video. I'll like it but I'm not reading it all the way through. ​@montrelouisebohon-harris7023

my nans dad left for the north africa campaign when she was just 2 and by the time he came back she was 6, he also came into contact with mustard gas that the Germans was using, but thankfully survived that as he had his mask with him

my great grandfather was a roof spotter in the blitz. I still have the binoculars he used. sometimes i think about how i'm looking through glass that saw German bombers flying over our cities.

You guys werent Robinson Crusoe how do you think Australia handled it especially with the Japanese on our front doorstop and our most experienced troops away fighting in Africa, The Japanese were bombing towns across northern parts of the country including Darwin, submarines were torpeding cargo ships off the east coast even raiding Sydney Harbour and disguised German Raiders were causing havoc off the west coast. Out of a population of only 8 million 10% of the population served during WW2 which was comparable to Britains 12%. If the US hadnt entered the war when it did Australias position would have been far worse Churchill had already determined that defending Australia was not his priority defeating the Nazis was. Greatest respects to those people of Britain who went through the horrors of the Blitz. Keep in mind that airmen from around the Commonwealth were also there helping to win the Battle of Britain.

I grew up in Hull in the 60's and well remember seeing bombed buildings from the war. It was either Hull or I believe Coventry that were the most bombed cities in the UK at that dreadful time.

@petersutton2182 Though I am a big fan of The Specials, I never wanted to visit Coventry specifically because of its having been so comprehensively levelled in WW2 by German "area bombing" - a strategy they conceived and, later, rued when Royal Air Force Commander Arthur "Bomber" Harris instigated a reciprocal 'get-what-you-give' policy that obliterated large swathes of important German civilian living and industrial bases by night-time carpet bombing. These, though widely questioned from a moral standpoint, achieved the intended aim of degrading the germam munitions output to an unsustainable degree and, in turn, robbed them of the ability and will to pursue such a scorched earth agenda. To return to Hull - once a lond time major fishing port on the East Yorks coast - I got to know a Hull girl in London and visited the once proud and grand seaport town. Compared to other northerly English towns, it had been sensitively patched up after the pounding of the Gsrman bombs. But the damage to an important British Town couldn't be disguised behind the propped up original facades of old Town iconic buildings. Maybe It was just my unfamiliarity with Hull, but the town just seemed hollowed out - on life support while queuing for extinction. The cities of Coventry and Hull form a sound analogue of numerous others still shuddering from those German bombs directed at non-military targets. But people learn - and the Alllies learned fast to reflect inhumanity toward us, back to the aggressors - RAMPED UP to 12 - and with moral rectitude fully intact.

@@petersutton2182 Plymouth was also levelled, most raids missed the dockyards, the entire city center was bombed flat, apart from a few (medieval granit ) buildings. The raids were very inaccurate (obviously), and even landed in the villages outside of Plymouth. Incendiary bombs did a lot of damage, as Dresden found out later in the war.

I remember there were bomb sites all around my Primary School in the 1950s.

Our town was where Germans would drop the bombs on the way back from bombing Liverpool. As recently as 2018 someone found one in their garden next to a Sainsburys

Correct they don't and we all know it.

They don't seem to be fighting todays invaders.

@@elemar5 They are all liberal socialist now what was yours isn't yours anymore.

@@elemar5the lion is now massively illiberal in its liberality. We are not who we were. Hold on to your hats boys.

Hearts of oak!

I wish there are leaders like him today

@@michellejones1618 Zelenskyy.

Shame most of the world has forgotten and want the British people to apologise for most of the woe's of the world, Real and Imagined.

@@ianmorris6437 this isn't the place for your weird nationalism that ignores genocide, colonialism, and theft. this is the place for learning history, not ignoring it.

@@CrowMaiden I am very aware of British and world history, Every modern country has their Dark history they would prefer didn't happen, But it did. Why would any child be held responsible for the crimes of their Father's or their country, History is meant to teach people not to make the same mistakes, Cherry picking history teaches nothing but hate, division and resentment. I prefer the whole truth good, bad and ugly be out there, we cannot not change it, but we can learn from it. If that's weird Nationalism, I'll accept the label.

And the charitable and kind Yanks wudda cudda shudda done the right thing - but didn't & never do. Their government got STINKING rich and they'd do EXACTLY THE SAME THING AGAIN. Yanks talk the talk but never walk the walk. Look up how they reneged on sharing all their atomic info after the war when IT WAS THE BRITISH that gave (GAVE !!) the Yanks their two-year lead on creating the atomic bomb together with ownership of huge amounts of Uranium from their GREAT neighbours, CANADA. I'm 82+ and will never regard the Yanks as genuine or reliable or close UK friends.

The final payment was made in December 2006, I believe

2006 last payment was made, lend-lease is complicated

I think you'll find that the money wasn't spent on arms, it was used to rebuild because the war had bankrupted the UK. And it was paid off in 2006

And now we fight with fascists against our previously Russian ally. The world is on its head!

Well said Neddy.

I thought that one was hilarious

I’ve had Americans say it to me so, so many times with a smug grin on their faces….

If it was not for the British and Commonwealth fighting the axis before the Americans and also the Russians a couple of years later, most of Europe would be speaking German. Here is a tip for Americans. Next time a major war breaks out. Get stuck in from the start.

Did fuck all until pearl harbour 🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧

@@alanmccoll9631 The yanks see Europe as a buffer zone between them and the Russians. Because of the crap education system in the US. the Americans born after WW2 don't know that America also had many Nazi sympathisers at the beginning of the war in Europe.

What the yanks forget is, that without Britain, there would never have been an America.

they'll never get it Marvin.. there are still American tourists ( the unusual Americans who have passports ) and expecting Brits to be thankful to them for winning the war.

@@jasminejones7389 Sadly, you may be correct. Naturally, one entertains high hopes for the educational power of the Internet - but a generation is growing up in the States, many of whose members have never even _heard_ of WW2 (I kid you not). I can only hope that the growing interest in History, stimulated by the 'Net, will somehow manage to outpace the growth of Historical Ignorance, spawned by the distractions of the telly, video games, and the social media. Books - who needs 'em, eh?

@@marvinc9994 madness when youtube is filled with dissertation level history of all brands for free....

This public information film was made for the American market and makes 2 very telling points. The first is when Lend Lease is mentioned, think of it as "Buy Now, Pay Later", because America expected us to pay for all the war materials they supplied. I remember reading that Britain was the only country to fully pay America back, Russia and others all failed to do so, and in some cases refused to do so. The second point is made by the narrator, after America joined the war and sent men to Britain, they were initially supplied with 4 million tons of goods for free by the British, and our orders for tanks, planes, ships helped kick start American industrial production, leading to the boom years of the 1950's that established Americas wealth.

​@@GSD-hd1yhThank you😢🎉❤

Everyone in Germany learns in school about Coventry.

It’s always us that have to apologise for all kinds of things.. Blacks want us to apologise for slavery…. FFS we were the first to abolish it and we still get shit. I too am fed up with it. 🇬🇧

oh, excellent. x

My grandad died about ten years ago, at his funeral was the last living veteran from his unit. It was really great to be able to talk to him.

What's his name

@@declanshanahan3888 If you know the family then this would be doxing myself, sorry.

Yes, anyone who thinks Britain is racist needs to Google "Bamber Bridge", the only altercation fought on British soil during WWll

My mother's job too.

I agree whole heartedly. This video should be standardised in all our schools curriculum. This new generation have grown up in a world of relative peace luxury and don’t understand what sacrifice is and what our families had to do to ensure victory. They need to learn this so it never happens again because once we forget history we are doomed to repeat it and they also need to honour the sacrifice of life so that they could live free today - that part really angers me about this post 2000 generation the entitlement and lack of respect for our fallen boys and destroyed family’s.

Too f&&king true. Leave us alone AOK. Rattle our cage ….. Not advisable. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 & NI 🇬🇧

tell that to the british ????labour party

​@josephberrie9550 don't feckin remind us!

​@@josephberrie9550 Never be fooled into thinking our current government even remotely cares about British values.

Problem is... We are now fighting within... The Trojan Horse of Islam...

“..and paid for.” WW11 British debts not settled until 2006 according to the Treasury

@@HannahD353 Does that really matter? It was paid and this is 2024.

@@claudiaclark6162😶

@@claudiaclark6162 Yes it does, that national debt caused the cancellaton of many techology leading projects that might have competed against American products,

@@keithwarrington2430 Depends upon which Treasury the U S or the British and I responded to Hannah It was paid

Yes, I saw a documentary about Bevans Boy's, the boy in the doco was upper class and he was sent to work in the mines. He was proud to be doing his bit for the war effort.

UK was alone from may 1940 to April 1942 when USA joined UK Europe was already beaten into submission !!

@@geoffbeattie3160 He means the nations of *our* Empire :) It gets rather overstated but certain things were of great importance - particularly ports. My grandfather was 8th Army and he fought alongside some Indian units at Monte Casino and he had only good things to say about them - of course that was much later in the war when America had finally decided to join in :D.

The first country to declare war on Germany after the UK was Jamaica. They didn't even have an army and demanded that the British form a Jamaican military so they could enter the war alongside us. Details like this get lost in the big picture, just as despite the Irish government being allied to Germany in WW2 the massed menfolk of the Republic of Ireland crossed the Irish Sea and enlisted in the British military in defiance of their own government's orders.

@@geoffbeattie3160Wrong. Britain was not alone, our Commonwealth Cousins all joined us in declaring war on Germany. And before the Yanks joined the war we had won the Battle of Britain and had stopped the Germans in North Africa at El-Alemain. The Russians had just started to fight back too when America entered the war. We are grateful for the American help in winning the war. But in all honesty America came out well from the war whilst it crippled Britain and Russia for years to come.

@@darthwiizius Good points to note, darth :nods:

@@lynnejamieson2063 I was born 1949 still I remember sweets and sugar were still rationed as kids we would playI bombed houses in Manchester.

@@jacklomas7773 my Mum was born in ‘46 and remembered playing on the bomb sites and rubble next to her primary school at playtime.

to true

I totally agree with you 😢

The self sacrifice was huge, even at the top including the King, it was known that the War would cost the British their Empire but still they fought on

They certainly are The Greatest Generation, I am glad a lot of them are not seeing what Britain is becoming in 2024.

Royal Navy.

@@BG15138 no, not at all. Respect the blood and sweat they’ve spilled. It’s the Royal Navy.

@@BG15138 it’s not. It’s the Royal Navy and nothing else. Enough now, away with you.

@@BG15138 ok mate, serve?

@@BG15138 so you should understand… you’re better than this. Fucking British Navy.

We're poor because the Americans demanded £3.5 Billion pounds + interest bringing the total to £7.5 billion for lend lease, which we paid over 60 yrs.

@@sammic7492 Yep, and we gained nothing for our selves from the war whatsoever. I used to think it was a glorious movement for our ancestors to have sacrificed for, the older I get the more I realise it was just self destructive and pathed the way into a rough future where we are weakened and even belittled for being a native. Branches cut off of family trees for the sake of a continent that frequently has nothing but bad things to say about us.

@@lfcmike12 and if we had given up? How would that have been?

​@@jasminejones7389For us? Well did Switzerland survive the war because they didn't get involved? Yep. And they didn't have to lose millions of their citizens to get to the end of the war. Whether we got involved or not, Germany couldn't have won the war against the soviets, so we didn't need to join.

I don't know where you got that figure from, but it's ludicrously high.

Ration books for nearly everything ,including clothing . I was born in 1938 and spent all the war years in London ,fortunately not in a badly bombed part . But we all lived under the rules of the time ,rationing ,fuel hard to get ,blackouts where not a single light was allowed to be seen through the curtains, going into the streets after a bombing raid and seeing not only destroyed buildings where your friends lived, but weary men dealing with fires and sifting through the rubble for survivors . Americans ,think 9/11 and imagine that going on for years.

My grandma was born in 1938 and she told me once that she didn't even SEE a banana until 1951. People forget that the rationing didn't totally end until 1954 and in some cases, even got _worse_ for a short time after the war was over, with even bread going from being freely available to being rationed for a short time in 1946.

Pretty sure that's why you'd get tangerines at christmas even up til when I was a teenager in the early 2000s, we know what it is not to have things like that and not take stuff for granted...or used to at least

@@cptsteele91 Even now, when bananas are really cheap ,I still look on them as something rare and marvellous ! Since the end of the war and once they became available I have one every day.

and? He also was an officer in the army, served in various wars, escaped pow camps, oh and raised a nation to stand firm and remember our roots.. There is a reason why we have a reputation for politeness... Think about it...

Churchill could give a speech and make the same point in a few words that it took Hitler 2 hours of ranting and raving to get across. Churchill was the man of the hour

And !

Yeah and 97% america was once British

Some Americans joined the Canadians and Some Canadians joined the Americans. The fact is it was a joint effort by all the Brits and the British Colonies and we all kicked their asses. We all had a right to brag. Don't forget the Russians were there too. I'm sorry we were late but it takes a while to go from farmers and factory workers to soldiers.

​​@@claudiaclark6162...the Russians paid the biggest price...20 million dead...

@@claudiaclark6162 I think the issue is that its always claimed by the US that "we saved you or you would be speaking German now" ,, which wasn't the case. The Battle of Britain air war was the deciding factor , after we defeated the Luftwaffe AH Cancelled Operation Sealion which was going to be the invasion of the UK. 11 US military personnel were involved in that. The Battle of Britain went from between 10 July - 31 October 1940, the US didn't even enter the war till December 1941!. Overall it was a group effort to end World War 2 ,, no one contests that ( well except the US ) , which we acknowledge but why cant the US acknowledge that they weren't our "saviours", that was the Polish , Czech , Indian , French , Belgium , Canadian , New Zealand and Australian ( Other nationality's too ) pilots who flew to defend the UK in the Battle of Britain. www.rafmuseum.org.uk/research/online-exhibitions/history-of-the-battle-of-britain/battle-of-the-nations/#:~:text=With%2017%20confirmed%20victories%2C%20Sergeant,in%20the%20Battle%20of%20Britain. We needed the resources that the US sent , no ones contests that either but we did pay back EVERY SINGLE PENNY ( Dime ) which we finished paying off in 2006.

Unfortunately, the bloody Yanks have a point. When they finally got to us, Britain was on the bones of it arse! All our materiel had to be abandoned at Dunkirk and the convoy raids were in full swing, IIRC.

I couldn't agree more so many simply don't know that America only joined the war in Europe when Hitler declared war on the US on the 11th December 1941. America reciprocated the declaration some hours later but the fact is the US had no choice but to fight Hitler & the Nazis. By no stretch of the imagination is that coming to the rescue & winning the war for the British.

Being a Pilot in WWl was literally suicide. Your Great Uncle was a very brave man

I watched that twice and I still can't believe those men pulled it off. How HMS Campbelltown didn't sink under the sheer weight of their brass balls alone is staggering.

Great documentary by Clarkson. I watched that a long time ago. British courage at its best! He also did another documentary about the Victoria Cross. He was inspired to because of his wife's father who was a recipient of one.

I’ve watched it time and time again, incredibly humbling story of the great British resolve and determination

I saw this revelation too. Mad. One thought I had was that we were stockpiling for UKR. But the leccy etc tells a different story. What is the uk pop actually?

@@burtlangoustine1 I've heard a lot of different numbers but it's quite a big difference. I've heard estimates from 80-90 million but I haven't seen anything more than rough estimates based on extrapolation of the original case.

@@burtlangoustine1 Officially? A bit over 68 million. But I too have heard the stories about the demands being placed on supermarket supply chains, which would indicate around 10% more i.e. 74-75 million. Which is ridiculous for an island the size of Britain. But we do know that the net migration figures over the period January 2022 to December 2023 was 1.449 million. (Source: UK Office of National Statistics (ONS).

Docile like an old English Sheepdog... ... Just let us sleep 😂

​@@Rachel_M_Nice one! I like that 😂

During the Italian Campaign (1943) my father's regiment (Scottish) fought at the Battle of Montecassino where the Germans took over the hilltop monastery and could pick off our men over a very long period. Our men slept in water if necessary during this awful time and saw their comrades die daily. One morning my father recalled that the sky looked 'made of metal' - it was the American Air Force who had come to put an end to the battle! Dad said that he and his pals felt sorry for the Germans! How great was the contribution of the Americans and Canadians and other allies in that horrible war.

The Queen was in my mother's regiment in the ATS. What a great person!

So proud of all our wonderful, brave ancestors, truly The Greatest Generation

Feels odd that an Aussie would be so friendly with Churchill considering that he was one of the people responsible for the shitshow that was Gallipoli.

Yes until current The Labour government let still more thousands of migrants into our country. I am not racist but I believe in controlled immigration not opening our borders to just anyone. A lot of the migrants are young men , few women and children. I am afraid Labour are traitors to all our brave men, women and children who fought so valiantly for freedom. We are heading towards becoming an Islamic country in years to come

Yeah and it isn't due to the natives increasing it either.

@@oliver2629 what the Celts….yeah your right those bloody vikings and Romans stealing our jobs….my family came from Denmark in the 800’s…. Then got jiggy with some Welsh…..I best get back to where I belong…just got to learn Dutch….😏😳

What was he then? A Lancaster/Wellington/Halifax/Stirling or Mosquito.

@@clinging54321 You do realise that you are the one who looks an utter w⚓for that smart-arse remark, don't you?

One of the greatest war movies

it was made during the second world war

@@josephberrie9550 Just after I think. The R.N. didnt have warships to use as movie sets during the war. Filmed in 1952 I believe. And mostly on location. At the end of the film the destroyer even visits the Uboat pens in their fortified harbours in France. They had been immune from bombing there although the R.A.F. had tried every possible way. War damage is in every frame (almost) on land both there and in the UK.

That kind of war would be a rude shock for Gen Z but l have no doubt that if faced with "fight or flight" genetics would step up

I thought he was in the parachute regiment haha

Some neighbours of ours who had been young during the war broke of relations as a couple after the husband sold a carton of eggs for £1 on a train! The wife was so furious with him she refused to speak to him thereafter!

To the average American, the typical British working class house, especially terraced housing, is absolutely a tiny sardine can. The idea of a 2-up-2-down typical home is just unthinkable outside of ghettoes. While we in the UK understand the history of a tiny, quaint cottage, that doesn't change the fact that in size, it is a shack, a hovel, designed to the building standards of a far earlier technology - or otherwise a building not up to modern standards and outdated by 3 centuries. In the cities you get more of the terraced houses, and in the villages you get more of the tiny, centuries outdated (but pretty) cottages. More than 10% of the population of the entire UK (yes, including Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland) live in London. When you expand that to the top 10 major cities of the UK, you have accounted for around 25% of the entire population, just in those ten cities. So, think for yourself how much of the population are accounted for in the 100 largest towns and cities. Fact is that the VAST MAJORITY of the UK population live in a place with a rush hour. Might want to mull that over when talking about things people hadn't known or worked out.

@Birko64 He's been here, so should know we have plenty of space. Scotland right down to the South of England. I think it was by train.

There are 68million people living here... it IS a sardine can.