Comments by "doveton sturdee" (@dovetonsturdee7033) on "Imperial War Museums" channel.

  1.  @yingyang1008  I don't recall ever giving my personal opinion about Dresden, only explaining why it occurred, and trying to get you to grasp the nature of modern industrial war. Pious outrage from a a comfy chair eighty years after the event might give you a warm glow of smug self satisfaction, but it does not alter the reality of what war is. As a former WW2 naval officer said to me when interviewed about the war during my time at University, ' We often had to do things which seemed repugnant to us, or the people who did not find doing such things repugnant at all might have won.' Or, as Bomber Harris wrote, 'Every city in Germany is not worth the bones of one British grenadier.' Enjoy sitting on your nice judgement cloud, and leave the study of these matters to those who understand them.
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  2.  @yingyang1008  You appear to have moved on from Churchill, and simply begun a generalised anti-British rant. Look at the events of the immediate post war period, and learn how quickly the British dismantled their empire. leaving behind the concept of democracy and law in parts of the world which had previously kinown nothing but tribal rule by chieftains and by aristocratic elites. You might also notice how some of these former colonies quickly degenerated.
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  3.  @TinaHollner  Except that it was the High Seas Fleet which fled the battlefield, and the Grand Fleet which controlled it the following day. Furthermore, they continued to control if thereafter. Perhaps you think that corpse counting is how to determine the result of a battle. It isn't, or Stalingrad would have been a German victory. I haven't made up any definition. I have simply stated a few facts, however much they might annoy you.
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  4. No, he really didn't. Perhaps you have confused him with George Patton?
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  5.  @sceaserjulius9476  Your fellows are not the only ones who fall for populist propaganda. It is widespread throughout the world!
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  6.  @Muralidharan001  Don't be a fool. Who do you think it was diverted the Australian grain convoys to India once the extent of the situation became known in London? Do you really believe that, with 2.5 million Indians in the Allied armed services, Churchill would seek to create a situation which might lead to a mutiny? Just try thinking occasionally, instead of simply accepting revisionism at face value.
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  7.  @paidninja1413  Good heavens. Someone born in 1874 didn't have the trendy sensibilities of 2022! Who would have thought it! How about someone born in 1869, who thought that Africans were inferior humans? A chap call Mohindas Gandhi. You don't actually know much about the causes of the Bengal famine do you? Too confused by revisionist propaganda, I expect.
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  8.  @Darkcamera45  If you cannot accept proven facts then you simply demonstrate your idiocy. Australian grain convoys to India are documented. At the same time, the London government put food distribution under the control of the Anglo-Indian army.
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  9.  @iaf010  Oh dear, such vague and generalised rantings. You are actually surprised that someone born in 1874 did not embrace the, possibly transient, fashionable opinions of today. I suppose it could be attributed to your education? Would you care to express your opinion about the views of someone born at around the same time, 1869, who regarded Africans as inferior humans unfit to be granted the right to vote? Chap called Mohandas Gandhi. Ever heard of him?
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  10.  @doctorpanigrahi9975  How exactly did a nation of 10.1 million in 1800 manage to 'loot' and plunder a nation with a population twenty times greater? The East India Company came for trade, and the rulers of the various princely states were eager to benefit from it. When the governance of India passed from the Company to the British Government, 200 million Indians were administed by 20,000 British civilian civil servants, with the enthusiastic co-operation of the wealthy Indian aristocrats exploiting their own people. Wikipedia? If that is your source, no wonder you are so profoundly lacking in actual knowledge. Have you never heard of books?
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  11. How, exactly?
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  12.  @DavidOfWhitehills  Thanks! I have seen TOG at Bovington, and a remarkably bizarre beast it is.
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  13. The Halt Order was not issued by Hitler, but by von Rundstedt in order to service and repair his armour, so that he could commence the second stage of his campaign, before there was any risk of a second 'Miracle of the Marne.' Halifax was not negotiating with anyone, although he wished to ask Mussolini to act as an 'independent' broker. After the success of Dunkirk, the Holy Fox was an irrelevance.
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  14.  @richardcrow5827  You need to read the War Diary of Army Group A. The Germans had no issues with fuel or ammunition, which is why I didn't say that they did. What concerned von Rundstedt was the fact that his armour had covered a significant mileage. He, like many other senior commanders, was eager to begin the second phase. Hitler was at Army Group A's HQ at the time, but agreed with the judgement, firstly because he knew that the Dunkirk area was poor ground for armour, secondly because German infantry was arriving in support, thirdly because he saw an army backed against the sea as trapped, whereas the British saw the sea as an open escape door. Fourthly, but most importantly, Goering had told him, on 23 May, that the elimination of the trapped armies was 'a special job for the Luftwaffe.' 'Ths is not in any history books and has remained secret always.' Oh please! Halifax had been a consistent opponent of Churchill, and had sought to use Mussolini as an intermediary in any peace deal. After Dunkirk, Halifax was more or less an irrelevance, especially after the resignation of Chamberlain due to ill health, when he was the last remaining appeaser in the cabinet, until Churchill managed to dispose of him by making him British ambassador to the United States.
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  15. Actually, the British were outproducing the Germans in aircraft, and especially in fighters, from mid 1940 onwards. Moreover, the main problem for the Germans was not the RAF, but the Royal Navy.
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  16. What had Churchill to do with this? He was out of government after November, 1915. Even prior to that, he was First Lord, and not involved in such decisions.
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  17.  @Boppy-B-B  Perhaps you could explain what motivated Canada, Australia, New Zealand (and South Africa by the way) to join the vile tyrannical British in a war against Hitler? The convoys crossed the Atlantic as successfully as they did because of the Royal Navy's Escort Groups. Canada did indeed play an increasing role, but not until 1942. The Japanese did not seek to invade India, but to carry out a major incursion which would disrupt allied supply lines to China. Doubtless you won't have heard of Operation U-GO, the 85,000 Japanese troops committed to it, or the 60,000 or so Japanese troops killed, wounded, or missing from the disaster that unfolded.
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  18.  @heritage_isimportant7297  There have been numerous books written about the political situation in Britain between the collapse of the Western Front and the completion of Operation Aerial on 25 June. Perhaps you simply haven't come across them?
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  19. Churchill didn't claim Dunkirk as a victory, unless you believe that saying 'wars are not won by evacuations' is such a claim. Hitler didn't make the decision to halt the armour on the Aa canal, by the way. Von Rundstedt did.
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  20.  @wuchti-1  In point of fact, the withdrawal to Dunkirk was agreed at a meeting between Gort & Blanchard on the morning of Sunday, 26 May. The two agreed that Weygand's planned attack was not feasible, and decided that the allies would withdraw behind the line of the Lys. On the evening of the same day, Lt-General Adam was ordered to organise the Dunkirk bridgehead.
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  21. Which Stalin delayed until the results of the landings were clear.
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  22. And if my ancestors had been born elsewhere, I might have been Holy Roman Emperor.
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  23.  @ROTHSTEIN01  It was only introduced in 2005.
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  24. Nonsense. The 'innocent German civilians' were active participants in the production of weapons and foodstuffs which made it possible for Germany to continue the war. How many times must it be said that there are no such things as civilians in an industrial war? It is, however, extremely easy to pass smug moral judgements 80 years after the events, isn't it?
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  25.  @kurutze  When did I say I agreed with it? I am simply pointing out the unfortunate reality of industrial war.
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  26. Alternatively, many might simply be better educated than you are?
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  27. Perhaps you are unaware that Britain had a coalition government?
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  28.  @glatzefratz8492  Did the British have strong allies in 1940?
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  29.  @glatzefratz8492  In 1940, Poland, France, and Belgium were occupied, USSR was merrily supplying Germany as part of their agreement, and the USA was neutral. Do try to grow up.
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  30. But how much in the way of manpower and resources did the Italian campaign divert from the Eastern Front or, later, Normandy?
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  31. The government and MoD had to be shamed into issuing the Arctic Star after the Russians had given medals to Arctic Convoy veterans, I believe.
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  32. Most British people didn't eat cigars. Nor were they starving.
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  33. St. Valery happened a week after the evacuation had ended. 51 Highland Div., had been on detached duty in the Maginot Line, and were part of IX Corps of French X Army. They were never part of the Dunkirk rearguard.
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  34.  @ericbeaton7211  British units defending the perimeter included, among others, elements of the following regiments: the Loyals, Leicesters, Sherwood Foresters, Warwickshires, East Lancashires, Borders, Coldstream Guards, Duke of Wellington's, Green Howards, Durham Light Infantry, King's Own Scottish Borderers, Royal Ulster Rifles, Grenadier Guards, Berkshires, Suffolks, Bedfordshire and Herts, Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry, East Surreys, Royal Fusiliers, South Lancashires and the Black Watch. These were withdrawn to Dunkirk on 2/3 June to an inner perimeter, and evacuated. For the last day, the perimeter was held by French troops. Your reference to St. Valery can only refer to 51HD. 7 & 8 Battalions of The Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders were part of 51HD's 154 Brigade, which formed part of Arkforce. Arkforce was detached from the division on 9/10 June in order to form a defensive position 19 miles east of Le Havre, to make possible the withdrawal of the rest of 51HD and French IX Corps. Heavily congested roads resulted in the late arrival of Arkforce, and enabled Rommel's 7 Panzer to get between it and the rest of IX Corps. As a result, and as it was not possible to reunite 154 Brigade with 51HD. it was ordered to withdraw to Le Havre., from where it was evacuated. There is a detailed account of these events in 'The Last Act' by Basil Karslake.
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  35. Why would there be? He proposed the operation, but didn't give the final authorisation, and certainly had no involvement in the planning shortcomings.
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  36.  @blueskies1237  Really? How is it wrong? Firstly, the authority for Gallipoli came from Herbert Asquith. Secondly, the operation was planned by the allied naval and army commanders allocated to it, not by Churchil, or any other politician. Perhaps your education, or, at least, your knowledge, is somewhat lacking?
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  37.  @blueskies1237  Of course Churchill was dismissed because of Gallipoli. He was made the scapegoat for the failure by Herbert Asquith. That does not alter the fact that he had no involvement in the planning. When David Lloyd George replaced Asquith in December, 1916, he brought Churchill back into government almost immediately. Perhaps you might buy a book on British politics in WW1?
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  38.  @ErichZornerzfun  No, there weren't. On 18 August, 1916, a force of 2 battlecruisers (all that were operational after the damage the others had received) and 17 battleships sailed. At 2119 the British intercepted a signal that the fleet had sailed at 2100, and at 2256 the Grand Fleet sortied. At 0500 on 19 August, the British submarine E23 torpedoed SMS Westfalen, which returned to port. At 1233 the Admiralty informed Jellicoe that the HSF was about 60 miles away, and Jellicoe prepared for action. However, Scheer had received warnings from both U boats and Zeppelins of the approach of Jellicoe's fleet, which he believed to be around 110 miles north west of his position. Upon receiving an updated report from U53 that the Grand Fleet was 65 miles away, and heading towards the HSF, Scheer abandoned his sortice and returned to the Jade. What did the Germans achieve by this mission, as you claim? The sinking of two light cruisers? Is that it? On 18 October, 1916, the HSF sailed, but within a few hours the cruiser Munchen was torpedoed by HMS E38, and Scheer returned to the safety of the Jade. The Grand Fleet was brought to short notice, but didn't sail as the German sortie ended almost before it had begun. What did this German mission achieve? If there were more sorties than these two damp squibs, tell me when. In general terms, what did the HSF achieve post-Jutland? Did it challenge the Northern Blockade, which was starving Germany into collapse? I refer you to the Turnip Winter. No, it didn't. Did it challenge the constant movement of men and equipment between Britain & France? No, it didn't. Did it try to send a fast raiding force into the Atlantic, using battlecruisers and light cruisers, perhaps? No, it didn't. Did it even seek to bring Trywhitt's Harwich Force of light cruisers and destroyers to battle? No. it didn't. What it did do was to swing peacefully on anchor chains and cables in the Jade, whilst crewmen heard of the suffering of their families. No wonder they mutinied, was it? No wonder, also, that Hindenburg & Ludendorff fell for Scheer's and von Holtzendorff's assurances that unrestricted submarine warfare could bring Britain to her knees, forcing Kaiser Bill to accept that his cherished surface fleet was a broken reed, and there was no alternative. Of course, the minor by-product of this desperate decision was to bring the United States into the war on the allied side. Was that the mission that the post Jutland German fleet actually accomplished?
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  39.  @coronaviruskillerforthegoo3353  Rotten Boroughs hadn't existed since the 1832 Reform Act, in point of fact.
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  40.  @coronaviruskillerforthegoo3353  These being?
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  41. Don't be a fool. Churchill suggested the operation as a use of sea power to minimise the carnage of the Western Front. He suggested it, but he had no involvement in any of the planning. Herbert Asquith, by the way, authorised it, and was able to make Churchill the scapegoat for the failure of Allied military leadership.
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  42.  @Bullet-Tooth-Tony- You might be being a little unfair about Ritchie, who was more a capable Corps Commander promoted beyond his capabilities than a bad leader, as his later performance in command of XII Corps in NW Europe suggests. Ritchie was originally intended by Auchinleck as a temporary appointment until a suitable commander could be found, but, after Churchill had announced him in Parliament as the new 8th army commander in Parliament, without any reference to the Auk, or to the temporary nature of the appointment, in fact ended up commanding the Eighth Army for nearly seven months.
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  43. Really? Exactly how much input do you think Churchill had in thev planning of Gallipoli? Actually, NONE. He proposed the operation as a means of using sea power to avoid the impending carnage on the Western Front, but Asquith authorised the operation, and military men planned it.
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  44. Always nice to read a post from an academic.
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  45. Admiral Pound died from a Brain Tumour. This was probably what warped his judgements where PQ17 was concerned. There were 78 Russian convoys, involving around 1,400 freighters, of which 85, or 6%, were lost.
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  46. Isn't that what happens when a small navy tries to argue with the biggest navy on the planet?
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  47. The IWM staff have, sadly, an 'agenda' and facts which do not meet this are discarded.
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  48. Rommel was not removed. He was wounded by an aircraft attack.
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  49. Actually, discussions about Indian independence began well before WW2, and, almost uniquely, the British Empire was voluntarily dismantled.
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  50.  @Boppy-B-B  Is your attention span so short that the 'and its Commonwealth' passed you by? Indeed the Labour government began accelerating the end of Empire. It also helped with the dismantling of Poland by forcibly deporting Polish troops to Soviet Russia, in order for genial Uncle Joe to execute them.
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