# Ticked off with people bashing the USA's WW2 contributions **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [August 17, 2014, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ticked-off-with-people-bashing-the-usas-ww2-contributions/695777 "2014-08-17T21:07:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2014, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ticked-off-with-people-bashing-the-usas-ww2-contributions/695777/41 "2014-08-18T16:12:24Z")
That’s actually an [Orwell](http://alexpeak.com/twr/hiwbtw/) quotation. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2014, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ticked-off-with-people-bashing-the-usas-ww2-contributions/695777/42 "2014-08-18T17:03:46Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > … seriously? Which part are you questioning my seriousness on? The OP is referring to the US, I assume he is a citizen, and OurLordPeace is an asshole. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2014, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ticked-off-with-people-bashing-the-usas-ww2-contributions/695777/43 "2014-08-18T17:38:03Z")
> [@Captain\_Amazing](#): > > Which part are you questioning my seriousness on? The OP is referring to the US, I assume he is a citizen, and OurLordPeace is an asshole. All of it, really. I’m particularly surprised that you took offense at the “us” part; I mean, I’m not taking responsibility for slavery so I’m not taking credit for winning WWII. Any sort of jingoism seems out of character for you, though. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2014, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ticked-off-with-people-bashing-the-usas-ww2-contributions/695777/44 "2014-08-18T17:45:07Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > I guess it’s an interesting change from Hollywood writing the other Allies out of WWII and replacing them with Americans. Well, there was _The Great Escape_ [cast](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0057115/fullcredits?ref_=tt_ov_st_sm), which featured POWs from both Britain and the US. Also _Bridge On the River Kwai_, which was almost all Brits, other than William Holden. Fictional accounts, of course. _Gallipoli_ starred Aussies. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2014, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ticked-off-with-people-bashing-the-usas-ww2-contributions/695777/45 "2014-08-18T17:50:01Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > Well, there was _The Great Escape_ [cast](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0057115/fullcredits?ref_=tt_ov_st_sm), which featured POWs from both Britain and the US. Also _Bridge On the River Kwai_, which was almost all Brits, other than William Holden. Fictional accounts, of course. _Gallipoli_ starred Aussies. The latter was a British film, so not really Hollywood. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2014, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ticked-off-with-people-bashing-the-usas-ww2-contributions/695777/46 "2014-08-18T17:51:07Z")
> [@WillFarnaby](#): > > “Sanctimonious” is a choice word uttered by someone who holds undue reverence for an abstract concept… You mean like property rights? ---
**Author:** ![Kimballkid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b5a626/32.png) [@Kimballkid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimballkid)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2014, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ticked-off-with-people-bashing-the-usas-ww2-contributions/695777/47 "2014-08-18T18:39:02Z")
> [@ILikeForeignLanguages](#): > > 1. “We” is the United States, my country. I am speaking for the entire patriotic population, then and now. I think ‘we’ needs to elect a better spokesperson. You certainly don’t speak for this ‘we’. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2014, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ticked-off-with-people-bashing-the-usas-ww2-contributions/695777/48 "2014-08-18T18:50:22Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > Well, there was _The Great Escape_ [cast](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0057115/fullcredits?ref_=tt_ov_st_sm), which featured POWs from both Britain and the US. Also _Bridge On the River Kwai_, which was almost all Brits, other than William Holden. Fictional accounts, of course. _Gallipoli_ starred Aussies. I didn’t know until I saw the movie that [The Thousand Plane Raid](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Thousand_Plane_Raid)was actually an American operation. Or that the Americans also captured an Enigma machine from a U-Boat, until [U-571](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U-571_(film)) straightened me out. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2014, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ticked-off-with-people-bashing-the-usas-ww2-contributions/695777/49 "2014-08-18T19:03:28Z")
> [@Bozuit](#): > > And let’s not forget that the USSR didn’t join the war against Germany until six months before the US did, after Germany broke the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact - which allowed the dividing up of Eastern Europe between the Germans and the Soviets - and invaded. And things would have gone better if Stalin had trusted his generals before the invasion more than Hitler. As for Hollywood’s multinational take on the war, two words - “Hogan’s Heroes.” ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2014, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ticked-off-with-people-bashing-the-usas-ww2-contributions/695777/50 "2014-08-18T20:51:57Z")
> [@OurLordPeace](#): > > It’s this kind of attitude that leads to things like the Second World War: > > “I didn’t vote Nazi in 1933, but I have to serve my country…” > > … or perhaps the First World War is an even better example. You get the picture. Thank you, Mr. Godwin. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2014, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ticked-off-with-people-bashing-the-usas-ww2-contributions/695777/51 "2014-08-18T21:17:11Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Who is saying this? I have seen many posts and blogs that basically saw the USSR won the war, since it had the highest casualties. Also, _of course_, since it entered the war vs Japan, that made japan surrender, not the A-bomb. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2014, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ticked-off-with-people-bashing-the-usas-ww2-contributions/695777/52 "2014-08-18T21:21:57Z")
> [@tagos](#): > > I remember a US TV show called The Rat Patrol when I was a kid. In a nod to the fact the Desert Rats were a commonwealth thing there was one Englishman in the crew. > > I just hope when Hollywood eventually gets round to doing The Battle of Britain there’ll be the odd Brit featured somewhere. > **[Battle of Britain (1969) ⭐ 6.9 | Action, Drama, History](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0064072/)** > > 2h 12m | G USA. 1969. Nearly all Brit cast, token Pole and a couple of Germans playing…Germans! ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Miskatonic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr.miskatonic/32/310_2.png) [@Mr.Miskatonic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Miskatonic)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2014, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ticked-off-with-people-bashing-the-usas-ww2-contributions/695777/53 "2014-08-18T21:40:58Z")
Brits and others are, of course, free to make their own movies. Many have. Heck England made tons of war movies but a combination of big-budget bombs in the late 70’s cooled that. Most of this bitterness stems from U-571, the movie that managed to force shove Das Boot from the top of England’s ‘most hated movie about WW2’ list. ---
**Author:** ![zweisamkeit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zweisamkeit/32/4360_2.png) [@zweisamkeit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zweisamkeit)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2014, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ticked-off-with-people-bashing-the-usas-ww2-contributions/695777/54 "2014-08-18T21:41:23Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > Thank you, Mr. Godwin. :dubious: The thread is _about_ WWII (and differing viewpoints thereof). I think Godwin is off on holiday during these threads. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![jimbuff314](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c57346/32.png) [@jimbuff314](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jimbuff314)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2014, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ticked-off-with-people-bashing-the-usas-ww2-contributions/695777/55 "2014-08-18T21:48:28Z")
> [@Voyager](#): > > […] As for Hollywood’s multinational take on the war, two words - “Hogan’s Heroes.” Yeah! English guy, French guy, black guy, porn guy. No Latinos or Injuns though. ☹ :mad: ---
**Author:** ![Damfino](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Damfino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Damfino)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2014, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ticked-off-with-people-bashing-the-usas-ww2-contributions/695777/56 "2014-08-18T22:35:28Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0064072/](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0064072/) > > USA. 1969. Nearly all Brit cast, token Pole and a couple of Germans playing…Germans! Imdb and my memory have it listed as a UK film. ---
**Author:** ![WillFarnaby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/willfarnaby/32/514_2.png) [@WillFarnaby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WillFarnaby)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2014, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ticked-off-with-people-bashing-the-usas-ww2-contributions/695777/57 "2014-08-18T22:55:16Z")
> [@Captain\_Amazing](#): > > Yes, my objection to people who want to break up the country so they and perpetuate a system that lets them own other people makes ME the evil one. No just delusional. > [@Miller](#): > > You mean like property rights? I don’t hold undue reverence for property rights seeing that they allow humans to interact cooperatively in a world of scarce resources with remarkable peace and prosperity. Unlike the US government which has brought only death, slavery, and economic oppression to millions of people. ---
**Author:** ![Damfino](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Damfino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Damfino)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2014, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ticked-off-with-people-bashing-the-usas-ww2-contributions/695777/58 "2014-08-18T22:57:41Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > Well, there was _The Great Escape_ [cast](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0057115/fullcredits?ref_=tt_ov_st_sm), which featured POWs from both Britain and the US. Also _Bridge On the River Kwai_, which was almost all Brits, other than William Holden. Fictional accounts, of course. _Gallipoli_ starred Aussies. A couple of nitpicks . \*The Great Escape \* was not fictional but based on a true episode . \* Bridge Over the River Kwai \* is listed as a joint British-American production . \* Gallipolli \* was an Australian film. Well, three nitpicks, then ---
**Author:** ![Trepa\_Mayfield](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/edb3f5/32.png) [@Trepa\_Mayfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trepa_Mayfield)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2014, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ticked-off-with-people-bashing-the-usas-ww2-contributions/695777/59 "2014-08-19T02:23:40Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > That’s actually an [Orwell](http://alexpeak.com/twr/hiwbtw/) quotation. Yes, and who was more victorious, Churchill or Orwell? ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2014, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ticked-off-with-people-bashing-the-usas-ww2-contributions/695777/60 "2014-08-19T02:40:42Z")
> [@OurLordPeace](#): > > Some major exceptions to this are France and Britain, who had treaty obligations with Poland (Canada also independently declared war in 1939, though only on Germany at first). Upon whom else would Canada have declared war in 1939? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ticked-off-with-people-bashing-the-usas-ww2-contributions/695777.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ticked-off-with-people-bashing-the-usas-ww2-contributions/695777.md?page=4)