I agree. You know, I keep on giving things for granted but I'm often proven wrong, some people still shut their ears and go LALALALALALALALA!!! when you try to talk objectively and with hindsight about WW1 and WW2.

Youre joking right....the biggest shame I feel is that Britain didn't decare war after the invasion of Poland....those poor people deserved better from the rest of the world.

declare war with what exactly? 5 Hurricanes and 10 Fairey Battles?

Great Britain had no interest in another war, you actually had a lot of the Nazis coming around to make friends and create a new alliance (and some of you were also falling for it..). Fortunately you didn't, but things could have taken a really awkward direction..

The propper spirit of this debate was about the German defeat in the battle of britain, but it has been invaded by a load of Germans going LALALALALALA! we never did anything wrong, we werent beaten it was just a fleshwound!

Here we go again eh Stern?

History does not tell otherwise, and propaganda works both ways.

1) Hitler did not wish for war with Britain

2) He thought he could bring us to the negotiating table by threat of or actual invasion and establishment of air superioity.

3) Goering said the RAF would last 'two weeks'.

Hitler got what he didn't want, i.e. war with Britain

He didn't force us to the negotiating table or succeed in invading or establishing air superiority.

RAF fighter command had more pilots and aircraft at the end of the Battle than the start, which is more than can be said for the Luftwaffe.

Hitler for once, didn't get what he wanted, which was a 'Free hand in Europe', and suffered the first real setback he'd encountered since coming to power.

I fail to see which part of 'winning' you don't understand.

Britain declared war on September 3rd 1939, so what the hell are you talking about?

Yes fair enough, I meant our half hearted attempt at helping, the declaration was there of course.

Apart from the pointless arguing over what happened 70 years ago the most distressing thing about this thread is the tone - some people are approaching a conflict in which millions died with the same attitude they bring to supporting their football team - "we would have won the game too if our star striker hadn't been ruled out with injury".

Some people have a lot of growing up to do.

Sad.

Se we were an underdog!.....we still are, has the German phyce no concept of fighting back against a bigger aggressor? the Brits have nothing to feel ashamed of in that respect.

Look, if you don't want people to spoil your breast polishing, you may want to consider not posting in an international forum. Chances are that ppl have different opinions.

You may want to extend that argument to....well, what about a quarter of the world?
You are aware your are constantly shooting your own food with this argument? Why won't try something like "whatever the reasons, in hindsight it was the right thing to do"?
Lots of people would agree with this, even on the other side of the argument. But insisting on post war findings being the reason for pre war descisions serves nobody with a real interest to understand what was happening back then.