World War 2, how close did we really come to loosing?

We all know we should have lost the battle of Britain, but luckily the targets were changed and because of that, it started the overall victory for the allies...

But... How close did we really come to living a life under the 3rd Reich?

VERY...

I was watching a programme last night regarding the German secret underground manufacturing plants. How we won the war, I don't know. They were leagues ahead. Some of their technology wouldn't go amiss today, let alone 50+ years ago... If you get a chance to watch it, its quite interesting. Some of these facilities were 600,000+ square metres..
Next epidsode they are/were discovering Hitlers secret mountin house and the gold reserve unknow to be underneath it with all the existing tunnels.

The whole program went from underground facility to facility showing how the Germans started buildijng the first Jet fighter, the V2 Rocket, its first test launch, prospective new sites.. Most were never finished as the war was over, but they were still advanced enough to be blasted and shut off since the war.

Some of the plantations they were making were quite scarey, biological warefare etc... Some of it is still classified to this day.

On Civilisation TV, REICH UNDERGROUND - The terror from below. 2nd part on tonight at 9pm.


Thing is, this is just 1 programme. I've watched quite a few things regarding the war and how advanced the Germans were on most things and what was planned.

On another note......

"The last remaining Briton to have seen active service in World War I and World War II has died aged 106.

Capt Ken Cummins served in the Royal Navy in the Great War and in the Merchant Navy 30 years later.

In World War II, his ship, the Viceroy of India, was hit by a torpedo off the coast of North Africa.

He died on December 10 at his home in Great Bedwyn, Wiltshire.

Dennis Goodwin, from the WWI Veterans' Association, said: 'Any death of a WWI vet means the end of a special generation, the likes of which we will never see again."

Despite some of the Germans technological advances , in some respects they where quite backwards.
Most of the German army's infantry still relied on horse drawn support vehicles up until the end of the war.

Its not so much a case of we won the war, but more Germany lost it....

The biggest blunder in WW2 ? Hitler demanding the Luftwaffe change targets from bombing Airfields to bombing London.... and then invading Russia while still trying to fight Britain.. thats what lost Germany the war... if he had kept on bombing our airfields.. we would have crumbled within a matter of weeks.... as for invading Russia, Germany was now fighting wars to its East and West.. and had to split its forces, also they didnt prepare for the Russian winter... the basicaly advanced as far as knocking on the doors of Moscow before their supply lines were so overstretched things went wrong.... and it was all a down hill slide from there....
America likes to think it won WW2.. they only joined the war after Germany had made the mistakes that cost it the war.

That's why we should pay homage to all the Grandma's and Grandpa's...!

personaly i dont think the english would have rolled over and play dead for the germans as others did!

Originally Posted by socommk23

personaly i dont think the english would have rolled over and play dead for the germans as others did!

I don't think thats exactly what happened. When faced by the mighty German Army at the time there was little else to do. They swept through parts of Europe like a hot knife through butter.

We were lucky that we are an island and so the logistical element in mounting a seaborne invasion takes time ;ie: Dday landings.

If German had mounted an invasion force we would have really struggled to thwart it IMHO.
Luckily for us our Brill Creams boys done us proud.

Originally Posted by socommk23

personaly i dont think the english would have rolled over and play dead for the germans as others did!

If you look at the absolute devastation that was caused to France in the First World War it is a little easier to understand their actions in the second

[tigersaw]

I spent two years stationed at 'Station X' (Bletchley Park), from 1980-82. At this time it was still crown property and hadn't given up all its secrets, not that it has yet either.
Mindblowing to hear the anecdotal (i.e. everyone had a story, but no-one was telling anything) evidence of what went on behind the scenes, and what the plans were for when/if we were invaded - they ought to be subject of a book or tv series in the future.

http://www.thirdreichruins.com/thuringen.htm

Another of the bunkers shown last night...

http://www.atlantikwall.net/related_v2_supply_chain.htm

Some of these massive underground facilities are truly awe inspiring.

They are a tribute to the poor slave laborers who where worked to death in their construction.