The Battle of Britain

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I'm currently watching the 1969 film Battle of Britain. I keep waiting for the American pilots to show up and help kick some German Luftwaffe butt over London. The movie chronicles the events in Britain staring in 1940. Just to be sure about the ideas that were coming into my head I asked pookie Parableman for the exact year that the US entered WWII and some details about what Nazi Germany was up to prior to that. Imagine my surprise to hear that the US let Europe burn for so long before we finally hauled our butts into the conflict! No wonder they're still pissed! This isn't some anti-American screed I'm about to take off on. I am genuinely surprised that the US would let so much carnage go on for so long right under their noses. Being the one that the class bullies always picked on while others stood by and did nothing I am rather sensitive to these kinds of things.

On another note. My first observation about the film was that the characters in the movie seemed to react rather unemotionally to the initial German bombing raids. I can't help but wonder if this was really how people reacted to the German attacks or if it was a bit of dramatic license. It gives new meaning to the term "stiff upper lip" for me. My second observation was more about history and what could have been. The German people could have done such great things if they had had someone better than Hitler to lead them.

Update: According to the credits at the end of the movie 7 American pilots took part in the Battle of Britain. One was killed in action. I wonder how they ended up there before the US was officially in the war.

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