Comments on: From blitzkrieg to blitz

By: Airminded · The Belgrade blitz

Airminded · The Belgrade blitz — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 14:10:31 +0000

[...] anyway. In fact, despite their undoubted terror aspect, the Belgrade raids seem to me to be a true blitz: they were intended to disrupt a key command and logistics node ahead of a ground advance, just [...]

By: Brett Holman

Brett Holman — Sat, 02 Apr 2011 05:16:49 +0000

Bored now.

By: Peter L. Griffiths

Peter L. Griffiths — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 17:33:30 +0000

Because of the activity of the Dutch Resistance in 1944-45, Holland should have been awarded one of the zones of occupation in Germany after 1945 instead of France.

By: Brett Holman

Brett Holman — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 12:16:51 +0000

The Dutch Resistance seemed to be conspicuously more active in 1944-45 than the French Resistance had been in 1940-41.

Also: the Dutch Resistance seemed to be conspicuously more active in 1944-45 than the Dutch Resistance had been in 1940-41; the French Resistance seemed to be conspicuously more active in 1944 than the French Resistance had been in 1940-41.

Next non sequitur, please.

By: Peter L. Griffiths

Peter L. Griffiths — Sun, 27 Mar 2011 15:46:47 +0000

The bombers from France organised by the Luftwaffe during 1940-41 were more broadly targeted but in other respects were less dangerous than the V1 and V2 missiles coming from Holland to London from September 1944 to March 1945 organised by the SS. Fortunately the advancing Allied ground forces were able to prevent further damage. The Dutch Resistance seemed to be conspicuously more active in 1944-45 than the French Resistance had been in 1940-41.

By: Brett Holman

Brett Holman — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 10:44:44 +0000

Peter, this is where you came in, with the implication that there is something sinister in the fact that German bombers operated from French airfields. If you are going to start repeating things which have been refuted here already, I don't see there is much point continuing this discussion. But let's try this one more time: France was invaded and beaten by Germany; France then surrendered; Germany then occupied northern France for the duration; Germany then attacked Britain from airfields in northern France. It was not a matter of France 'providing' airfields for Germany to use: as a thoroughly and partially-occupied defeated nation, France had no choice. And yes, the Germans were your enemy in 1940. They were the ones dropping the bombs, not the French. That was definitely in all the papers at the time.

By: JDK

JDK — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 10:24:42 +0000

And don't mention the Belgian(airfield)s...

By: Erik Lund

Erik Lund — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 23:31:47 +0000

Blah blah blah blah blah. Blah! Blah blah blah; blah blah. Blah blah blah. Blah blah.

By: Chris Williams

Chris Williams — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 22:38:34 +0000

It's like we're not really there at all, isn't it?

By: Peter L. Griffiths

Peter L. Griffiths — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 17:15:28 +0000

Thank you for the informative article and map from the Observer of 1 September 1940. I was only aged 10 at the time so I was not into reading Observer articles, but I would agree that my elders may have missed something important. It should be borne in mind that the Germans were supposed to be our enemy not the French. It is a pity that there have so far been no obviously French contributions to this debate. On the internet there have been BBC accounts of the blitz on various British cities, not once is France mentioned as providing the airfields for the bombers (apart from my own interjections).