"A decisive role"? What is Ben Macintyre smoking? And there's something wrong with the picture.
Tom Send a noteboard - 06/04/2011 03:01:00 PM
In fact, as the war historian and Times columnist Ben Macintyre recently wrote: "The Polish contribution to allied victory in the Second World War was extraordinary, perhaps even decisive, but for many years it was disgracefully played down, obscured by the politics of the Cold War."
Macintyre is squarely at the corner of Bull and Shit. The contribution of the United States was decisive. The Red Army was decisive. Maybe even the RAF taken as a whole was decisive. However, the fact that 1 in 10 of their pilots at one point were Polish is not decisive. Poland's contribution generally was not decisive. It was not insignificant, but it was clearly not decisive by any appreciable standard of measurement.
Additionally, something seems wrong about the picture. The crosses on those PzKpfw II tanks are white against a dark background, which is the symbol of Axis minor power Hungary. The German cross was black with a white outline and appeared on tanks and planes well before World War II.
The only thing is that Hungary never participated in the invasion of Poland and I can't see any evidence that they ever got PzKpfw II tanks. I know that they got PzKpfw 38(t)s and developed their own (Toldis and Turans), but the crosses on those tanks are very definitely Hungarian and those are very definitely PzKpfw IIs.
Macintyre is squarely at the corner of Bull and Shit. The contribution of the United States was decisive. The Red Army was decisive. Maybe even the RAF taken as a whole was decisive. However, the fact that 1 in 10 of their pilots at one point were Polish is not decisive. Poland's contribution generally was not decisive. It was not insignificant, but it was clearly not decisive by any appreciable standard of measurement.
Additionally, something seems wrong about the picture. The crosses on those PzKpfw II tanks are white against a dark background, which is the symbol of Axis minor power Hungary. The German cross was black with a white outline and appeared on tanks and planes well before World War II.
The only thing is that Hungary never participated in the invasion of Poland and I can't see any evidence that they ever got PzKpfw II tanks. I know that they got PzKpfw 38(t)s and developed their own (Toldis and Turans), but the crosses on those tanks are very definitely Hungarian and those are very definitely PzKpfw IIs.
Political correctness is the pettiest form of casuistry.
ἡ δὲ κἀκ τριῶν τρυπημάτων ἐργαζομένη ἐνεκάλει τῇ φύσει, δυσφορουμένη, ὅτι δὴ μὴ καὶ τοὺς τιτθοὺς αὐτῇ εὐρύτερον ἢ νῦν εἰσι τρυπώη, ὅπως καὶ ἄλλην ἐνταῦθα μίξιν ἐπιτεχνᾶσθαι δυνατὴ εἴη. – Procopius
Ummaka qinnassa nīk!
*MySmiley*
ἡ δὲ κἀκ τριῶν τρυπημάτων ἐργαζομένη ἐνεκάλει τῇ φύσει, δυσφορουμένη, ὅτι δὴ μὴ καὶ τοὺς τιτθοὺς αὐτῇ εὐρύτερον ἢ νῦν εἰσι τρυπώη, ὅπως καὶ ἄλλην ἐνταῦθα μίξιν ἐπιτεχνᾶσθαι δυνατὴ εἴη. – Procopius
Ummaka qinnassa nīk!
*MySmiley*
The myth of Polish cavalry charging tanks
- 06/04/2011 09:31:09 AM
1517 Views
I find this slightly sad.
- 06/04/2011 10:23:08 AM
898 Views
Yeah, I know it's BS, but it's one of my favorrite weapons to use against Poles who harass me
- 06/04/2011 02:04:06 PM
1660 Views
are you often harrassed by Poles? *NM*
- 06/04/2011 02:14:18 PM
377 Views
Many people don't appreciate what Germany has suffered at the hands of Poland. 
- 06/04/2011 03:00:56 PM
845 Views
- 06/04/2011 03:00:56 PM
845 Views
yes but I still wonder about the modering gangs of Poles who are harrassing people 
- 06/04/2011 04:51:58 PM
751 Views
- 06/04/2011 04:51:58 PM
751 Views
I am!
- 06/04/2011 07:19:16 PM
837 Views
There is something scewy going on with my PC and it keeps reloading pages
- 06/04/2011 08:46:08 PM
730 Views
"A decisive role"? What is Ben Macintyre smoking? And there's something wrong with the picture.
- 06/04/2011 03:01:00 PM
967 Views
He makes a fair point
- 06/04/2011 03:46:14 PM
753 Views
In all fairness, no he doesn't.
- 06/04/2011 07:02:56 PM
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I don't agree - you are relying on speculation
- 06/04/2011 07:19:19 PM
883 Views
No, YOU are relying on speculation
- 06/04/2011 11:13:10 PM
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I think you are a bit old to get away with the "No you are" line of argument
- 07/04/2011 11:16:50 AM
782 Views
- 07/04/2011 11:16:50 AM
782 Views
Churchill saying "we won the war" is already a fantasy world.
- 07/04/2011 03:35:14 PM
842 Views
You think the allies lost? Erm... okay....
- 07/04/2011 04:41:49 PM
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I didn't say the Allies lost. I said the UK didn't really "win".
- 07/04/2011 05:31:10 PM
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You said Churchill was living in a fantasy land for saying we won, I believe?
- 08/04/2011 10:56:51 AM
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they still charged on a machine gun wielding infantry battalion ...
- 07/04/2011 02:06:02 AM
763 Views
They may have had better luck against the tanks
- 07/04/2011 03:38:40 AM
732 Views
Actually, no. The PzKpfw I didn't have a cannon, but rather a machine gun on the turret.
- 07/04/2011 04:58:20 AM
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My 8th grade history teacher was Polish and she embellished the myth.
- 07/04/2011 05:43:10 PM
710 Views