5 Facts About World War II That Aren't Facts

5 Facts About World War II That Aren't True

1. The French just gave up without any resistance to the Germans at all. We've all heard the jokes about France over the years. French Resistance, isn't that an oxymoron? Nope, they fought hard, and they fought bravely. Yes, they surrendered after only a few months of the war, but that had more to do with the German army's Blitzkrieg approach. They went in hard, and very fast, devastating everything in their path. This, joined with very poor leadership on the French side, along with terrible tactics, bad logistics, and a policy of fighting a defensive war, led to the French being overwhelmed in only half a year of fighting. They suffered as a result. There were hundreds of thousands of French casualties in the first few months of fighting. And their army inflicted over 150,000 casualties on the German side. So, they didn't just roll over and give up. They fought as hard as they could. And should be proud.

2. Adolf Hitler was elected as Leader of the Nazi Party by a margin of a single vote. This is a myth that has been bounced around by people wanting you to vote, and telling you that your vote counts. If only two other people had voted against Hitler, then the Second World War wouldn't have happened. Well, yes, your vote counts. And you should vote. But, Hitler winning the Leadership battle by a single vote is not true. In fact he was elected with a stonkingly huge margin. It was 533 to 1. And no doubt the guy who voted against him was later shot.

3. When France surrendered, Adolf Hitler danced a jig. And it was captured on camera, which proves he did it. Well, not so much, nope. Hitler may have been partial to jigging in private, and may indeed have had his top generals watch performances in his secret bunker whilst he wore a tutu, however it wasn't true that he danced the jig when France issued their surrender. In fact, he was so surprised by their complete surrender, that he stepped back, which was caught on camera. This appeared to look like him getting jiggy with it, and that's how the Allied propaganda machine told it to the masses. The evil Adolf Hitler is so preposterous that he does a silly dance when he wins. We must make sure he never dances again. Join the war. Help us kill this evil jiggy dancer.

4. President Roosevelt knew Japan was going to attack Pearl Harbour. And let it happen. It was the attack that propelled America into World War 2. Before that they helped behind the scenes, lending Britain money and weapons, for example, but did very little in terms of open fighting. The American public weren't keen on getting involved. It wasn't their war, after all. Roosevelt, on the other hand, thought America should help its allies, but lacked public support. So, when he found out what the Japanese were up to, he let it happen, knowing the American public would be so miffed they'd beg him to enter the war. It's all an elaborate conspiracy. The Americans did have RADAR, but it was new, and the operators weren't trained. They detected the approaching planes, but didn't really know what they were looking at. The radio communication was haphazard at best. And the passing on of the information and subsequent warnings didn't get further up the chain of command in time to do anything. Japan did actually declare war on America prior to the Pearl Harbour attack. But only by 30 minutes. And it was in Japanese. And inside a 5000 word document that had to be translated. As if you can prepare for war in only half an hour. And actually know what you're preparing for. It was a sneak attack and, although there could have been better preparations, it couldn't have been prevented.

5. Eating carrots will help you see in the dark. This myth still exists today, and is told to children all over the world. However, it is just a myth, and there is no scientific evidence to back up these claims. It was actually a myth created by the British Ministry of Information during World War II. It was a way of boosting morale and to make the British public feel like they were helping in the war effort by growing more carrots and sending them to British fighter pilots to help them during night bombing raids. It was also used to get children to eat healthier options, rather than sweets, which were strictly rationed.