[jerhanner]

Originally Posted by Cyberbeagle

Without getting into historical nitpickings, but how is D-Day seen in America? Obviously each ally will play up its own side, but when Sarkosy invited Obama and not the Queen to the D-Day 65th, there was a lot of incredulity (not at the Americans) that perhaps the French thought of D-Day as solely as US operation.

So just interested to hear an American perspective.

I know I was surprised! Perhaps Americans have a tendancy to see ourselves as the cowboys who bail England and France out of their problems? (Which has a bit of truth to it, after all - the underequipped Americans fought with French rifles after the French mutinied in WW1).

If anything is downplayed re. WW2, it's the Russian side of it, but that's starting to change.

[Akula2ssn]

Originally Posted by Cyberbeagle

Without getting into historical nitpickings, but how is D-Day seen in America? Obviously each ally will play up its own side, but when Sarkosy invited Obama and not the Queen to the D-Day 65th, there was a lot of incredulity (not at the Americans) that perhaps the French thought of D-Day as solely as US operation.

So just interested to hear an American perspective.

I find that here in America you tend to have 2 extremes. You have those that just don't give a rat's ***. And then you have those that tend to simply view the war with America is the great hero that took down the Axis powers with little help from the other Allies. Personally I find the former to be growing in numbers. History is not exactly a strong topic among young Americans, even American history. Then again, there are a lot of things that are not strong areas of knowledge among young Americans. Still see college students that can't figure out the general location of Afghanistan or Iran are on the map. And I wouldn't be surprised if France escapes some of them on the map.

[Howlin' Wolf]

It amazes me how many younger people believe we(Americans) seized the German ciphers off of U571 and pretty much won the war because of it. I'd love to have a job smacking history teachers on the back of the head for slacking off.

Also I consider it insulting the Queen wasn't invited but I'm satisfied we wouldn't have been either if the French could have figured some way out of it.

[Akula2ssn]

I suppose we shouldn't be too surprised. WWI and WWII are seldom discussed in a world history course, particularly WWII. They're usually covered almost exclusively in a US History course. Not a whole lot of perspective there. Also I think for a lot of American's particularly younger ones, if they don't see the topic as having any relation to them, then they don't consider it important. My US history prof was rather surprised when he met me. His specialty was African American History, but he was teaching general US history that quarter. When he met me, he told me it was very rare to find someone in their early twenties, born and raised on the west coast, and of Asian descent who has a great interest in the American Civil War.

[Cyberbeagle]

One of the main reasons I think the US forces get focused on by the film and media industry is that because the US forces encountered such heavy resistance at Omaha, it makes a much more dramatic story. Why feature the British at Sword and Gold, the Canadians at Juno, and indeed the Americans at Utah when these went relatively to plan?

But maybe Howlin' Wolf is right that the US President wouldn't have been there if it hadn't been Obama but instead Bush or A.N. Other, Sarkosy's in awe at the minute...

However I didn't have any immediate relatives who served in D-Day, my grandparents were too young and their parents too old, but I have nothing but respect and admiration for all the young men (who it's hard to believe were much younger than I am) from all nations who fought at D-Day and throughout WW2 to overthrow Hitler.

[Akula2ssn]

Originally Posted by Cyberbeagle

One of the main reasons I think the US forces get focused on by the film and media industry is that because the US forces encountered such heavy resistance at Omaha, it makes a much more dramatic story. Why feature the British at Sword and Gold, the Canadians at Juno, and indeed the Americans at Utah when these went relatively to plan?

But maybe Howlin' Wolf is right that the US President wouldn't have been there if it hadn't been Obama but instead Bush or A.N. Other, Sarkosy's in awe at the minute...

However I didn't have any immediate relatives who served in D-Day, my grandparents were too young and their parents too old, but I have nothing but respect and admiration for all the young men (who it's hard to believe were much younger than I am) from all nations who fought at D-Day and throughout WW2 to overthrow Hitler.

I think there is a great deal of truth in the beginning of your statement. On the other hand, I think it also shows what might be seen as a failure of the present day film industry. To this day, the one movie that even covers the fact that it was a multinational operation and goes beyond Omaha and Utah is a rather old movie called "The Longest Day" which had an allstar cast.

[jerhanner]

Originally Posted by Howlin' Wolf

It amazes me how many younger people believe we(Americans) seized the German ciphers off of U571 and pretty much won the war because of it. I'd love to have a job smacking history teachers on the back of the head for slacking off.

Also I consider it insulting the Queen wasn't invited but I'm satisfied we wouldn't have been either if the French could have figured some way out of it.

Don't forget - schools no longer teach "history" or "geography", they teach "social studies," which sounds like you're teaching people how to give tea parties.

[Akula2ssn]

Originally Posted by jerhanner

Don't forget - schools no longer teach "history" or "geography", they teach "social studies," which sounds like you're teaching people how to give tea parties.

*passes the sugar*

[martok2112]

Originally Posted by jerhanner

Don't forget - schools no longer teach "history" or "geography", they teach "social studies," which sounds like you're teaching people how to give tea parties.

Indeed....and IF....just IF history is taught...it is taught with revisionism.