10 Things Everybody Gets Wrong About World War 2
Have a look at misunderstood facts about the deadliest war in human history.
It has been nearly 75 years since the Second World War ended; a war so devastating and brutal that it saw the deaths of approximately 70-85 million people, with half of that death toll coming from the former Soviet Union and China alone. The six-year-long conflict saw the worst of humanity commit unspeakable atrocities that have left long-lasting scars in various communities and nations' collective social psyches.
The war's impact was cross-cutting in nature and virtually no nation or territory was spared from its destructive wrath, whether the impact was social, political, or economic. However, the passage of time has seen various misconceptions about the war rise in its wake, due to insufficient/lost information, propagandist motives, and the (understandable) unwillingness to revisit traumatic events from that period.
This article is by no means an exhaustive summary of all the misinformation that took shape as a result of the war, as there will always be new revelations from this time coming up on a day-to-day basis. However, it will hopefully shed light on some of these mistruths, and paint an accurate picture of one of the darkest periods in human history.
10. France's Ineffectiveness During The War
France's role in the Second World War has been greatly undermined due to its military retreat six weeks into the war in late June 1940. This retreat has seen the country regarded as an ineffective military power that was completely unprepared for an assault and subsequent invasion by the Axis powers, a far cry from its more valiant showings during the 'Great War'.
However, the truth is far more complicated than a simple and 'cowardly' surrender. It is true the French did not adequately prepare for another war due to the death toll from World War 1 as well as divisive political factions that arose in the wake of the war. This, coupled with the relative failure of the Maginot Line's defense capability and a French army that was not modernized, gave the impression that the nation simply surrendered to the Germans without any resistance.
This could not be further from the truth as France was quickly losing allies (Poland, Great Britain) and the Germans' Blitzkrieg means of war was simply too overwhelming for one nation to face on its own. Furthermore, we cannot ignore that nearly 2,000 French soldiers died after only six weeks of fighting, showing that the French were not going down without a fight.