Ask me Anything 11

[@garyaugust1953]

Always refreshing the AMA's, while Woody is having a toilet break, just a note to say thank you for your hard work, commitment, and honesty in bringing this channel to us all.

[@jefsantamonica641]

I also like when you talk with a historian when they have published a new book on any aspect of WWII.

[@mirbahmanyar6992]

These are always great shows

[@lllordllloyd]

I love the theme weeks, while not being afraid to throw stuff in, as and when they are available.

[@conemadam]

I am delighted to hear that you are not close to running out of material. Your channel is very meaningful to me. I have not attended as steadily as I would like because my French Mother(99) is slowly slipping away. I am her caregiver. You and your channel have been a connection between her past and the present and future. I have learned so much,. Please know that I will always catch up when things are looking better.

[@WW2TV]

Wow, thank you

[@davidlavigne207]

Many wishes for your dear mother. May God bless her.

[@KrisV385]

Thanks Woody great to hear you as always!!

[@Historianphil]

Top fun chat, almost total audience participation - well done Woody.

[@willierobertson862]

Theme weeks are a great way to explore a battle/campaign from multiple standpoints and differing views. The individual shows demonstrate that there is more going on at different levels than we are aware of. I have said many times before, that I for one appreciate everything you do to for this community, with all these wonderful guests and shows.

[@WW2TV]

Cheers Willie

[@foxtrotromeo25]

Really enjoyed jumping on the live to see Woody and all the regulars.

[@davidlavigne207]

The number of views alone for just a random AMA should indicate how loved is the work you do Woody. I only wish that I had met such a community in my youth that had such an interest in WW2. I look forward to your continued success and accomplishments.

[@philipbellew9645]

Just wind Woody up with some Doon Bar and off he goes. Always great to see these impromptu shows and it sends the viewers off down some new rabbit holes each time. Thank you

[@peterbrown1208]

I like themes the best. May I suggest that you make it a monthly topic. What happened each month in all the theaters. You could even predate September 39 and add to your stress levels. I find them fascinating and I don't know how you keep it up. What's happened to your pub crawl series.

[@WW2TV]

What pub crawl series?

[@michaelinhouston9086]

Here are some responses to Rob Jonny's question: 1. Most movies and TV shows only presented the American role and point of view and the vast majority of Americans totally believe what they see in movies. 2. The USSR's role was virtually ignored by American history books and popular culture. The only reference I ever heard as a kid to the Russian front was in Hogan's Heroes. The World at War series was my first real exposure to the importance of the USSR and the magnitude of their contribution. 3. Basic American hubris that we are better than everybody else. 4. All this "greatest generation" nonsense that started in the late 80s/early 90s harped and harped away about how 'the greatest generation saved democracy'. As an aside, 3 of my uncles served in the American Navy in WW2, not one of them ever claimed that they were greater than my grandfather that served in the AEF in WW1. I knew a bunch of WW2 vets and not one of them ever claimed they were greater than anybody else. In fact, as with almost all WW2 vets, you had to drag their war experiences out of them. 5. With the passage of time, the British role of standing alone against Germany, the role of the British navy containing the German navy, and the the battles of the 8th Army in North Africa are ignored or downplayed.

[@matthewnewton8812]

Paul- I’ve had the exact same thought about how the political spectrum is more of a circle than a continuum (which is NOT to say that fascism and communism are the same thing- Tik’s analysis on that is highly superficial). But I was literally just talking to my father about this a day ago!! I was just thrilled to hear you mention this idea on the AMA- there are similarities between ideologies on either side of the center, and similarities between ideologies on the extreme ends of the spectrum too, which is why I describe it as a circle. That being said- 100% agree with you that equating fascism and socialism is just supremely perfunctory and shallow.

[@WW2TV]

Thanks for the comment Matthew

[@Ithikialau]

At the end there, google Horseshoe Theory of Politics. Has it's detractors but effectively what I think you were getting at. Similarities start to be seen at the extreme ends of the scale on both sides as they resort to similar activities but for fundamentally different reasons. Good show as always.

[@buonafortuna8928]

Enjoyed that Paul, obviously nothing else to do. I don't even know who TIK is. Don't recall seeing his channel unless I've "Don't Recommend" ages ago.

[@stephennewton2223]

Where does your lap go when you stand up?

[@craigmartin1727]

Without the US in WWII, the official language in England would be German…

[@WW2TV]

Only England? So Wales, Scotland and N I would be fine?

[@K-Nyne]

One day somebody will figure out what MegaRebel is actually trying to say. Maybe we should ask Bletchly Park

[@WW2TV]

I guess English is not his first language, but yes you need a cryptology degree to understand

[@patrickschellen737]

Sometimes he mixes in Dutch words so it's somewhat understandable, yesterday was not that day. But he also said early on that his mother had passed so let's not be too hard on him. It was obvious he had a bad day.

[@K-Nyne]

@patrickschellen737 I didn't know that. Was just joking a bit because he wasn't being very nice in chat

[@WW2TV]

I missed that bit about his mother, but as sad as that is, this isn't the first time he has tried to stir things on the sidebar

[@michaelgillett5477]

Hi there Woody this is totally spurious question really enjoy your program by the way amongst the family. There’s a story about when the members of the family Charlie Gillett he was involved with a special operations can’t find out much information about it. They wrote a book about it, which is not very available. This is where it gets very vague in the relation has told me about it. There’s a bit mixed up, I think they were involved in France somewhere and they ended up having to exit Europe over a Pyrenees there was stories about they wanted to make a film of it. The book was called the third operation I’m fishing for information. Any information or any directions are going. My name is Michael Gillett relation of said Charlie Gillett thank you very much and we’ll carry on listen to your programs.

[@WW2TV]

Hi Michael, I know nothing about this story, sorry. The only Charlie Gillett I know of was the British DJ and journalist, whose book Sounds of the City is one of my favourite books of all time, but he was born in 1942. I have never heard of a wartime Charlie Gillett and Google doesn't bring up anything for me

[@jefsantamonica641]

Are you going to see "Lee" in cinema or too commercial for you?

[@WW2TV]

I saw it in the cinema a few weeks ago

[@craigmartin1727]

What do you think? Has nothing to do with the sacrifices that England made in comparison to the US…but without US industry and Roosevelt convincing Stalin to keep the Germans busy in the East, things would have been very bleak for England.

[@WW2TV]

I'm intrigued why you dismiss the rest of the UK though? Why would the other Countries not succumb, only England?

[@WW2TV]

If your comments are in reference to when I discussed the idea that some Americans think they won the war on their own. My position has always been the same. Of course the UK couldn't have won the war on their own, but the US could not have prevailed on their own either, without UK, Australia, Canada etc

[@craigmartin1727]

⁠@@WW2TVFirst of all there are no knowledgeable Americans that think the US won the war by themselves. Weird you don’t mention Russia and China contributions. The two countries that gave the most in terms of human sacrifice.

[@WW2TV]

I have repeatedly talked about China and Russia on WW2TV

[@craigmartin1727]

@@WW2TV “without UK, Australia, Canada, etc”’….Russia and China must be part of the “etc”…

[@mirbahmanyar6992]

I tried three times to watch Rogue Heroes but failed.... same with Masters of the Air. It's probably me?

[@WW2TV]

Maybe. It was the music I especially loved on RH. The music in Masters was very bland however

[@aegirkarl1411]

My feel is that you are not appreciating your good work.

[@WW2TV]

What do you mean please?

[@aegirkarl1411]

@ you sometime sound like you are under evaluating how clever and important work you are doing. Maybe it is healthy modesty.

[@WW2TV]

Humility is good

[@aegirkarl1411]

@@WW2TVI like your attitude very much

[@johnclarke9498]

Great chat as always and nice channel, but why dos lots of web sits say the nazis were called the National Socialist party

[@WW2TV]

The Nazis were absolutely called Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei, but that's like various 1960s dictatorships calling themselves Democracies. Or like well known liars saying they don't lie. What you label yourself and what you are are very different things

[@johnclarke9498]

@@WW2TV Well explained 👍🎲

[@mybrotherkeeper1484]

What do you say about FDR and Marshall knowing about the impending Pearl Harbor, and not sharing that with pertinent military. ? Also, why did we allow the USSR to be the biggest winner , though they were so inhumane, being communists?

[@WW2TV]

The first question is simple. FDR did not not know about PH in advance. What was the alternative to working with the Soviets? Sure they proved to be equally murderous, but the Third Reich had to be defeated

[@mybrotherkeeper1484]

@@WW2TVI’ve heard different, read different. On the 2nd point, the forced repatriation of all Russian and East Europeans back to the Soviet sphere was just to keep them from sharing with the West what the Communists were like. The stopping of our troops from going further East, and many other such things showed too much sympathy to totalitarianism and too little for the people shackled by our decisions

[@WW2TV]

We've all heard differently about FDR and Pearl Harbor, but that doesn't make it true. I've heard people believe the earth is flat and that vaccines cause Autism too, again just BS. FDR did not know about the attack. Yes the US was woefully under prepared and mistakes were made, but the specific attack was 100% a surprise

[@Chiller11]

@mybrotherkeeper1484 Most academic research endeavour will yield contradictory or inconsistent conclusions, especially in the social sciences like history. It is the readers’ responsibility to weigh the quality of the data the authors use, ie do they cite primary sources, are they utilizing only memoirs or official after action reports etc. One also has to decide if the conclusions actually fit the data. Finally, the author’s credibility has to be considered. Are they known to have consistently written with an obvious bias, nationalistic, political,etc. what I particularly like to hear is that an author started his/her project with one assumption but that their conclusions after doing the research contradict the initial assumption. To me, the weight of the information and the quality of the research indicates FDR had no prior knowledge of the attack at Pearl Harbor. The research or explanations to the contrary lack the weight of evidence or unbiased analysis.

[@WW2TV]

Indeed

[@aegirkarl1411]

You are woke in the meaning kind