DISCLAIMER.
*This is not a bash the Yanks post in any way shape or form. My love respect and admiration to your countries contribution in manpower equipment logistics, the sacrifice of human life etc is unabashed and total and I yield to no one re my high regard I hold for the aforementioned.*
My gripe is like your own with the revisionists and distorters. For example I watched what I hoped would be an enlightening doc' about "Tankers" during D-day and the period shortly after as it I hoped to learn a bit more about the human experience re tank warfare especially when up against the likes of King Tigers and Panthers.
What did I glean from the program?
1) At Normandy that Omaha beach was the only one worthy of mention.
2) The Sherman M4 was the only allied tank in the European theatre and served by American crews only.
3) The said tank was up-gunned to 76mm by the US with no mention whatsoever of the UK 17 pounder Sherman firefly or for that matter any reference to British tanks or their equally brave UK/allied other crews.
In short it downplayed the contribution of any non American allied combatants completely when in my view it should have highlighted all allied contributions in this particular subject especially as the programs title referenced tank crews not just US tank crews and younger folk who do not possess our grasp of the past would be excused in thinking the UK/allied other contribution was nil.
British/allied other Tankers died too and survivors left traumatised yet were not deemed worthy of mention which I find a common theme in US made war time documentaries and Hollywood schlock such as Saving private Ryan in which one extraneous scene, not even plot related, seems to have been included just so Ted Danson's character could say "Yeah Montgomerie's an asshole!" to which his companion replies" Yep no argument from me." Cut to next scene.
I can only assume Spielberg is a Brit basher at heart.
In my life I have been fortunate to have met former WW2 US servicemen (Usually doing the Norfolk/Suffolk/Lincolnshire nostalgia thing) and to a man they have come across as decent, humble, possessing the kind of honour one has having performed a necessary duty with no hint of bravado or a braggadocios attitude.
They also were appreciative and respectful of all their allied brothers contributions whilst downplaying their own and I refuse to believe these gentlemen would make documentaries such as those described and those who took part in the same were not aware of the editing process wielded by a revisionists millennials hand .
Thanks for that Fred. Here's Dave with sports.
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