tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1400985529434569506.post5661496819390763128..comments2024-03-28T01:33:22.764-04:00Comments on The DiploMad 2.0: BREXIT 1940DiploMadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02316439950882822419noreply@blogger.comBlogger84125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1400985529434569506.post-72265021657552436142017-08-25T05:57:05.229-04:002017-08-25T05:57:05.229-04:00Like you, I came away a little disappointed. All v...Like you, I came away a little disappointed. All vignettes and no story. I gave it a 3/5 (I'd see it again but not this year). I think Churchill would not have been replaced if the bulk of the BEF had been lost. Excellent comment on the PC side of the movie. I suspect "Fucking Jerry" would have been a more likely moniker than "the enemy"..! Tally ho. Nice blog. I'll be back: you write on topics I feel in my gut. StewartAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1400985529434569506.post-31252023121773237992017-08-15T12:12:29.827-04:002017-08-15T12:12:29.827-04:00I believe the answer to your question is 'yes&...I believe the answer to your question is 'yes'. <br />To expand: <br /><br />Every time we have a war the question is asked; "where do we get these men?" The answer is all around us. The normal, average Tommies and Joes who drive trucks, repair the plumbing, go up tall ladders and do the countless other vital jobs that keep our countries running. I have met many of these men in passing over the years and they are, in my opinion, little different from their fathers or grand-fathers in basic character. <br /><br />Focusing on the 'celebrities' and other educated fashionable folk in our capitals and on our televisions is a mistake. Despite their loud voices and command of the bully-pulpit they do not represent or remotely understand our countries.AKMnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1400985529434569506.post-18197675499778740972017-08-13T12:53:46.652-04:002017-08-13T12:53:46.652-04:00All war films, given the scope of the action (and ...All war films, given the scope of the action (and its consequences) have to focus on a few to bring the detail home, otherwise we are watching a documentary. My wife's grandfather was killed on the beaches of Dunkirk (and by coincidence my wife's father who was then in the British army was an extra on the beaches in the 1960 version of the movie) but I think it was always going to be hard to get the scale of Operation Dynamo even with computer graphics. Emotion aside, it mostly worked, but then I am English and know something of the events of the time. How it comes across to non-Brits I have no idea.<br /><br />Nolan played with timelines which made it unusual (and in my mind, got it seriously wrong showing soldiers struggling against heavy waves trying to get into boat when by the accounts I have read the sea was perfectly calm for the few days of Dunkirk. If you wish to believe these things a coven of witches or suchlike saw Churchill and sad they would do their best to calm the seas, though were less successful with D-Day. I leave it to you to decide if this claim was nonsense or not)<br /><br />The film tried to 'balance the books' by showing the army, navy and air force contributions to the day, as well as 'the small ships.' Okay, that gives us a personal frame, even if I found the soldiers in focus less than engaging; a sort of mix of cowardice and bravery from the main character, who sadly I found unremarkable.<br /><br />i think the lack of mention of the Germans was deliberate. they were anonymous apart from the aircraft and even the ones at the end were blurred. i took this not to safeguard german sensibilities but to show this was about people -- British, mostly -- and what they faced. Cutting to Hitler's headquarters or showing Churchill rallying morale, etc, would have been a distraction, ultimately. Also, the reasons the Germans paused their armour would have taken too long to explain and slow dup the movie.<br /><br />I was happy that Nolan mentioned at the end about the French being taken off the beaches too, and I am very happy this wasn't a modern, muti-culti movie about what if a man of colour and a transgender and a female star of say Harry Potter film had variously flown planes, sailed ships and employed superpowers to fend off the Nazis. But there were women as nurses on the navy ships and I presume they didn't survive either when torpedoes hit.<br /><br />It was a 9 out of 10 movie for me when I really wanted a ten. Oh well, you can't have everything.stenglehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01683263644032875337noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1400985529434569506.post-47313061146080194282017-08-05T03:44:09.280-04:002017-08-05T03:44:09.280-04:00There are a number of actual surviving boats from ...There are a number of actual surviving boats from the civilian fleet used in that evacuation. Some of them participate in yearly commemorations of that desperate enterprise, leaving from the original ports in ragged fleets to venture to France.Willhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00722792638246578812noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1400985529434569506.post-7867541405559649732017-08-04T19:40:46.812-04:002017-08-04T19:40:46.812-04:00Kind of thought the film was narrowly focused on a...Kind of thought the film was narrowly focused on a few events, tragic as they were, and failed to capture the overall enormity of the event and what it meant.JWMJRhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11330556524852443926noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1400985529434569506.post-68698427267909879482017-08-03T06:37:48.589-04:002017-08-03T06:37:48.589-04:00Sounds like good news! The last couple of decades ...Sounds like good news! The last couple of decades of "expertise" are not impressive.whitewallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03469746790747742992noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1400985529434569506.post-88423107710277146512017-08-03T06:17:40.541-04:002017-08-03T06:17:40.541-04:00Would be interested in your comments here,
https:...Would be interested in your comments here,<br /><br />https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/28/opinion/sunday/trump-tillerson-state-department-diplomats.html<br /><br />and here.<br /><br />http://www.frontpagemag.com/fpm/267463/state-department-officials-quitting-over-complete-robert-spencerAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1400985529434569506.post-26315046233625923382017-08-01T14:40:05.800-04:002017-08-01T14:40:05.800-04:00Just saw the movie last night.
Sorry...waste of ti...Just saw the movie last night.<br />Sorry...waste of time.<br />Yes, some good photography, but that's the end of it.<br />I just don't enjoy this "stream of consciousness" method of telling a story, in which time and place are confabulated and mixed up. It just reeks of artsy-fartsy to me.<br /><br />One of my daughters thought it was the best movie she'd seen in years -- but it turns out she is simply a fan of the director, who as far as I can tell is mostly famous for making BatMan movies.<br /><br />I think it is another example of the present generations' inability to separate fantasy from reality or history.Grahamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01213832288872091311noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1400985529434569506.post-1564264320227389632017-08-01T11:29:02.621-04:002017-08-01T11:29:02.621-04:00I reluctantly sympathize with Hollywood in their e...I reluctantly sympathize with Hollywood in their efforts to play the balancing act of truth and entertainment. After all, the studios are their to make money. If I were an investor, I certainly would insist on it, wouldn't you? In any event, a WW2 historic movie is particularly difficult to sell to the public these days, given the rapidly changing audience, made up of mostly next generation softies, who would rather go see an animated flic of little yellow creatures. I went to see Dunkirk last night and noted that virtually every man in the theater had either gray hair or no hair. Average age of the entire audience, I would estimate, was 55+. Perhaps not surprising, especially after watching this:<br /><br />https://img.buzzfeed.com/buzzfeed-static/static/2016-05/18/13/enhanced/buzzfeed-prod-web15/anigif_enhanced-17349-1463593153-7.gif?downsize=715:*&output-format=auto&output-quality=autosyd B.https://www.blogger.com/profile/04536022701906707715noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1400985529434569506.post-20562451070681545582017-08-01T02:19:52.113-04:002017-08-01T02:19:52.113-04:00Corrected link
http://nationalinterest.org/blog/t...Corrected link <br />http://nationalinterest.org/blog/the-buzz/dunkirk-everything-you-need-know-before-you-see-the-movie-21622Davidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09731386688101956263noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1400985529434569506.post-91833516651472194082017-07-31T11:39:30.702-04:002017-07-31T11:39:30.702-04:00Davod
Drsden had a munitions factory, and more im...Davod<br /><br />Drsden had a munitions factory, and more important, was a rail hub. German soldiers were being carried eastwards to fight the advancing Soviets who were only 60 miles eastwards.<br /><br />There was only one other firestorm bombing I know of in ETO - Hamburg. <br /><br />After war, for propaganda purposes, Soviets claimed casualties 250,000. True number 25,00-35,000, which is horrific enough.<br /><br />As I wrote above, I found the best account to be by British historian, Frederick Taylor, so I take my info from his book. I know nothing that contradicts anything he wrote. You disagree on question of whether they knew how to create a firestorm. I have not tried to exhaustively research that. In the 298 bombing missions my father wrote mission reports on, damage assessments are probably most important part of reports. There is no mention of any attempt to create firestorm, but squadron did not fly Dresden.<br /><br />Mshernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1400985529434569506.post-43381090025666970912017-07-31T08:02:46.234-04:002017-07-31T08:02:46.234-04:00Hmmmm. Maybe I will see it after all. Thanks, Old...Hmmmm. Maybe I will see it after all. Thanks, OldAFSarge.Kephahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00999385775493831638noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1400985529434569506.post-56379212531965226882017-07-31T08:01:11.219-04:002017-07-31T08:01:11.219-04:00Europe--The Taitai and I just completed a 2d tour ...Europe--The Taitai and I just completed a 2d tour over there. So, now for war, patriotism, Brexit, EU, etc.<br /><br />I probably won't see _Dunkirk_. I've developed a very jaundiced view of Hollywood over the years, and might just get penny wise (if pound foolish) over this one. <br /><br />However, re the crisis of the EU, it would be a pity to throw out the baby of European cooperation and peace along with the bathwater of over-bureaucratization and an elite blindness to the nastiness that is Islam. But, could it be possible that a world of mutually respectful patriotic peoples might be a worthwhile vision?<br /><br />Regions like Alsace, the whole of the Benelux, and probably many people have a real interest in an institutionalized Franco-German reconciliation and peace. That was probably why our policymakers supported European integration over the years (did they want another generation of young Americans suffering to end another European war?).<br /><br />I'll also recall something that struck me last year, in southern Italy. In the Catania airport, I saw a squad of soldiers in desert camo with their duffle bags making their way through the airport. My initial thought was that they were a bunch of Midwestern kids, until I considered that all of them were white. Coming alongside, I noted their Bundeswehr patches and that they were chatting among themselves in German. It struck me that not too long ago, my uncles and their grandfathers were probably trying to kill each other on the same patch of ground.<br /><br />True, the Eurocrat elite probably has to go, with Brexit and the showing of the French FN as important symptoms of dissatisfaction. Those Europeans who would like to kick them out strike me as willing to accept an immigration that will assimilate; and it is striking that Europe's new wave of anti-Semitism seems fueled by Muslims who won't and Leftists who will never forgive Israel for having become a Cold War ally of the USA. But, at the same time, something must be done to ensure that a Europe of national states/regions/whatever find a way to build on what the postwar move towards European integration began.Kephahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00999385775493831638noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1400985529434569506.post-62676954527627172852017-07-31T07:26:12.818-04:002017-07-31T07:26:12.818-04:00This comment has been removed by the author.Kephahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00999385775493831638noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1400985529434569506.post-54554556355093246782017-07-31T00:26:14.541-04:002017-07-31T00:26:14.541-04:00Regarding Dunkirk. I read somewhere that the movi...Regarding Dunkirk. I read somewhere that the movie followed several groups through the evacuation.<br /><br />I agree with the view point that any movie falls short if it does not provide a lead in to the events leading up to the evacuation.<br /><br />I recently read an interesting account (see below) of the defence of Calais and Boulogne, which shows that the French, British and Belgian defenders might well have been a deciding factor in whether the Germans pushed on to Dunkirk or waited.<br /><br />It is interesting to note that on the morning of May 22 the British "Second Irish Guards and Second Welsh Guards infantry battalions had been ferried to Boulogne with orders to defend the port city, along with a battery of two-pound antitank guns and a company of field engineers." <br /><br />"The factors behind the Wehrmacht’s decision not to execute a swifter ground assault on Dunkirk remain complicated and highly controversial, and include interservice rivalry in the German military and anxiety over a renewed counterattack at Arras. But if the ragtag defenders of Boulogne and Calais hadn’t put up such a fight, Guderian’s panzers might have swept towards Dunkirk that much faster and could have persuaded von Rundstedt to crush the evacuation point from the ground."<br /><br /><br />http://nationalinterest.org/blog/the-buzz/dunkirk-everything-you-need-know-before-you-see-the-movie-21622<br />Davidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09731386688101956263noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1400985529434569506.post-79542701358876623242017-07-30T23:25:24.917-04:002017-07-30T23:25:24.917-04:00Regarding Dresden and the firestorm not done on pu...Regarding Dresden and the firestorm not done on purpose. The bomb mix of incendiary and explosive (See below) was designed to create massive fires. With the right weather conditions a firestorm resulted.<br /><br />Dresden was behind the Iron Curtain. It was to the Soviets advantage to keep the bombing of Dresden alive, long after the criticism of similar attacks in the West had died down. <br /><br />Additionally, Dresden was a communications hub then. much as it is a communications hub now.<br /><br />Davod<br /><br />Bomber Command Executive Codeword: "COOKIE/PLUMDUFF"<br />Target Type: Heavily Industrialised Cities<br />1 x 4,000 lb Amatol, Minol or Tritonal filled, impact-fused High Capacity (HC) bomb. 3 x 1,000 lb short-finned, short-delay, tail-armed HE bombs, and up to 6 SBC's with 4 lb or 30 lb incendiary bombs."<br />http://www.lancaster-archive.com/lanc_bomb_loads.htm<br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1400985529434569506.post-83604677116635504622017-07-30T15:53:25.254-04:002017-07-30T15:53:25.254-04:00reader #1482
A bit long but suits your Christian-...reader #1482<br /><br />A bit long but suits your Christian-Progressivist concept well: http://malcolmpollack.com/2017/07/30/plus-ca-change-2/whitewallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03469746790747742992noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1400985529434569506.post-46617932139025718932017-07-30T12:29:13.470-04:002017-07-30T12:29:13.470-04:00one other thought... Pope Francis (apologies to ca...one other thought... Pope Francis (apologies to catholics, but I generally prefer to call him Pope Fancypants) seems to have succeeded in his quest to get the media off his back in an effort to have the church defined by its mission rather than the divisive issues which generate conflict with secularism. But I'm not certain that this goal is actually what is needed, as it seems to play into the Progressivist Playbook by squelching the debate (over sexuality in the modern world, for example) and then declaring the debate over.<br />When the pope declines to weigh in on whether homosexuality is pleasing to God, the Progressivists declare the debate 'over' and that the answer is 'yes'.<br /><br />Also on the plus side, secular birth rates are *way* down, and birth rates among active Christians are not... so there's hope there too.<br /><br />- reader #1482Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1400985529434569506.post-66296912806328465112017-07-30T12:18:51.428-04:002017-07-30T12:18:51.428-04:00There is still hope. While Christianity is being ...There is still hope. While Christianity is being beaten back in western europe and america, I read (somewhere, I really ought to look it back up) that Christianity is the only religion that grows in the cultural shallows, rather than the depths. ie, Christianity grows organically around the world, not at the borders of the countries of its adherents. And apparently it is still the fastest growing religion in the world, but only by people, not by acre.<br />Christianity is also the *only* major non-culturally-imperially religion. Different cultures experience Christianity uniquely. While all churches certainly share a bond, they're also very different in many traditions.<br />These traits do not describe hinduism, buddhism, or Islam.<br /><br />I'd expect bigger gains in Christianity to be made (or continue to be made) in China and India where it is culturally or legally forbidden.<br /><br />I don't know that Europe is truly lost.... the poles and a few other segments aren't backing down, but for the most part, france and brittain may reasonably considered some sort rearguard at this point.<br /><br />Michael Levine, excellent synopsis of what's been concerning me about America in the last ten years. When people say 'oppression', they often invoke Hitler, but what America is coming to is more clearly displayed in "Brave New World", as you appear to reference.<br /><br />So far, churches have been allowed to 'discriminate against gay marriage', so long as they perform weddings for members and without advertisement. That is *already* state oppression of the church. But that's not enough, because churches receive tax exempt status, which will not be allowed by the Progressivists. This is the route by which churches will begin being shut down. All those fair-weather Christians who donate to churches on their marginal faith will fail to see the value when those funds aren't removed from their income. Many churches will be forced to make the choice of becoming like Presbyterian USA (effectively espousing that the Bible is merely good reading and that the new testament is a figurative work) or disbanding. Certainly a few will thrive... and it's even possible that this new post-American clamp down on liberties will help the church overall. Won't help america. But who cares about that anymore?<br /><br />- reader #1482Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1400985529434569506.post-50893032729290877292017-07-30T11:59:44.200-04:002017-07-30T11:59:44.200-04:00Misher
"Your theory re guilt doesn't exp...Misher<br /><br />"Your theory re guilt doesn't explain Denmark or Britain, neither of which have any reason to have WWII guilt or Spain, Sweden or Switzerland who were neutrals."<br /><br />You're right those countries do not fit my narrative. <br /><br /> I guess not enough good people are speaking out before it becomes too late. Have to think on this one.<br />I watch One American News, have never yelled at the TV as I do listening to Fox now. They do devote time to Europe on a regular basis.<br />ThanksAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14691085965002838331noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1400985529434569506.post-47415579564901972482017-07-30T11:28:57.640-04:002017-07-30T11:28:57.640-04:00Misher
"Your theory re guilt doesn't exp...Misher<br /><br />"Your theory re guilt doesn't explain Denmark or Britain, neither of which have any reason to have WWII guilt or Spain, Sweden or Switzerland who were neutrals."<br /><br />Good points. Thank you for that.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14691085965002838331noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1400985529434569506.post-61897531385359169842017-07-30T10:36:56.058-04:002017-07-30T10:36:56.058-04:00michael levine
Your theory re guilt doesn't e...michael levine<br /><br />Your theory re guilt doesn't explain Denmark or Britain, neither of which have any reason to have WWII guilt or Spain, Sweden or Switzerland who were neutrals. Poland, traditionally anti-semitic is fighting to keep its identity and is talking again about Jews. Of course George Soros financing migrants doesn't help.<br /><br />michael levine and swedishlady<br /><br />Of course there were good and innocent Germans, and some very courageous ones too. There were an awful lot, though, who were not. As you say, we will never know the actual percentages. But look at Germany post-war and today. They paid a lot or reparations and then turned pacifist, pc, greenie and statist. Not doing much good in the world, Still dictatorially, imho, forcing its ways on Europe. Right now leading it to suicide. But I don't have any answers. I don't understand this urge to suicide, which infects half of America too. That brings me full circle - sad and bewildered about the world. I have stopped watching/reading news now on many days because I don't want to know what's happening.Mshernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1400985529434569506.post-16345557748940249932017-07-30T09:40:00.426-04:002017-07-30T09:40:00.426-04:00Msher
Your last post to Swedishlady.
"Perhap...Msher<br />Your last post to Swedishlady.<br /><br />"Perhaps those films of the cheering audiences more than anything make me think Germans themselves belonged on the receiving end"<br /><br />I worked with a customer (home remodeling) who was born in Germany before the war. She was Jewish and her husband ended up in the ss. He was never heard from again after the Germans surrendered at Stalingrad. She was secretly helped by members of the small community where she lived after that. She would not tell me the name of the town. <br /> She talked about how there were a lot of good people that were destroyed along with the bad, but that was always the nature of war. I said to her something like "obviously there weren't enough of the good people to put a stop to hitler". She responded along the lines of "that there were enough good people but that they wouldn't speak up when it mattered. Before they knew it, it was too late". She was a fascinating woman. She had been through a lot and was one of the kindest and most gentle people I have ever met. <br /> ThanksAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14691085965002838331noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1400985529434569506.post-7314754844679442192017-07-30T08:40:32.565-04:002017-07-30T08:40:32.565-04:00Msher, you bring up a very complex picture. Well, ...Msher, you bring up a very complex picture. Well, there is still a lively debate about when and how much civilians knew of what happened in the Third Reich. We will never know. Also, consider the extremely efficient propaganda. And if Herr und Frau Jedermann started wondering about reports from the Eastern Front or worry about disappearing neighbors, what could they do ? What could the Soviet citizens do about their misery ? They all lived in totalitarian states. Once in a while ordinary people rose to heroic stature, like the Scholls, sister and brother. Please read about them, their sad fate illustrates well how dangerous life was, how difficult resistance was. I also recommend books by the German author Hans Fallada that well illustrates life before and during the Third Reich, "Little man what now ?" from 1933 and " Every Man dies alone" from 1946. They are both excellent.<br />Bombings happen for various reasons, collateral damages happen all the time but no, I can never agree that civilians deserve bombings.<br />SwedishladyAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1400985529434569506.post-57255969603656232392017-07-30T08:27:16.536-04:002017-07-30T08:27:16.536-04:00Msher
"We actually ARE on the subject of the...Msher<br /><br />"We actually ARE on the subject of the movie. What was the point of that heroic effort, or any resistance to Hitler, given what Europe has done since?"<br />My take on europe.<br />We defeated the Germans not the nazis. They just moved to other locations, knowing they would be back. Weren't there quite a few people back then pushing the dangers of the Soviet Union to justify letting many nazis to escape justice?. <br /> The people of Europe can not reconcile how their Christian values could allow so many of it's citizens to try and destroy it's Jewish population before and during WW2. Rather then look inwards into how this occurred, the true reasons that led them to their failures as God loving people, they have given up completely any pretense of even believing in God. So they work to complete what they started. A Europe without Jews. They really do not know of any other way. It does not matter to them what their replacement citizens believe. When the time comes for Europeans to "convert or die", not believing in anything, they will convert and continue their descent into oblivion. And that choice will be offered to them sooner rather than later. <br /><br />"What was the point of that heroic effort, or any resistance to hitler"<br />Without that heroic effort, I and many others (not just Jews but Christians also), would never had the chance to exist at all.<br />Evil was stopped, but only temporarily. <br />ThanksAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14691085965002838331noreply@blogger.com