Geoffrey Sinclair
2013-03-11 16:30:36 UTC
Dig WW2 TV series, by the looks of it meant as 4 episodes
of an hour each less time for advertisements. Featuring Dan
Snow, who says he thought he knew WWII but is now
discovering new things.
Meant for a Canadian audience with that bias, with the usual
problem of pictures chosen on how good the vision is, not how
accurately they match the narration, plus the footage is repeated.
I would assume Mr Snow is mainly interested in the ground war
and confuses casualties with killed. The first episode was so
bad it was funny, leading to a game of spot the biggest error.
The script tends to over state things and prefers Nazi to German
and seems oblivious to a contradiction, while noting scavengers are
a problem the show has divers collect pieces from a ditched B-17.
Episode 1
Claims the Spitfire elliptical wing was unique, ignoring other designs.
Claims in November 1941 there was air cover for Canadian and
US ships off Northern Ireland (but US ships were banned from war
zones until the US entered the war)
Claims the escort was actually providing cover for allied anti
submarine aircraft from German fighters, yet we know the German
fighters had enough trouble reaching London, there were German
bomber attacks against the shipping.
Claims the Spitfire carried 350 rounds of ammunition for 8 guns
and had a 6,000 HP engine.
Claims the UK needed 1 millions tons of supplies each week, pity
then the 1942-4 period saw an average of 500,000 tons per week
Claims it was in December 1942 the Battle of Atlantic "broke wide
open". Part of the episode is a dive on a sunken U-boat as an
illustration.
Claims the type IXc U-boat range 40,000 km, instead of the 11,000
nautical miles given in the standard references.
Flies in a Canso A, the A stands for Amphibian but claims it did not
have wheels in WWII. More than half of the Canadian production
were amphibians.
Episode 2
Claims the B-17 was responsible for over half of all bombs dropped
over Europe
So we have 2.9 million tons of bombs dropped by the allied air
forces, including on North Africa. The USAAF says 1.1 million by
US heavies, which means around 400,000 tons of bombs would
have to be dropped by RAF B-17s, assuming no B-24 dropped
a bomb. (8th AF 972,000, 15th AF 583,000 tons)
Alternatively 1.5 million tons by USAAF, 1.1 million by heavies
around 750 to 800,000 tons by B-17s. Half of all US bombs.
Claims in 1943 UK under relentless German attack, this is the
description for about 70 day bomber, 730 day fighter bomber
and 3,900 night bomber sorties over the course of the year, so
about a tenth of the Bomber Command effort against Germany.
Claims V-1 was a rocket. The visuals are particularly funny,
some V-1s were disguised as Ju87 dive bombers, plus He111,
or else these two types were bombing London in June 1944.
Claims the V-1s killed 23,000 people, which is interesting since
England reports 6,200 killed and 24,200 seriously wounded, with
fewer casualties at Antwerp. This death toll is despite the claim the
bombing campaign all but neutralising the V-1.
In visual terms Allied bombers used against V-1 sites include
C-47s, presumably with people inside throwing grenades. Also
used were Do217 bombers, which must have been a real surprise
to all concerned.
Claims Allied response to V-1 was synthetic AA training, at the
limits of (the then) imagination.
A quick note the Spitfire XII, 100 produced Oct 42 to Sep 43.
In squadron service Feb 43 - Sep 44, also as a communications
aircraft Dec 44 to Jul 45
Claims the Spitfire XII was only a prototype, rushed off lines to
respond to new German weapons like the V-1, no time for R&D
and testing, so had developmental engines, it was far too dangerous
and soon scrapped. Also called an experimental engine, seems not
to know about 740 Fairey Firefly using basically same engine
Gun camera considered reconnaissance camera.
Claims 18,000 Canadian pilots killed in WWII (9,900 Canadian
aircrew killed in Bomber Command)
Episode 3
In Italy. Claims the attack on the Hitler line had Rome as the
ultimate prize, the capture of which the allies believed would
cause the fighting in Italy to stop. No mention of the Gustav
line which was where the allies were at the time. Monte
Cassino fell on 18 May.
The actual allied attack started 11 May and advanced, but no
mention of this in the program which starts on 23 May when the
Canadians attacked, the allies had already advanced around 8
miles in the Canadian area. The French had already breached
the Hitler/Senger line in their sector. Anzio beach head had
started to break out on 23 May threatening German supply lines.
None of this information given.
No mention of the halt at the end of the 1944 campaign season.
Claims a 40 mm AT gun on Churchill, but the 1944 versions
had a 6 pounder or a 75mm.
On to Arnhem, claims all 35,000 Allied paratroops to Arnhem,
where allied intelligence is supposed to claim only a few Hitler
youth on bicycles in area. No mention of allies actually getting to
the bridge, except a line about troops that might have reached it.
Episode 4
Claims D-Day, invasion fleet was 5 or 7,000 warships, try that
many ships counting landing craft. Claims it was the ultimate turning
point of WWII. Claims the Atlantic Wall began construction in 1940
and in 1944 Hitler still could win, the allies needed to invade France.
Claims at 1 am thousands of landing craft were lowered, with 5,000
warships, 1,100 aircraft moving towards Normandy (1,000 aircraft
is about the size of the US Airborne transport fleet or about the size
of the Bomber Command attack force.)
Investigates the E company "Band of Brothers" knock out of that
artillery battery. Claims it was crucial to knock the heavy guns out.
Claims 12,000 of the D-Day assault troops killed, presumably
through the course of the campaign, as opposed to under 12,000
allied casualties, killed, wounded, missing and PoW on 6 June.
Claims the invasion changed of tide of war, then after D-day the
next date mentioned is 25 August, liberation of Paris, then follows
the surrender of Germany.
Then we go to scuttling U-boats and back to the dive scenario used
in episode 1.
Geoffrey Sinclair
Remove the nb for email.
of an hour each less time for advertisements. Featuring Dan
Snow, who says he thought he knew WWII but is now
discovering new things.
Meant for a Canadian audience with that bias, with the usual
problem of pictures chosen on how good the vision is, not how
accurately they match the narration, plus the footage is repeated.
I would assume Mr Snow is mainly interested in the ground war
and confuses casualties with killed. The first episode was so
bad it was funny, leading to a game of spot the biggest error.
The script tends to over state things and prefers Nazi to German
and seems oblivious to a contradiction, while noting scavengers are
a problem the show has divers collect pieces from a ditched B-17.
Episode 1
Claims the Spitfire elliptical wing was unique, ignoring other designs.
Claims in November 1941 there was air cover for Canadian and
US ships off Northern Ireland (but US ships were banned from war
zones until the US entered the war)
Claims the escort was actually providing cover for allied anti
submarine aircraft from German fighters, yet we know the German
fighters had enough trouble reaching London, there were German
bomber attacks against the shipping.
Claims the Spitfire carried 350 rounds of ammunition for 8 guns
and had a 6,000 HP engine.
Claims the UK needed 1 millions tons of supplies each week, pity
then the 1942-4 period saw an average of 500,000 tons per week
Claims it was in December 1942 the Battle of Atlantic "broke wide
open". Part of the episode is a dive on a sunken U-boat as an
illustration.
Claims the type IXc U-boat range 40,000 km, instead of the 11,000
nautical miles given in the standard references.
Flies in a Canso A, the A stands for Amphibian but claims it did not
have wheels in WWII. More than half of the Canadian production
were amphibians.
Episode 2
Claims the B-17 was responsible for over half of all bombs dropped
over Europe
So we have 2.9 million tons of bombs dropped by the allied air
forces, including on North Africa. The USAAF says 1.1 million by
US heavies, which means around 400,000 tons of bombs would
have to be dropped by RAF B-17s, assuming no B-24 dropped
a bomb. (8th AF 972,000, 15th AF 583,000 tons)
Alternatively 1.5 million tons by USAAF, 1.1 million by heavies
around 750 to 800,000 tons by B-17s. Half of all US bombs.
Claims in 1943 UK under relentless German attack, this is the
description for about 70 day bomber, 730 day fighter bomber
and 3,900 night bomber sorties over the course of the year, so
about a tenth of the Bomber Command effort against Germany.
Claims V-1 was a rocket. The visuals are particularly funny,
some V-1s were disguised as Ju87 dive bombers, plus He111,
or else these two types were bombing London in June 1944.
Claims the V-1s killed 23,000 people, which is interesting since
England reports 6,200 killed and 24,200 seriously wounded, with
fewer casualties at Antwerp. This death toll is despite the claim the
bombing campaign all but neutralising the V-1.
In visual terms Allied bombers used against V-1 sites include
C-47s, presumably with people inside throwing grenades. Also
used were Do217 bombers, which must have been a real surprise
to all concerned.
Claims Allied response to V-1 was synthetic AA training, at the
limits of (the then) imagination.
A quick note the Spitfire XII, 100 produced Oct 42 to Sep 43.
In squadron service Feb 43 - Sep 44, also as a communications
aircraft Dec 44 to Jul 45
Claims the Spitfire XII was only a prototype, rushed off lines to
respond to new German weapons like the V-1, no time for R&D
and testing, so had developmental engines, it was far too dangerous
and soon scrapped. Also called an experimental engine, seems not
to know about 740 Fairey Firefly using basically same engine
Gun camera considered reconnaissance camera.
Claims 18,000 Canadian pilots killed in WWII (9,900 Canadian
aircrew killed in Bomber Command)
Episode 3
In Italy. Claims the attack on the Hitler line had Rome as the
ultimate prize, the capture of which the allies believed would
cause the fighting in Italy to stop. No mention of the Gustav
line which was where the allies were at the time. Monte
Cassino fell on 18 May.
The actual allied attack started 11 May and advanced, but no
mention of this in the program which starts on 23 May when the
Canadians attacked, the allies had already advanced around 8
miles in the Canadian area. The French had already breached
the Hitler/Senger line in their sector. Anzio beach head had
started to break out on 23 May threatening German supply lines.
None of this information given.
No mention of the halt at the end of the 1944 campaign season.
Claims a 40 mm AT gun on Churchill, but the 1944 versions
had a 6 pounder or a 75mm.
On to Arnhem, claims all 35,000 Allied paratroops to Arnhem,
where allied intelligence is supposed to claim only a few Hitler
youth on bicycles in area. No mention of allies actually getting to
the bridge, except a line about troops that might have reached it.
Episode 4
Claims D-Day, invasion fleet was 5 or 7,000 warships, try that
many ships counting landing craft. Claims it was the ultimate turning
point of WWII. Claims the Atlantic Wall began construction in 1940
and in 1944 Hitler still could win, the allies needed to invade France.
Claims at 1 am thousands of landing craft were lowered, with 5,000
warships, 1,100 aircraft moving towards Normandy (1,000 aircraft
is about the size of the US Airborne transport fleet or about the size
of the Bomber Command attack force.)
Investigates the E company "Band of Brothers" knock out of that
artillery battery. Claims it was crucial to knock the heavy guns out.
Claims 12,000 of the D-Day assault troops killed, presumably
through the course of the campaign, as opposed to under 12,000
allied casualties, killed, wounded, missing and PoW on 6 June.
Claims the invasion changed of tide of war, then after D-day the
next date mentioned is 25 August, liberation of Paris, then follows
the surrender of Germany.
Then we go to scuttling U-boats and back to the dive scenario used
in episode 1.
Geoffrey Sinclair
Remove the nb for email.