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Submitted via IRC for ErnestTBass
In 1940, Britain had retreated back to their island fortress after being throttled in mainland Europe by invading Nazis. They would hide behind the sea and hope that their navy and air force could stop the possible German invasion of their island.
As the Battle of Britain raged on, the German and British air forces went head to head. Something strange happened, the Germans pulled of[sic] a series of highly effective night bombing raids. It's strange because night bombing was incredibly ineffective for the most part.
[...] This German bombing was much more effective than what the British could do at night. As a matter of fact, it was more accurate than what typical bombing could do in the day time.
Source: https://medium.com/lessons-from-history/england-was-almost-destroyed-by-radio-waves-df70830e8593
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday April 28 2019, @09:50PM (19 children)
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-11486219 [bbc.com]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday April 28 2019, @10:05PM (18 children)
Radio waves aka Radar saved the British.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday April 28 2019, @10:43PM (1 child)
If you've listened to BBC radio in the last decade, you wouldn't be so certain.
(Score: -1, Flamebait) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday April 28 2019, @11:02PM
They start hiring wogs as announcers?
(Score: 2) by PartTimeZombie on Sunday April 28 2019, @10:56PM (3 children)
The Luftwaffe switching from bombing Fighter command airfields in southern England is what won the Battle of Britain.
If they had kept it up for just a few more days they might have won. (The battle, not the War. The Royal Navy would have sunk any invasion fleet, even without air cover).
(Score: 1) by pTamok on Monday April 29 2019, @02:09PM (2 children)
Unlikely - without air-cover, even Stukas could sink warships.
HMS Wryneck & HMS Diamond in the Battle of Greece [wikipedia.org]
HMS Gloucester in the Battle of Crete [wikipedia.org].
(Score: 2) by PartTimeZombie on Monday April 29 2019, @08:01PM (1 child)
While that is true, the massive advantage the Royal Navy had would have doomed any German invasion to failure.
There would have been losses for sure, but the Home Fleet was several times the strength of the German Navy, and warships can shoot Stukas down too.
This bit from the Wikipedia article on Operation Sealion caught my eye:
It is a very interesting part of history however, and it is no surprise there are so many alternate history stories about the Nazis winning WWII.
(Score: 1) by pTamok on Tuesday April 30 2019, @01:59PM
Admiral Karl Dönitz was a very good warfighter, and I believe his opinion has weight. He was responsible for the North Atlantic submarine campaigns, which caused the loss of a lot of Allied shipping, to an extent that worried Churchill. Post-war analysis tends to the view that despite the apparent success of the submarine campaigns, they did not, in reality, come near to denying supplies to Britain, although at times it may have felt like it. Had the German submarine navy got the resources that Dönitz wanted early in the war, things might have been different.
The alternate histories are interesting. Certainly, it is easy to identify strategic mistakes made by Hitler and his Field Marshals, but I believe that even if all the right decisions had been made by Hitler et. al. the war would not have been a foregone conclusion for the Germans. This Quora answer is interesting: Could Germany have won World War II if they did not attack the Soviet Union? [quora.com] because it focusses on the practical necessity of needing oil to run a war. Churchill was worried the submarine campaign in the Atlantic was disturbing the UK's oil supply from the USA. Hitler had a bigger problem - he had to conquer working oilfields to further the war. The German war-machine failed to do so.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by realDonaldTrump on Sunday April 28 2019, @11:05PM (11 children)
My father is German, right? Was German (RIP!). And born in a very wonderful place in Germany, the best part of Germany. So I have a great feeling for Germany. People don't know this, RADAR was invented, very proudly, in Germany. By a German known as Christian Hulsmeyer. But, he didn't call it RADAR, he called it Telemobiloskop. Try saying that one with your mouth. And obviously it failed very badly. Branding is one of the most important things, folks. It can make you, or break you. And it broke Christian. But, his magnificent German ingenuity is what truely saved Britain from becoming part of Europe. But sadly, only until 1973. So many guys -- and some ladies -- died, very bravely fighting that one. And then a very weak & ineffective leader signed it all away. So foolish. So very very foolish!!!!
(Score: 2, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday April 28 2019, @11:33PM
Fartfignewton.
(Score: 2) by PinkyGigglebrain on Monday April 29 2019, @01:00AM (9 children)
Sorry to burst your bubble but RADAR was not invented by Germany.
Nikola Tesla described it in 1917 [teslascience.org] and laid out the basic principles, the guys who made it work effectively decades later were working from his original concept and description.
"Beware those who would deny you Knowledge, For in their hearts they dream themselves your Master."
(Score: 4, Disagree) by realDonaldTrump on Monday April 29 2019, @01:50AM (3 children)
Two guys. 1st. guy has an idea. Takes out the patent on it. Gives it a lousy name. BUILDS IT. Makes it work, starts a business selling it. Business doesn't do so great, he shuts that one down and starts another. Doing something totally different. And, his 2nd. business is very successful.
2nd. guy comes along LONG AFTER all that happens. Describes how the idea could, possibly work. Gives it a snappy name, easy to remember, easy to say. And leaves the building of it to other folks -- even later. To your way of thinking, the 2nd. guy is the Inventor. Because, much easier to remember, right? It's great marketing and I already said marketing -- branding is one of the most important things. But, it's not inventing. Many people think like you. Many people. It's 100% wrong. But, knock yourself out!!!!
(Score: 4, Funny) by kazzie on Monday April 29 2019, @08:55AM
Hm... are you the first guy or the second guy?
(Score: 2) by PinkyGigglebrain on Monday April 29 2019, @05:05PM (1 child)
Another poster linked to an article about Hulsmeyer.
I was incorrect in my statement about N. Tesla having prior claim and retract my challenge to your comment.
Please accept my apologies.
"Beware those who would deny you Knowledge, For in their hearts they dream themselves your Master."
(Score: 2) by realDonaldTrump on Monday April 29 2019, @06:13PM
That's O.K. That's O.K. And, thank you. Because your Link has so many things I can tell folks. When I show them my fabulous Tesla Model S!!
(Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Monday April 29 2019, @04:05AM
Actually, there was a science fiction description six years earlier, in Hugo Gernsback's "Ralph 124C41+".
(Score: 2, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Monday April 29 2019, @08:35AM (3 children)
"Giving the name Telemobiloskop (Telemobiloscope) to the system, he made a patent application on 21 November 1903" - source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_Hülsmeyer [wikipedia.org]
(Score: 2) by PinkyGigglebrain on Monday April 29 2019, @05:00PM
Thanks for the correction :)
"Beware those who would deny you Knowledge, For in their hearts they dream themselves your Master."
(Score: 2) by realDonaldTrump on Monday April 29 2019, @06:17PM
WikiLeaks, I love WikiLeaks. I have learned so much from WikiLeaks. A real treasure trove. Thank you, Anomalous Coward. And, thank you Julian Assange!!!!
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday April 29 2019, @08:54PM