Quote:
Originally Posted by KG26_Alpha
No arguments/surprises at all just facts.
Both sides had political agendas and had to convince their citizens that they had superior machinery and men than their enemy.
If you happen to believe the propaganda your country is telling you then you will have a false uninformed opinion, the thing I find surprising is that 70 years later this seems to still be the case.
IMHO
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Absolutely true.
Until this programme was broadcast there were only a privileged few, in the UK particularly, who knew the real story, free of jingoist propaganda.
Most of these people will have read 'The Most Dangerous Enemy', and not just once.
It was highly gratifying to see a programme that told the story in an objective light for a change.
The Germans had the equipment, the numbers and the pilot's personal drive, but had the worst kind of amateurish leadership, and an inadequate manufacturing and training capacity. They also made strategic and tactical mistakes.
The British had the most efficient and effective airborne defence system in the world, led by professional soldiers, who knew the value of staff rotation as opposed to 'The Warrior Ethic', and had a manufacturing and training capacity to ensure continuity.
It wasn't simply about whether the Spitfire was better than the 109, or simply whether German pilots were 'superior' to RAF pilots, but about the ability to undertake a task and organise available resources to the best effect.
Hugh Dowding and Keith Park should be as lauded in the UK as Nelson and Drake.
It's a shame that politics dictated otherwise; and to those in the know, this will remain a continued embarrassment.
A very, very good broadcast.