New Member - want to learn about WW2

HI All,

I am a new member from Aberdeenshire in Scotland.

I know hardly anything about WW2, Im only 23 and at school we weren't told much about WW2, only the very very basics i.e... (a country called Germany and a man called Hitler)

I just got round to watching Band of Brothers (i know only 9 years after everyone else) but it has got me hooked and i want to know as much as i can about the war.

I know there are many books etc.. out there but everything seems too in depth for me at the moment, i am looking for something which gives me all the main information in basic terms so i can get to grips with it before going more in depth...
I am having great fun reading through this forum, especially the "tales from Grandparents" thread.

So if you have any good links or threads that will give me this information it would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Chris.

 

Welcome and enjoy the information here. Hope we can help.

 

Hello ChrisGrieve,
Welcome aboard Enjoy

Regards
Kruska

 

Hi ChrisGrieve...welcome to WW2F ..a good to place to be and plenty of articles to learn from ...enjoy your stay

 

Well Chris you have come to the right place.

all you need about the war is right here. The site is full of information and links to all you need to know about the war.

here is a basic timeline of the war in europe and the pacific.. No need to bombard you yet with too much information

War in Europe

[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ut7N74svHlk[/YOUTUBE]

War in Pacific

[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oIqdpND1STs[/YOUTUBE]


Welcome to the forum Chris

 

I would have a look for some of the better documentaries on the War. Several are mentioned on the Forum - try doing a search for "documentary" as I believe there is a thread in which members mention those they recommend.

A particularly good set that I saw was National Geographic's The Apocalypse Apocalypse The Second World War | Programmes | National Geographic Channel Asia

Do read the thread's written by our actual World War II Veterans, their names are in blue and they are identified as a World War II Veteran - not a WW2F Veteran which just means we've been on the site for some time.

Recommended books are also in the What are you reading thread on the Forum.

 

Welcome, Chris!

First of all, STAY AWAY FROM WIKIPEDIA. Sure, it's fun to get on every now and then, but check your info before you go around bragging about it.

WWII was started when Hitler invaded Poland. By then, He had already taken Germany (duh), and Austria. After WWII started, he had Normandy, France, and Denmark. England and Great Britain declared war on Germany in 1939 after the invasion of Poland.

Hitler and Stalin (Russia's dictator) had a peace treaty, but Hitler broke it in 1941 by invading Stalingrad. Stalin broke his relationship with the Axis (Germany, Japan, and Italy), and joined the Allies.

Japan attacked us on December 7, 1941 at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. That's what got us in the war.

I'll be happy to share any more information.

 

"Wiki" is a decent to good starting place, but not one to be used as a; "be all, end all", start there, get leads and follow them up. Be careful here "Der Phooey", Hitler didn't break it (a non-aggression pact, not a peace treaty) and "invade Stalingrad".

That was much later than the opening shot of Barbarossa in June of '41. The following year saw Stalingrad attacked actually.

Hitler also didn't invade the west (Denmark, Norway, Low Countries, and France) until the spring of 1940. After the period known as the "phony war", or the "Sitzkrieg" from the fall of 1939 on.

Welcome Chris, and check our own archives through the "search function" to get an idea of what is already available for review, and such. And feel free to ask questions, even to post things which might "irk" a few here. Remember, there are no dumb questions really. Sometimes you may run into a dumb answer or two though.

 

Thanks Everyone, some great links and information already...

Erm.... Wikipedia.... erm.... ok i admit it, i have had a look on there, it has given me some information i.e. countries involved on either side and names of battles.

"Der Phooey", thanks. thats a great help, its exactly what i needed to know first.

"macrusk" thanks for the advice regarding the veterans, i am enjoying reading through their stories and experiences.

Thanks again everyone.

 

Hi Chris, nic eto have you with us. What about looking in our data base while using our search function? Type a few key words and you'd be surprised to see what pops up.

 

Welcome to the Forum - 'Where do I start' is actually an interesting point and it set me to thinking......

I still reckon that a very good place to start is one of the things which fixed my interest many years ago - the now-legendary 'World At War' TV documentary series. It's still available on DVD and needn't cost you much money. Yes, in some ways it's dated but it describes what happened and why with some unforgettable ( and now sadly unrepeatable ) 'talking heads' to reinforce the story.

Apart from the facts, it's also still highly entertaining to watch - to direct you to books at this stage may put you off for life !

 

Thanks, i will look at this.

Thanks for that, i did try a search first, but there were so many threads retrieved, plus i wasnt too sure what keywords to use to bring up the best threads.

Thanks for that, I actually have that DVD box set on orderm a guy at my work recommended it to me, i should recieve it tomorrow.

Thanks again everyone.

 

Welcome on, Chris. You've come to the right place. I look forward to reading your posts as you learn...you'll soon become addicted!

 

Welcome to the forums Chris, WWII is a fantastic time period to learn more about. Feel free to join in on conversations and you'll learn something new every time.

 

hi chris only a newbie myself too but nice to meet you

 

Glad to have you Chris, enjoy yourself with all the awesome info here