Dramatic World War II Quotations That Sound Made Up But Aren't

Sophie Scholl appeared in 'Dramatic World War II Quotations That Sound Made Up But Aren't'.Sophie Scholl appears in 'Dramatic World War II Quotations That Sound Made Up But Aren't'.

Sophie Scholl joined the White Rose, a student group that resisted the Nazis without violence. They handed out anti-Nazi leaflets.Sophie Scholl appears in 'Dramatic World War II Quotations That Sound Made Up But Aren't'.They also wrote anti-war slogans on walls around Munich in 1942-3 using black tar paint.Sophie Scholl appears in 'Dramatic World War II Quotations That Sound Made Up But Aren't'.Sophie Scholl appears in 'Dramatic World War II Quotations That Sound Made Up But Aren't'.

The Gestapo arrested Scholl, her brother Hans, and another group member, Christoph Probst.Christoph Probst appears in 'Dramatic World War II Quotations That Sound Made Up But Aren't'., by the Gestapo and put them on trial in 1943. Scholl refused to be silent and cut the judge off several times. She also refused to reveal other group members' names and accepted her fate, claiming she did the best for her nation and had no regrets.Sophie Scholl appears in 'Dramatic World War II Quotations That Sound Made Up But Aren't'.Sophie Scholl appears in 'Dramatic World War II Quotations That Sound Made Up But Aren't'.

After the guillotine killed her on February 22, 1943, copies of the White Rose's sixth leaflet reached the UK and landed in German cities via Allied planes.

Full quote appears in 'Dramatic World War II Quotations That Sound Made Up But Aren't'.Full quote appears in 'Dramatic World War II Quotations That Sound Made Up But Aren't'.

December 22, 1944 appears in 'Dramatic World War II Quotations That Sound Made Up But Aren't'.

To the German Commander, appears in 'Dramatic World War II Quotations That Sound Made Up But Aren't'.

N U T S ! appears in 'Dramatic World War II Quotations That Sound Made Up But Aren't'.

The American Commander appears in 'Dramatic World War II Quotations That Sound Made Up But Aren't'.

Context appears in 'Dramatic World War II Quotations That Sound Made Up But Aren't'.Context appears in 'Dramatic World War II Quotations That Sound Made Up But Aren't'.

The Ardennes counteroffensive of 1944, called the Battle of the Bulge, was the Germans' final effort to push the Allies out of Western Europe. Initial German gains quickly reversed. American forces at Bastogne, Belgium, faced German panzer divisions, and a German officer approached American lines on December 22 to discuss surrender.Battle of the Bulge appears in 'Dramatic World War II Quotations That Sound Made Up But Aren't'., was a last-gasp attempt by the Germans to drive the Allies out of Western Europe, which saw some initial German gains soon reversed. German panzer divisions surrounded American forces at Bastogne, Belgium, and a German officer approached American lines on the morning of December 22 to discuss a surrender.

American commander Anthony McAuliffe woke up to the news. He mumbled "nuts!" while collecting his clothes. When he asked his staff for a reply to the German demands, an aide suggested his initial remark would be hard to beat.initial remark appears in 'Dramatic World War II Quotations That Sound Made Up But Aren't'.So, the short remark was typed and sent back to a German officer who seemed unimpressed.

The town was appears in 'Dramatic World War II Quotations That Sound Made Up But Aren't'.relieved appears in 'Dramatic World War II Quotations That Sound Made Up But Aren't'.with American reinforcements arriving on December 27, 1944. The final desperate German gamble failed.

Full quote appears in 'Dramatic World War II Quotations That Sound Made Up But Aren't'.Full quote appears in 'Dramatic World War II Quotations That Sound Made Up But Aren't'.

I only have one goal: destroy Hitler, and my life becomes simple. If Hitler invades Hell, I will at least mention the Devil in the House of Commons.

- Prime Minister Winston Churchill on the prospect of appears in 'Dramatic World War II Quotations That Sound Made Up But Aren't'.supporting the USSR appears in 'Dramatic World War II Quotations That Sound Made Up But Aren't'.against Germany, June 22, 1941 appears in 'Dramatic World War II Quotations That Sound Made Up But Aren't'.

Context appears in 'Dramatic World War II Quotations That Sound Made Up But Aren't'.: The sharp quote referenced the German incursion into the Soviet Union in 1941. Churchill strongly disliked Communism, but he did not object to supporting Stalin against Nazi Germany. The German invasion of the Soviet Union started successfully, but bad weather, a determined enemy, and Russia's size caused Operation Barbarossa to stop by winter.incursion appears in 'Dramatic World War II Quotations That Sound Made Up But Aren't'.into the Soviet Union in 1941. Churchill held strong disdain for Communism, yet he backed Stalin against Nazi Germany. The German invasion of the Soviet Union started well, but bad weather, a determined enemy, and Russia's size caused Operation Barbarossa to grind to a halt by winter.bad weather appears in 'Dramatic World War II Quotations That Sound Made Up But Aren't'., a determined enemy, and the sheer size of Russia saw appears in 'Dramatic World War II Quotations That Sound Made Up But Aren't'.Operation Barbarossa appears in 'Dramatic World War II Quotations That Sound Made Up But Aren't'.grind to a halt by the winter appears in 'Dramatic World War II Quotations That Sound Made Up But Aren't'.

Full quote appears in 'Dramatic World War II Quotations That Sound Made Up But Aren't'.Full quote appears in 'Dramatic World War II Quotations That Sound Made Up But Aren't'.

Long live the Communist party! Long live the partisans! Fight, people, for your freedom! Do not surrender to evildoers! I will be killed but others will avenge me. I am not a traitor of my people. Those you ask about will show themselves after wiping out all evildoers. To the last man.

- Last words of Lepa Radic, February 8, 1943 appears in 'Dramatic World War II Quotations That Sound Made Up But Aren't'.

Context appears in 'Dramatic World War II Quotations That Sound Made Up But Aren't'.Context appears in 'Dramatic World War II Quotations That Sound Made Up But Aren't'.

The Axis invaded Yugoslavia in 1941. Surrender happened after only 11 days. Partisans kept fighting the occupation after the military lost.durationPartisan efforts drained Axis resources already stretched thin by conquests and occupations across the continent.

Lepa Radic was 17 when the crackdown on partisans hit in 1943. She refused to give up information under torture. When she had one last chance to save her life, she gave her defiant final words.saveshe delivered her final words. The Yugoslav government commemorated her with the Order of the People's Hero.Order of the People's Herothe Yugoslav government in 1951.

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We should have known better after the first war. The French nearly collapsed in 1917; the English came close.der Englander, even after our 1918 offensive, never.

- Field Marshal Gerd von Rundstedt discussing Britain's resolve after the war.

Context:

The rapid collapseof the French military shocked everyone, including the Germans who saw France as the greater threat. The unexpected Ardennes attack surprised the French and almost destroyed the British Expeditionary Force escaping Dunkirk.DunkirkDespite these major setbacks, the British resolve to keep fighting surprised the Germans. They assumed France's fall meant a swift collapse.

Von Rundstedt's postwar reflections mention the British army's tenacity in the First World War.First World War, which suffered heavy losses but kept pushing. Germany's failure to learn a key lesson from the last conflict caused its defeat.

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You are ready! A man must stay alert if he expects to breathe. Otherwise, some German son-of-a-b*tch will sneak up and kill him with a sock full of sh*t. There are 400 marked graves in Sicily from one man sleeping on the job—but they are German graves because we caught the bastard asleep before his officer did.

Context:

Patton's colorful language made him popular with soldiers, but officers disliked his speech as unprofessional. His tendency to make unwise public remarks angered his superiors. The speech's profanity kept it out of newspapers, but postwar accounts of soldiers addressed by Patton confirm the line.corroborate the infamous line.

The address is probably best known from the opening scene of the 1970 film Patton, starring George C. Scott. In real life, Patton spoke a bit more softly than Scott's gravelly voice suggests.soft-spoken than Scott's gravelly cadence might have us think.

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Nazis entered the war thinking they could bomb everyone but themselves. They applied this naive idea in Rotterdam, London, Warsaw, and half a hundred other spots. They sowed the wind, and now they will reap the whirlwind.

Marshal of the Royal Air Force Sir Arthur "Bomber" Harris said this in a televised speech.televised speechJune 3, 1942

Description of ''They Sowed The Wind, And Now They Are Going To Reap The Whirlwind.' (Marshal of the Royal Air Force Sir Arthur Harris On The Unrestricted Bombing Of Germany)' in the list 'Dramatic World War II Quotations That Sound Made Up But Aren't':

The quote calls up a biblical verse.Hosea 8:7"For they have sown the wind and they shall reap the whirlwind."

The British had no hesitation retaliating against German terror bombing with their own strikes on populated areas. Bombing strikes, initially aimed at war production, had a major effect on theBattle of BritainIn 1940, this caused the German Luftwaffe to shift efforts from winning air superiority over England to intercepting Allied bombers.

AfterHarris took overBomber Command in 1942. He pushed for bombing German cities to break the German will. Harris's method remained highly debated, andpostwar surveysof Allied bombing efforts questioned targeting civilians.

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In the first six to 12 months of a war with the United States and Great Britain, I will run wild and win victory after victory. But if the war continues past that, I expect no success.

- Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto's warning against war with the US, c. 1940

Context:

Many high-ranking Japanese military leaders worried about attacking the US. Admiral Yamamoto gave his serious warning to several cabinet members, includingFumimaro Konoe, before the Pearl Harbor attack. Even those pushing for war thought inflicting enough damage in a first strike would force the US to settle.

Yamamoto's prediction proved accurate; the decisiveBattle of Midwayhappened almost six months later. The US Army Air Forces shot down Yamamoto's transport aircraft in 1943 during Operation Vengeance.Operation Vengeance.

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Now the war has lasted nearly four years. Despite everything—the fighting of our military and naval forces, the hard work of our state servants, and the service of our 100,000,000 people—the war situation has not helped Japan, and world trends favor everything but Japan.

Also, the enemy uses a new, cruel bomb. Its destructive power is huge, taking many innocent lives. If we keep fighting, we will face total collapse and destruction of the Japanese nation, and human civilization will end.

- Emperor Hirohito'sradio addressaddressed the Japanese people on August 14, 1945

Context:

By the summer of 1945, only Japan fought the Allies. The situation in 1945 was dire. The skies were completely dominated, so one challenge facing the choice of atomic bomb sites wasfinding somewherethat conventional bombers had not already destroyed.

Some argued for continuing the war for better terms. The emperor made arare public addressto the people to end the madness. Describing the turn of events as "not necessarily to Japan's advantage" was an understatement in the summer of 1945!

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Isn't it dreadful? Two officers of the German General Staff discuss how to kill our commander in chief. This must happen. This is our only chance... Hitler must be cut down like a rabid dog.

- General Major Henning Von Tresckow, on plotting tokill Hitlerc. 1943

Context:

Multiple plots aimed to eliminate the Führer. The Gestapo foiled some. Others failed only by chance.Gestapo, while others only narrowly failed bychance.The 20 July Plot was the best-known. It happened in 1944, with Germany's WWII defeat certain. Henning von Tresckow had been in several earlier attempts on Hitler's life before the July 20 attempt. The uprising, codenamedOperation Valkyrieused army reserves from within Germany to topple the Nazi regime completely.

News of the Gestapo learning about the plan made von Tresckow and his partners see a meeting at the Wolf's Lair in Poland as the only option. Claus von Stauffenberg placed a bomb in a briefcase under the table. This bomb would have ended the Nazi leader's life if another officer hadn't moved it accidentally.

Hitler escaped another assassination attempt with minor injuries. He remained well enough to meet Benito Mussolini later that day. Over 200 suspected members were arrested and killed within hours. Von Tresckow and Stauffenberg died on July 21, 1944.

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We will stand and fight here. If we cannot stay alive, let us stay dead. I want everyone to know the bad times are over; they are finished! Our Prime Minister's order is to destroy Axis forces in North Africa; I have seen it, written on half a sheet of notepaper. It can happen, and it will happen: without any doubt.

- Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery to theBritish 8th Army, August 13, 1942

Context:

Montgomery was a British general assigned to the struggling 8th Army in North Africa in August 1942. He worked to boost the morale of the men who fought the Axis forces led by the formidable German CommanderErwin RommelMontgomery saw his counterpart as his personal rival; he even named one of his dogs after him. He named his other dog Hitler. A World War I veteran, he applied those lessons to reduce unnecessary casualties and care for his men's well-being. He wrote this later in his memoirs.memoirs:

The soldier must stay active, alert, and purposeful always. He will do what you ask him, provided you arrange his mail from home, newspapers, and plenty of tea. He likes knowing what happens in the battle area and what you need him to do. He lives a tough life in war. He accepts this so long as he knows you live similarly; he likes seeing the C.-in-C. in the forward area, and being spoken to and noticed. He must know you care for him and will look after his interests.

Montgomery's men liked him, but his harsh, arrogant personality often clashed with other Allied commanders.ChurchillChurchill probably said it best when describing Montgomery as "in defeat unbeatable, in victory unbearable."

Context:

Hermann Göring made a very poor decision.boastGöring boasted about Germany's safety from Allied bomber strikes. The term "Meyer" means country bumpkin or rube. For the rest of the war, air raid sirens in Germany were informally called Meyer's Trumpets.

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Putting it this way might seem wrong, but the atomic bombs and the Soviet entry into the war are, in a way, God's gifts. Now we can end the war without showing we have to end it because of the domestic situation.

Context:

This strange way of thinking came out when the national archives opened after 60 years, showing the Japanese leadership's mindset at the end of WWII.national archivesThe archives opened after 60 years, revealing the Japanese leadership's mindset at the end of WWII.

The nightmare scenario of an Allied invasion of Japan projected millions of deaths, even with the best outlook. The lack of viable landing sites on Japanese soil meant any attack would be fought hard every step of the way.viable landingsites on Japanese soil meant any incursion would be fiercely contested every step of the way.

With no hope of winning, the Japanese wanted to cause the most casualties possible to get the best peace deal. Stuck ideologically, senior Japanese officials saw no way out of a brutal fight to the death. That changed when news of the atomic bombs and the Soviet entry into the war in the Pacific arrived in August 1945. This bad news became a blessing, giving the struggling Japanese a way out of the war.Soviet entryinto the war in the Pacific came through in August 1945. This bad news became a blessing, giving the struggling Japanese a way out of the war.

Context:

The German WWII method of fighting—using rapid combined air and armored attacks to quickly surround and destroy the enemy—got the name Blitzkrieg.BlitzkriegHitler used variations of words to describe the "lightning war," but you won't find that exact word in German sources.It is a completely idiotic word."

Allied assessments of the German war effort started the term. Historians today dispute Blitzkrieg as a military doctrine.Historians list Adolf Hitler.Historians dispute Blitzkrieg as a military doctrine. The idea of a short, fast war of movement comes from the Prussian successes in the 19th century.Prussians list Adolf Hitler.German high command discussed the need to win fast at the start of the conflict. Heinz Guderian's postwar memoirs mention Blitzkrieg.Memoirs list Adolf Hitler.Allied forces only used Blitzkrieg as a term.

Our enemies coined the term Blitzkrieg, or "lightning war," because of our rapid campaigns at the start of World War II.

Full quote: Benito Mussolini.

It is humiliating to stand by with folded hands while others write history. Who wins matters little. To make a people great, you must send them to battle, even if you have to kick them in the pants. That is what I will do.

- Mussolini's remark to Galeazzo Ciano.Galeazzo Ciano.(his son-in-law and Minister of Foreign Affairs), April 1940.

Context.:

Italy joined WWII in 1940, taking advantage of France in disarray.France in disarray.Mussolini thought joining the latter stages of the conflict would help Italian colonial interests.colonial interests.The Italians never fully mobilized for this massive entanglement in the Mediterranean. They proved more of a hindrance than a help to the German war effort.