Great quiz. Though of course, in reality the western front was pretty much just a sideshow. The eastern front was where it was at. For instance, more Germans dies in one battle (Stalingrad) than in the entire western campaign.
thecoolestdude2 maybe you'd be cool if you learned about the incredible anti-nazi efforts of the Dutch resistance that aided the downfall of the Nazi regime and prevented thousands of Jews from being murdered.
If you just go after winning a war, than you might not be wrong. But its impact on our contemporary society is for sure also due to the Western campaign.
The point is, that without the western-front, the Nazis would probably have destroyed the Soviet Union. The USSR, you must remember, had only just gone through their industrial revolution with Stalin's Five Year Plans, and only won the war on sheer numbers. The western-front was important enough to split the German forces and gave the USSR the advantage.
Depends on POV. A sideshow in terms of whether or not the Nazis won? Yes, perhaps. A sideshow in terms of the balance of power in Europe afterwards? Most certainly not. But I do agree; after the Stalingrad, Kursk sort of period, the Nazis didn't have a chance. (well, apart from through developing nukes or allying the Allies or something equally off-kilter)
Why is there a trend that tells that the Allmighty Soviets and only them defeted the vile Nazi scum, while the Allies did nothing and even let them try to destroy the precious holy Motherland?
Because the allies didnt do nearly as much as they take credit for. Don't get me wrong, Free France, Resistance fighters across the mainland of Europe, Britain, etc. 's efforts are the reason for victory. But the Soviets were completely disregarded when the Eastern front killed 86 (Or maybe it was 76, I forget) % of German soldiers who died in WWII? Did they win by numbers? Sure. Would we have won without the Eastern front? Probably not. Spain had sent volunteers to Germany during operation Barbarossa and would probably have joined on the axis side given enough time for its economy and people to recover from the civil war, Dday becomes impossible without the Soviets in the east, German and Italian forces probably continue to hold large sums of Africa and eventually defeat the allies there, Other countries such as Sweden may be invaded for resources such as Tungsten which was crucial to make tanks artillery and such. The Lapland war probably never happens with a germo-finnish border etc
It wasn't about one front being completely unconnected from the other front. The British and Americans supplied huge amounts of materiel to the Soviets (the USSR had Spitfires for example). And action in North Africa, Italy, the Balkans, and the threat of invasion from Britain into France kept a lot of German forces tied down that could otherwise have been used on the Eastern Front.
That's not to say that the Soviet Union suffered far more casualties than the western allies, that can't be disputed.
I was anticipating seeing Zaitsev (sp?) too, but c'mon, Anne Frank is easily one of the most notable figures from WWII. Victims are no less notable than combatants.
And other than Alan Turing, I think most people would be hard-pressed to name any single individual involved with cracking the Enigma code, especially since the ones who laid the whole foundation for that are nameless Poles.
All the more reason to learn their names. If nobody currently knows who they are, then maybe they we're doing them an injustice by forgetting about them. I agree with Thorvald; making some girl who wrote a diary famous while ignoring people who actually impacted the outcome of the war represents misguided admiration.
This is a quiz of well-known people from WWII, not a rewriting of the history of that war that emphasizes the people you consider the most important. And Anne Frank is important not just because of the literary merits of her diary but because her recounting is one of the main touchstones in the popular imagination for the horrors committed by the Nazis, which, in turn, contributed to the striking cultural changes observed in the West after the war.
There are many sides to war, and Anne Frank's diary is the best resource many people, especially young people, have to understand what Jews in hiding actually went through. I don't think it's worthwhile to rate one person's importance vs. another's in this context, but certainly Anne Frank is important.
I was getting upset that it wasn't accepting Hermann Hesse. Then I realized that Hesse was not a Nazi, he was a poet and author who wrote the story about the Buddha... So, again, NOT a Nazi.
You should add Stauffenberg. "Google" him or watch the movie Valkyrie (?) with Tom Cruise. He is more notable than Anne Frank. He tried to kill Hitler and not only wrote a diary (I hope this doesn't start any discussion). I agree with Thorvald before - you should add people which really have tried to or did change something in history.
I understand the desire to suggest other notable people, but there is no question that Anne Frank is a "notable" person from WWII. I'm not sure why everyone wants to "rank" these answers and nitpick why the author should have included someone other than who they chose. Feel free to create your own quiz!
I believe they only got married on the last day of their lives, so any "notability" she gained was before that. However, I think the real issue is whether her impact on the war is really on par with most of the others on here.
Oh my. I agree that Anne Frank should stay, but think about what you wrote. Now look at this: "Why are people mad that Anne Frank was written as a girl who went to the Montessori School? She was in hiding for only 2 years." Marrying Hitler was what Eva Braun was famous for, even if it was only for a little amount of time.
He and a team of mathematicians invented a code-breaking machine called the bombe, it was used to break the german enigma codes that sent info about the u-boots and other german offensives during the early stages of ww2, before the bombes invention, countless people had tried to break the enigma code and failed. The bombe was a impossible invention that took a huge part of helping the allies win the war, now that almost all of the german plans and position had been leaked, the british could be more carefull and avoid german traps and ambushes, so if turning didnt exist in 1939, the war would probaly be lost or many countless lives would be lost
interesting how few people know hideki tojo, although he was pm of one of the axis countries, but everyone seems to know irrelevant people like eva braun and that patton dude, whoever he might be
He's got a point. General Patton is famous true, but Eva Braun is only known for being Hitler's wife, not for contributing anything to the war. Also, the War in the Pacific lacks coverage, both on this quiz and in Western history books/pop culture. I'd even suggest adding a Chinese name to the quiz just to recognize the enormous role they played in fighting the Japanese.
That's not to say that the Soviet Union suffered far more casualties than the western allies, that can't be disputed.
And other than Alan Turing, I think most people would be hard-pressed to name any single individual involved with cracking the Enigma code, especially since the ones who laid the whole foundation for that are nameless Poles.
I understand the desire to suggest other notable people, but there is no question that Anne Frank is a "notable" person from WWII. I'm not sure why everyone wants to "rank" these answers and nitpick why the author should have included someone other than who they chose. Feel free to create your own quiz!
from the Nazis (especially after realizing that she died only weeks
before the liberation of her concentration camp), are upset that Braun is referred to as Hitler's girlfriend, rather than wife though
they were married for, what 15 minutes? Where, oh where are
our priorities?