10 World War II Myths That You Believe Because of Hollywood

Fighting Hollywood has never been easy when attempting to correct the historical record. Here are 10 myths about World War II either created or long maintained by the entertainment industry.

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[QueenetBowie]

Fun fact, even after the second atomic bomb was dropped, Japanese Minister Korechika Anami continued to argue for Japan to fight to the very end asked “would it not be wondrous for this whole nation to be destroyed like a beautiful flower?”

Thankfully cooler heads prevailed

[barryfletcher]

Emperor Hirohito > ordered < the surrender of Japan as a result of the atomic bombings. He did NOT order the surrender of Japan after the fire bombings which actually caused many more casualties and damage.

[DarylBaines]

You forgot Hollywood's biggest WWII myth: All Nazis spoke with British accents.

[jhouck]

My British grandfather told me about his time in North Africa and the Middle East, driving supply trucks and ambulances. One thing he told me was the time he was transporting wounded soldiers from the battle of El Alamein when the Luftwaffe repeatedly strafed his ambulance even though it was clearly marked.

Yes, the Wehrmacht was definitely committing war crimes.

[FancyRPGCanada]

My Grandpa, a third generation Canadian, flew as a navigator with the RAF for two years before the RCAF was formed in the middle of WW2. I know he was part of the forward scouts for D-Day, but I'm not sure where he was during the Battle of Britain. His brother was in Norway as part of a Canadian tank battalion.

[sirridesalot]

During the Battle of Britain, Hawker Hurricanes shot down more German aircraft than the Supermarine Spitfires did.

[stephennewton]

The name on the draft card is Huddie Ledbetter. A noted blues singer.

[ZXaber]

You left off how almost all Japanese atrocities during the war got swept under the rug.

[ivorbiggun]

The 'myth' that Britain stood alone should not be seen as something simply to debunk. The fact of the matter is that although the nations of the Empire courageously and unanimously supported Britain right from the start it took time for these countries to mobilise and for troops and materials to arrive from them. Indeed the 1st Canadian Division was sent to the UK in 1940 but was not fully manned and equipped until 1941 despite some elements being sent to France, briefly, in the aftermath of Dunkirk. There was also the issue of the great distances between some Commonwealth nations and the UK. What should also be borne in mind is that, with the exception of India, most of these countries had relatively small populations albeit it that in practice they all punched well above their weight. Besides which when Churchill said 'alone' I believe he meant in the context of the Empire, not just Britain.

[grahvis]

The fact that the Wehrmacht relied so much on horses was one aspect against the possibility of the invasion of the British Isles. The logistics of shipping so much needed fodder was a problem in itself.

[GrievousReborn]

Hollywood makes it seem like the MP40 was used by more soilders than it actually was

[SC-yxwr]

Interesting video. Little known fact about gasoline rationing in the US, it was actually done to conserve rubber since it was a commodity that had to be imported via sea lanes subject to u-boat attacks on shipping. The US had adequate domestic supplies of oil and refinery capacity for domestic fuel requirements, but not so much rubber which it had to ship in.

[hankwilliams]

I grew up in the US but have lived in Canada for 50 years so I am glad that you mentioned Canada's part in the war. My older sister was about 3 when the US entered the war and she had a habit of losing her shoes which weer rationed. However, Mexican sandals or "huarachas" which cost about $1 weren't so she wore those a lot during the war!

[DeliveryMcGee]

Toward the end on the war, the Luftwaffe pulled Me 262s -- the first jet fighters -- to the runway with horses, because they didn't have enough fuel to taxi them to takeoff position under their own power.

[arfranke]

Well, that ration card was a creeper, Simon. That address is 5 blocks from where I grew up!

[tlguyton]

Simon, huge fan of all of your series. Can you please do a Biographics on Nat Turner and an episode on the 1956 Uprising in Hungary?

[OldMusicFan]

Do a top 10 on facts about the Occupation of Berlin during the Cold War. I’m a Veteran of this from the 80s. Would love your perspective.

[blakes]

Canada and Britain fought the longest battle of the war the battle of the Atlantic

[thecharredremain]

You and your production teams are absolutely fantastic. Thank you for all the amazing content you bring us!!!! 💜✌🏼

[Moog]

Inaccurate.
Hirohito was left in power not because the Japanese demanded it (they were in no position to make any demands).
MacArthur was the one who decided to keep the emperor in power, in order to facilitate the transition and keep people from rebelling. The emperor was stripped of all his "divine" power, such as leading the army. He basically became a puppet.