Quote:
Originally Posted by Ashikaga
Canadians British and Polish to be exact. US involvement was limited to Patton's army near Maastricht and the 101st and 82nd during the Battle of Arnhem.
|
Last time I checked Patton's Third army was out of fuel and supplies near Moselle which is aprox 250km away from Maastricht.
Quote:
Originally Posted by August
Well that's a far different tune than what your countrymen were singing the last time I was there. 
The ones I met (perhaps they were biased being Nijmegeners) believed that Monty and the Brits had unnecessarily made a bloody shambles of their country and they wished that it had been the US running that part of the front instead. Now i'm not saying that had they got their wish we would really have done any better, but do you seriously think that anyone would have been along to liberate you at all without the US? |
I guess it depends on where you'd ask in the Netherlands, the south who got liberated or the North who had to suffer through the ''Hongerwinter'' (Hunger Winter) when the Germans cut the food supplies as retaliation of the Dutch National Railway went on strike to help the allied efforts during Market Garden. But overal you'd find us grateful for liberating our country towards all who took part in it.
Anyway Hindsight, Monty's execution of the plan was a mess, too many risks and terrible use of intelligence. If the US was running the show they would have isolated the Netherlands and pushed straight through the Rheinland into Germany and if Patton had his way all the way to Berlin.
Quote:
As for our revolution I believe that Dutch support was limited to some financial loans and secret arms shipments no? French soldiers fought side by side with Americans. They shed their blood, gave their lives and eventually bankrupted themselves for our cause. That is not really the same thing, but thanks all the same and definitely mega dittos for not turning our downed bomber crews over to the Gestapo! You folks are just awesome! 
|
Financial Loans, use of our Neutral ports by the French to covertly supply arms to the Americans, Dutch Merchants did so too via our West Indies colonies, we gave sanctuary to American Privateers, established Diplomatic relations with the US and while we didn't declare a military alliance with the French to fight Britain(something the Dutch people wanted), Britain did declare war upon us for the above since they saw our actions contravened the Republic's neutral stance (4th Anglo-Dutch War). Also on the on April 19 1782, the Dutch formally recognized the United States. For a small country that's realistically what you could expect even if we did wanted to do more.
As for hiding Air crew from the Gestapo, well...who did like the Gestapo anyway.
