The Blitz in 1936?

[Platapus]

In the context of aircraft, to me (and Wikipedia) The Blitz occurred in 1940-41.

However, I am watching an "Our Gang" short that was made in 1936. In that short, an old women's dining room was "invaded" by a toy airplane. She yells at her servants, about the Blitz.

The comedic context is that this old woman, upon seeing an airplane "attacking" her has flashbacks to "the blitz". This being the punch line, I can assume that the writers would think that the audience would recognize the comedic value of that term.

How could this be, in a movie made in 1936?

The concept of Blitzkrieg, in the context of land battles was developed between WWI and WWI, but it is unlikely that a movie audience would recognize the word, and especially in the comedic context is an airplane.

I have done a little research on the term "The Blitz" but can't find examples of that prior to 1940

Could this be a slip up on MGM's part and now exposes the fact of time traveling? Nah, probably not. But it is interesting to see a movie of 1936 use the term "The Blitz" as a comedy punch line 3-4 years prior to it being used "for the first time" to describe the bombing operation over Britain.

I doubt very much that the term originated in an Our Gang short and that the Press stole the idea four years later.

Still I wonder where did the writers get that term from in that context in 1936?

[Eichhörnchen]

That sure is an interesting conundrum. I'm going to dig around and see what I can find...

[Fubar2Niner]

My guess, and this is only a guess. The Spanish Civil War, time frame is correct '36 - '39

Best regards.

Fubar2Niner

EDIT

Check this out

http://www.dictionary.com/browse/blitz

Originates '35

From what I can figure out from the Wikipedia article (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Our_Gang) it seems that the original films were substantially edited for later television use. Is it possible that the 'blitz' reference was added then?

[Platapus]

The Spanish Civil war makes sense as there was a lot of innovative use of aircraft. I never read of the term "the Blitz" used in the context of that war, but it makes sense.

[Eichhörnchen]

I think Fube's got the answer; the Nazis used the Spanish Civil War as a 'testing ground' for their hardware and tactics, and the idea of air-supported, mobile armoured attack was of course their big new idea, so you'll probably find the term was coined at that time...

[Catfish]

The Zeppelin attacks from 1914 to 1917, along with the Gotha bombers were also called 'Blitz', as i read - or only later, in hindsight?

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...or-attack.html

https://ospreypublishing.com/the-first-blitz

[Eichhörnchen]

Yes, zeppelin raids were possibly described using the term in retrospect. Wiki says that it (the term blitzkrieg) had been used "in English and other languages.... since the 1920s"

But the derived term The Blitz, which I'm guessing is the phrase heard in Platapus' movie, was surely only coined by the British after the night raids of 1940-41? So that's still baffling...

[Aktungbby]

1936 Our Gang Second Childhood: Origin of word blitz:1935-40; shortening of blitzkrieg https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blitzkrieg

The origin of the term blitzkrieg is obscure. It was never used in the title of a military doctrine or handbook of the German army or air force, and no "coherent doctrine" or "unifying concept of blitzkrieg" existed.The term seems rarely to have been used in the German military press before 1939 and recent research at the German Militärgeschichtliches Forschungsamt at Potsdam found it in only two military articles from the 1930s. Both used the term to mean a swift strategic knock-out, rather than a radical new military doctrine or approach to war. The first article (1935) deals primarily with supplies of food and materiel in wartime. The term blitzkrieg is used with reference to German efforts to win a quick victory in the First World War but is not associated with the use of armoured, mechanised or air forces. It argued that Germany must develop self-sufficiency in food, because it might again prove impossible to deal a swift knock-out to its enemies, leading to a long war. In the second article (1938), launching a swift strategic knock-out is described as an attractive idea for Germany but difficult to achieve on land under modern conditions (especially against systems of fortification like the Maginot Line), unless an exceptionally high degree of surprise could be achieved. The author vaguely suggests that a massive strategic air attack might hold out better prospects but the topic is not explored in detail. A third relatively early use of the term in German occurs in Die Deutsche Kriegsstärke (German War Strength) by Fritz Sternberg, a Jewish, Marxist, political economist and refugee from the Third Reich, published in 1938 in Paris and in London as Germany and a Lightning War. Sternberg wrote that Germany was not prepared economically for a long war but might win a quick war ("Blitzkrieg") . He did not go into detail about tactics or suggest that the German armed forces had evolved a radically new operational method. His book offers scant clues as to how German lightning victories might be won.


In English and other languages, the term had been used since the 1920s. The British press used it to describe the German successes in Poland in September 1939, called by Harris "a piece of journalistic sensationalism – a buzz-word with which to label the spectacular early successes of the Germans in the Second World War". It was later applied to the bombing of Britain, particularly London, hence "The Blitz" . The German popular press followed suit nine months later, after the fall of France in 1940; hence although the word had been used in German, it was first popularized by British journalism...Modern historians now understand blitzkrieg as the outcome of the rejuvenation of the traditional German military principles, methods and doctrines of the 19th century with the latest weapon systems of the interwar period.

Oddly enough:

After the German failure in the Soviet Union in 1941, use of the term began to be frowned upon in the Third Reich, and Hitler then denied ever using the term, saying in a speech in November 1941, "I have never used the word Blitzkrieg, because it is a very silly word. In 3/4 January 1942, Hitler dismissed it as "Italian phraseology".

Bottom line; the word was out there by 1935; more an English expression than German, and simply referred to a swift decisive attack (tanks Achtung Panzer etc) ) more than our present historical connotative aerial "London Blitz"... the use by an English character, Zeffie Tilbury, stealing the show as "Grandma" b.1863–d.1950 in the enjoyable Our Gang episode is quirkily correct within time parameters..by one year!

[Fubar2Niner]

Originally Posted by Aktungbby

1936 Our Gang Second Childhood: Origin of word blitz:1935-40; shortening of blitzkrieg https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blitzkrieg Oddly enough: Bottom line; the word was out there by 1935; more an English expression than German, and simply referred to a swift decisive attack (tanks Achtung Panzer etc) ) more than our present historical connotative aerial "London Blitz"... the use by an English character, Zeffie Tilbury, stealing the show as "Grandma" b.1863–d.1950 in the enjoyable Our Gang episode is quirkily correct within time parameters.

Eggxactamundo old mate. Just what I said, more eloquent tho I must say. Once again the beagle and I bow before your knowledge BBY

All the best mate.

Fubar

[Aktungbby]

Originally Posted by Fubar2Niner

Eggxactamundo old mate. Just what I said, more eloquent tho I must say. Once again the beagle and I bow before your knowledge BBY

All the best mate.

Fubar

Well thanks! My attaboy for the day! I did a lot of history term-papers and proofread everyone else's! The trick is to build on everyone else's observations (^Well done Y'all) gleaning, then...strive for accuracy (Never trust a source initially) then "blitz" the subject with a 99% sound argument that will hold up to ' s many articulate, sharp-eyed historians: in this case Platapus who noted the apparent time discrepancy to begin with...Then check for grammar errors to avoid our resident Nazi(s) lest I get a spanker on my mizzen! from a mizzenthrope!

Having watched the video (the phrase in question is about 2:30 in), I think what the lady is saying is "Quick, Hobson, the Flit!". According to Wikipedia, Flit insecticide was then advertised with a similar slogan:

In 1928 Flit, then marketed by a newly formed subsidiary of Jersey Standard, Stanco Incorporated, became the subject of a very successful long running advertising campaign. Theodor Seuss Geisel created the artwork for this campaign, years before he started writing the children's books that made him famous as Dr. Seuss. The ads typically showed people threatened by whimsical, menacing insect-like creatures that would look familiar to fans of Dr. Seuss's later work and contained the tagline "Quick, Henry, the Flit!" This advertising campaign continued for 17 years and made "Quick, Henry, the Flit!" a popular catchphrase in the United States.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FLIT

[razark]

Originally Posted by AndyJWest

Having watched the video (the phrase in question is about 2:30 in), I think what the lady is saying is "Quick, Hobson, the Flit!".

That's what I heard when I watched the video.

[Platapus]

Holy Parelodlia Batman!

I just cut out that part of the movie and played it back with one of my audio programs, and youse guys is right. She saying Flit.

But that's not how I always heard it. Looks like I had some cognitive biases stuck to my brain.

It is so weird. Now when I played it back, I can't imagine ever confusing that word with blitz.

Well they say the hearing is the 17th thing to go.

[Aktungbby]

Originally Posted by AndyJWest

Having watched the video (the phrase in question is about 2:30 in), I think what the lady is saying is "Quick, Hobson, the Flit!". According to Wikipedia, Flit insecticide was then advertised with a similar slogan:

Originally Posted by razark

That's what I heard when I watched the video.

Well DAMN! plugging in my WIDEX $5K hearing aids; calling in my 'ears of a fox' bride for backup (she could not be sure) and cranking up the volume over the 'flit's noisy engine...I'm not certain

 

(Never trust a source initially)

but I'm inclined to agree it's 'flit'...makes more sense, "99% 'sound' argument that will hold up" , and is a period play on words. The scary part is...I used one of these to 'blitz' legions of horseflies in a MN 20 horse barn where I taught riding in 1969! <1928 FLIT manual spray pump for insecticides