18 Historical Myths About World War II That People Still Believe Decades Later

As a history buff, I always enjoy learning little, unknown facts of history and commonly believed myths. So, when I saw a post on the popular WW2 subreddit by user Historical_Zone_6379 asking, “What are some common myths about WW2?” We have to see what the people say. It was very interesting, and I learned some things I didn’t know before! So, here are some top answers:

1. “The Battle of Britain was won by a hair’s breadth.”

—u/LeftLiner

“Germany invading Britain is always the funnest to me. They could have smashed the RAF into oblivion and still not invaded. They really didn’t have the boats to do a competitive landing on a large scale. They were going to try and use river barges. Good luck with that.”

—u/Glader_Gaming

2. “In my country, in the Philippines, some of my compatriots who have no knowledge about WWII like to spread common myths. One of these is that Imperial Japan only invaded my country because we were an American colony. Another myth is that the Koreans recruited into the Imperial Japanese Army were more brutal than the Japanese. In fact, it was the Koreans who were not committed to the Japanese.”

“Some of my countrymen suggest that it would be better if we were completely colonized by the Japanese, believing that it would make the people more disciplined. Others still cling to the Japanese propaganda of a ‘Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Area’ or ‘Asia for Asia.’

—u/James_Deglado

RELATED: 27 Cultural Things I Miss Too Much As a 36-Year-Old Millennial

3. “The myth that the Waffen-SS was an ‘elite’ army throughout WWII.”

—in/jenkers1

4. “It is a myth that Britain stood alone in 1940 and 1941.”

—u/TheMoonUnitExp

“What’s really interesting about this idea is that it came after the war. In the war, people from political cartoonists to Churchill, in his most famous speeches, brought up the fact that we, the British, were widely supported by the Empire.”

—u/pirateofmemes

5. “It is a myth that U-boats were the most successful submarine operations in the war.”

—u/ga_vindiesel

“The American submarine campaign was completely crippled, then Japan was directly suffocated, leaving their shipping tonnage at a fraction of what it once was at the end of the war, while the U-boat crews were destroyed with a casualty rate of about 75%, brutal and irreparable losses that led to the war in Krifa94 being completely killed in 94.”

—u/ga_vindiesel

6. “Clean Wehrmacht.” It is a myth that regular German troops were not involved in the war crimes of WWII. “And the motorized Wehrmacht, while we’re at it.”

—u/marcvsHR

“The Germans invaded the USSR with more horses than trucks.”

—u/negative_Fox_5305

7. “There is a myth that most Germans were unaware of their state’s crimes. There was plenty of evidence, and word of mouth quickly spread about what was happening to the Jewish people. Many turned a blind eye or completely bought into the propaganda.”

Halton Archive/Getty Images, Bateman/Getty Images

—u/Carl_The_Llama69

RELATED: Adults Are Sharing Everyday, Common Experiences From The ’70s That Will Totally Shock Younger Generations

8. “The British and their superior carrot eyesight. I’ve heard that people still believe that carrots help them see in the dark.”

“For those in the know, the British claimed the carrot was one of the reasons they shot down German planes at night. It was actually the invention and use of radar.”

—u/Big-Bit-3439

9. “The Sherman had the best crew survival rate of any tank. It wasn’t a death trap!”

—u/Clone95

“The Sherman tank also had the highest crew survival rate at the time. For example, American tanks had spring-loaded hatches, while German tanks didn’t, meaning you had to use brute force and sheer force to open the hatch, which you don’t want to do if you’re injured and trying to escape from a burning tank.”

—u/ga_vindiesel

10. “In Czechoslovakia, there is a prevailing myth that we were liberated by the Soviet Union and the US. In fact, Soviet, Polish, Romanian and Czechoslovak forces were fighting alongside the Soviets.

—u/spitfire-haga

RELATED: Answer these ’80s, ’90s, and 2000s trivia questions and we’ll guess your exact (and I mean accurate) age.

11. “The Myth That America Won WWII.”

Photo 12 / Getty Images, Keystone / Getty Images

—u/StuTaylor

“I was going to add that. But I have to say, the Soviets quickly became very dependent on American credit, and I’m not convinced they would have defeated the Germans without that help.”

—u/Prestigious_Wall5866

“Fundamentally, this is true, though. American aid essentially won the war. Britain would never have been defeated, but Britain would not have gone on any meaningful offensive without American aid and support. The Soviet Union needed American aid to survive. While the USSR carried the brunt in terms of casualties, it was not the economic allies that won the war. The number of soldiers killed in combat.”

—u/Eddie666ak

—u/MrM1Garand25

13. “It is a myth that D-Day in Normandy was the largest and most difficult logistical landing of the war. The invasion of Leyte involved many troops and a very wide body of water that had to be crossed.”

—u/quibblicous

14. “‘Never invade Russia in winter’, whereas Germany did in June and it was delayed from May 15.”

—u/unvobr

15. “It’s a myth that the Allies committed no war crimes.”

—u/LauMay27

RELATED: The 10 Biggest History Lies Many People Still Believe, Despite the fact that they’ve been proven wrong

16. “Swedish ‘Neutrality’.”

—u/InThePast8080

17. “It’s a myth that all German equipment was the pinnacle of innovation and quality. Some of it was good, and some really wasn’t. The opposite is the belief that the Allies were bad or years behind German designs. It wasn’t. Most Allied equipment was very good and reliable.”

—u/RainyDay000

—u/deleted

What do you think of these? Let me know your thoughts below. Or, if you have any history facts or myths of your own that you’d like to share, feel free to do so in the comments or via the anonymous form below. Who knows – your fact might be included in a future BuzzFeed article!

Please note: Some comments have been edited for length and/or clarity.

Also on Rewind: People are discussing historical facts that are so heartbreaking they’ll stick with them forever, and I think I might cry.

Also on Rewind: 24 Absolutely Weird Historical Events I Can’t Believe Really Happened

Also on rewind: If you can pass this ’80s slang test, there’s no way you’re under 35.

Read it on BuzzFeed.com