# Hitler was a football coach, say children



## Colin1 (Nov 6, 2009)

_The Daily Telegraph Friday 6 November 2009_

One in twenty schoolchildren thinks Adolf Hitler coached the German football team, according to a survey.

A similar proportion said The Holocaust was a celebration at the end of the Second World War while one in six youngsters said Auschwitz was a theme park.

The survey for Erskine, a war veterans charity in Scotland, also found that one in ten thought SS stood for Enid Blyton's _Secret Seven _and one in twelve believed the Blitz was a European clean-up operation following the Second World War.

The charity said it would now take part in a nationwide scheme to educate schoolchildren about the two world wars. The survey of 2,000 children between the ages of 9 and 15 found a quarter said they did not think about the soldiers who were killed; 40% said they did not know when Remembrance Sunday was but 70% said they wanted to learn more.

Major Jim Panton, Chief Executive of Erskine said "Some of the answers have shocked us and it has shown that Erskine, among others, has a part to play, not just in caring for veterans but in educating society as a whole."

"As we approach Remembrance Sunday, it is hard to believe that 40% of our children do not know when it is. Schoolchildren are the future of the country and it is important that we help them to learn about our history."

The charity said it wanted its veterans to share their experiences of war with younger generations.

Andrew Salmond of Their Past Your Future, a partnership that will work with Erskine said "This initiative offers a fantastic opportunity. Some will convey wartime loss and suffering, others will speak of daring and inspiration. However, all will be of great educational value."


----------



## Maximowitz (Nov 6, 2009)

Meanwhile in the changing rooms of the German World Cup Squad...

"Vot ve need is ze blitzkrieg into ze penalty area! Total football! Remember lebensraum for ze ball and nicht backward passing!

Vot do you mean vee are going to come second?


----------



## Colin1 (Nov 6, 2009)

Maximowitz said:


> Meanwhile in the changing rooms of the German World Cup Squad...
> 
> "Vot ve need is ze blitzkrieg into ze penalty area! Total football! Remember lebensraum for ze ball and nicht backward passing!
> 
> Vot do you mean vee are going to come second?


His team-sheets must have been reasonably predictable

1 goalkeeper and 10 right-wingers...


----------



## Maximowitz (Nov 6, 2009)

If they were playing Poland do you think they'd start the game without telling them?


----------



## DerAdlerIstGelandet (Nov 6, 2009)

Maximowitz said:


> Meanwhile in the changing rooms of the German World Cup Squad...
> 
> "Vot ve need is ze blitzkrieg into ze penalty area! Total football! Remember lebensraum for ze ball and nicht backward passing!
> 
> Vot do you mean vee are going to come second?





I can not stop laughing reading this! 

Now on a serious note though. I find what these school children think is very disturbing. Is this in Scotland?


----------



## Colin1 (Nov 6, 2009)

DerAdlerIstGelandet said:


> I find what these school children think is very disturbing. Is this in Scotland?


I'm not sure
Erskine are based in Scotland but the piece doesn't specify whether the survey was conducted solely in Scotland.


----------



## jamierd (Nov 6, 2009)

the survey was conducted in edinburgh and glasgow though their is no information about how many in each city gave the wrong answers


----------



## DBII (Nov 6, 2009)

"Meanwhile in the changing rooms of the German World Cup Squad..." Sounds like a set up for....

John Cleese 

DBII


----------



## Clay_Allison (Nov 6, 2009)

I'm a teacher in the US. I'm sure the history teachers would report the same degree of ignorance.


----------



## wheelsup_cavu (Nov 6, 2009)

It's sad to hear that Clay.


Wheels


----------



## Civettone (Nov 6, 2009)

They were between 9 and 15. So probably that 1 in 10 came from the younger part. I do NOT expect 9 year olds to know who Hitler was. They already need to know so much at that age. Just as long as they know who he is and what he stood for by the time they are 15 I am ok with this.

Kris


----------



## Gnomey (Nov 6, 2009)

Maximowitz. 

It is disturbing for sure and unfortunately it will be replicated in other places as well. For some reason I suspect that perhaps more of the Glaswegians gave the strange answers than those from Edinburgh or it could be my bias showing through...


----------



## BikerBabe (Nov 6, 2009)

Painter, dear kids - painter.
And a pretty hopeless one at that. 







Oberstleutnant Galland was better:






(Just kidding - this photo shows the painter Leo Poeten and Galland. Galland is giving the painter advice on how he wanted the painting finished).


----------



## RabidAlien (Nov 6, 2009)

I'm having to lean towards Clive's way of thinking on this. At that age, only those who have an interest in history will probably know any sort of details. I would expect the older kids to at least know about "Blitz", "Auschwitz", and "SS", though, but I bet if you took a poll of kids between 9 and 15 on math subjects, a large percentage wouldn't be able to do middle-to-higher level math. Notably...the younger kids.


----------



## Amsel (Nov 6, 2009)

At least the American kids aren't the only ones.


----------



## B-17engineer (Nov 6, 2009)

Hitler yells, "Fire! I mean shoot! *blushes* I really need to get a new job...."


----------



## RabidAlien (Nov 6, 2009)

I'm having to lean towards Clive's way of thinking on this. At that age, only those who have an interest in history will probably know any sort of details. I would expect the older kids to at least know about "Blitz", "Auschwitz", and "SS", though, but I bet if you took a poll of kids between 9 and 15 on math subjects, a large percentage wouldn't be able to do middle-to-higher level math. Notably...the younger kids.


----------



## Ferdinand Foch (Nov 9, 2009)

Clay_Allison said:


> I'm a teacher in the US. I'm sure the history teachers would report the same degree of ignorance.



Yeah, my history teacher, Alexandre Strokanov, is doing a survey with his Freshmen class, to see what they know about WW2. When the results come in Clay, I can let you know. 
Unfortunately, I think that this problem has been going on for a number of years, and I don't think that the kids don't care, its just that they don't sound interested in it (which is also a pretty scary thought). 

Oh yeah, good one Max!


----------



## CharlesBronson (Nov 9, 2009)

This is really strange, considering so much ww2 tv shows, movies, series, and video games that are right now in showcase.


----------



## Civettone (Nov 9, 2009)

C'mon these kids are 9 years old !!! Give em a break !!! 


Kris


----------



## RabidAlien (Nov 9, 2009)

The problem with middle-school and high-school history classes is that you only have 9 months to teach all of recorded history. You hit the highlights, important names/dates, and scurry on. I hated history while in school! It wasn't until I got out and was able to read and study the personal accounts that I really got hooked. I bet that if you gave the average 9 year old a book on Skortzeny's exploits, every male who can read would not be able to put it down. Or a book about the lives of OSS agents. But rote memorization of names/dates and blind regurgitation thereof is just....dry. Boring. I can understand them not knowing much about history.


----------



## conkerking (Nov 10, 2009)

Maximowitz said:


> If they were playing Poland do you think they'd start the game without telling them?





France - nip round the back of the defensive wall and pop one in

England - look threatening but never really get beyond the half way line (and the opposing team turns out to be _very _good in the air...)

Italy - the opposition would hang the coach at half time and change sides

Russia - dynamic, sweeping play in the first half, only to get bogged down in the second and lose in a penalty shoot-out


----------



## Njaco (Nov 10, 2009)

I say, kick Lucky outta the country. Problem solved. 

I don't think this is happening only in Scotland. This is all over.


----------



## DerAdlerIstGelandet (Nov 10, 2009)

conkerking said:


> France - nip round the back of the defensive wall and pop one in
> 
> England - look threatening but never really get beyond the half way line (and the opposing team turns out to be _very _good in the air...)
> 
> ...





Priceless!


----------



## Gnomey (Nov 10, 2009)

Ferdinand Foch said:


> Yeah, my history teacher, Alexandre Strokanov, is doing a survey with his Freshmen class, to see what they know about WW2.



Be interesting to see what comes up here.



conkerking said:


> France - nip round the back of the defensive wall and pop one in
> 
> England - look threatening but never really get beyond the half way line (and the opposing team turns out to be _very _good in the air...)
> 
> ...


----------



## wheelsup_cavu (Nov 11, 2009)

conkerking said:


> France - nip round the back of the defensive wall and pop one in
> 
> England - look threatening but never really get beyond the half way line (and the opposing team turns out to be _very _good in the air...)
> 
> ...


That's great. 


Wheels


----------



## Lucky13 (Nov 20, 2009)

LMFAO!  Classics!


----------

