…By Larry John for TDPel Media. Two-thirds of millennials have limited knowledge about the countries that emerged victorious from World War II, according to recent research.
A poll of 2,000 adults revealed that 41 percent of individuals between the ages of 18 and 34 are unaware that the UK fought on the side of the Allies during the war.
Surprisingly, despite 61 percent claiming to have good knowledge of the significant historical event, Brits generally have limited awareness of key World War II events and figures.
With the 83rd anniversary of Dunkirk being commemorated this week, the study found that 40 percent of respondents are unaware of the mission’s success in evacuating over 338,000 Allied soldiers from northern France.
Additionally, 11 percent of millennials mistakenly believe that the “Miracle of Dunkirk” refers to the day the Nazis surrendered in 1945.
The research, commissioned to coincide with the launch of the game Company of Heroes™ 3: Console Edition, revealed that 41 percent of participants are unaware that D-Day involved the combined forces of land, sea, and air at the beaches of Normandy.
Astonishingly, one in 20 millennials even believe that D-Day occurred in Germany.
Furthermore, 74 percent of adults lack knowledge about the Manhattan Project, a research and development undertaking that led to the creation of the first nuclear weapons.
Additionally, 31 percent have never heard of J. Robert Oppenheimer, and 24 percent are unaware that the first atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, Japan.
Surprisingly, four percent of millennials believe the first nuclear weapon was used on Berlin, and three percent think it was dropped on Chernobyl, Ukraine.
Even events that occurred in Britain during the war are not well-known, as barely half (53 percent) of respondents are aware that the UK did not have the same Prime Minister throughout the duration of World War II.
Approximately 37 percent are unaware that Neville Chamberlain was in office at the start of the conflict, and 22 percent are clueless that Winston Churchill was in power by the end.
Although half of those polled believe it is important to have good knowledge of World War II, the figure drops to just over a third (36 percent) among 18-34-year-olds.
Surprisingly, less than a quarter (23 percent) of millennials feel they lack knowledge about the event that shaped the world they live in today.
Despite the significance of World War II, millennials show more interest in music charts (22 percent), the names of celebrity babies (20 percent), and their social media following (20 percent) than in learning about the war.
In celebration of the launch of Company of Heroes 3: Console Edition, SEGA and Relic Entertainment collaborated with Jay Morton, star of SAS: Who Dares Wins and former member of the Parachute Regiment, to deliver the first physical copy of the game via a skydive.
Jay Morton, who has 14 years of military service, believes it is crucial to remain knowledgeable about World War II and to remember the lessons learned during that time.