This week marks 83 years since the evacuation of over 338,000 Allied forces from Dunkirk – but four in 10 Brits know nothing about the mission, which was one of the most significant events of World War Two.
A survey of 2,000 adults, aged 18-34, discovered a stark knowledge gap when it comes to the key events and people from WWII – with 59% not even aware that this was an abbreviation for the global conflict.
Nearly two-thirds of millennials (61%) claim to have good knowledge about the infamous Second World War – but 41% did not know that the UK fought on the side of the Allies.
And nearly half (47%) did not realise the UK had more than one Prime Minister during the conflict – with 22% unaware that it was Winston Churchill by the end of the war, while 37% are clueless that Neville Chamberlain was in office when war broke out.
One in 20 believe D-Day happened in Germany, rather than Normandy in France – and 11% of millennials think that the “Miracle of Dunkirk”, in 1940, refers to the day the Nazis surrendered in 1945.
In fact, two-thirds of millennials are not even aware which countries emerged victorious from the conflict, which killed or injured an estimated 35 to 60 million people globally.
The study, commissioned to mark the launch of Company of Heroes™ 3: Console Edition on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S, found 41% are clueless that D-day was the bringing together of land, sea, and air forces to the beaches of Normandy.
And with Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer set to hit the big screen next month, 74% of adults don’t know the Manhattan Project was a research and development undertaking that produced the first nuclear weapons.
More than three in 10 (31%) admit they have never heard of J. Robert Oppenheimer – while 24% are unaware the first atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, Japan.
Remarkably, 4% of millennials believe the first nuclear weapon was used on Berlin – and 3% think it was dropped on Chernobyl, Ukraine.
Half of those polled (49%), via OnePoll, believe it is important to have a good knowledge of World War II – however, this drops to just over a third (36%) of 18-34-year-olds.
As a result, less than a quarter (23%) of millennials feel they lack knowledge about the event that shaped the world they live in today.
Indeed, millennials are more interested in who is top of the music charts (22%), the names of celebrity babies (20%), and how many followers they have on social media (20%), than what happened during World War II.
To celebrate the launch of Company of Heroes 3: Console Edition, SEGA and Relic Entertainment teamed up with SAS: Who Dares Wins star, and former member of the Parachute Regiment, Jay Morton, to deliver the first physical copy of the game via skydive.
Jumping from 15,000 feet and free falling at a speed of 120mph, Jay delivered the game’s premium edition to Stewart Clark, based near Oxford, ahead of the game’s launch, to ensure the franchise’s biggest fan received the console release of the third instalment before anyone else.
Jay Morton said: “As someone with 14 years of military service, including a decade within the UK Special Forces and four years within the Parachute Regiment, I was delighted to help SEGA launch Company of Heroes 3 on console.
“I have completed many skydives during my career, but it was a new experience to deliver the game to fans, paying homage to our predecessors by wearing an authentic World War II British paratrooper’s uniform.
“It’s important we remain knowledgeable about World War II, and that we don’t forget the harsh lessons that were learned.”
