Two-thirds (66%) of 18-34-year-olds admit they don’t know which countries emerged victorious from World War II, and two out of five (41%) confess they are oblivious to the fact that the UK fought on the side of the Allies, according to new research revealed today.
The study, commissioned by SEGA Europe Limited to celebrate the launch of Company of Heroes™ 3 – Console Edition, found that Brits know remarkably little about the key events and defining people from World War II, despite three out of five (61%) believing they have good knowledge and two out five (40%) recognising the conflict as the most significant event in history.
As this week commemorates the 83rd anniversary of Dunkirk, the research revealed that crucial details of World War II could soon be resigned to the history books. Two out of five (40%) Brits are unaware of the mission that successfully evacuated more than 338,000 Allied soldiers from northern France, and one in nine (11%) millennials believe the ‘Miracle of Dunkirk’ refers to the day that the Nazis surrendered in 1945.
Next week will be 79 years since D-day, when the American and British militaries executed the top-secret mission called ‘Operation Overlord’. However, two out of five (41%) Brits are clueless that D-day was the bringing together of land, sea and air forces to the beaches of Normandy, and one in twenty (5%) millennials thought it happened in Germany.
Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer is set to hit the big screen next month, however, three-quarters (74%) of Brits don’t know that the Manhattan Project was a research and development undertaking that produced the first nuclear weapons. Indeed, a third (31%) admit they have never heard of J. Robert Oppenheimer, and a quarter (24%) are unaware that the first atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, Japan. Remarkably, 4% of 18-34-year-olds believe the first nuclear weapon was used on Berlin, Germany, and 3% of millennials think it was dropped on Chernobyl, Ukraine.
There is a lack of knowledge even in relation to events on British soil. Barely half (53%) of Brits know that the UK didn’t have the same Prime Minister throughout the duration of World War II, with two out of five (37%) unaware it was Neville Chamberlain in office at the start, and more than a fifth (22%) oblivious it was Winston Churchill in power at the end.
Why the knowledge gap?
Half (49%) of Brits believe it is important to have a good knowledge of World War II, however, this drops to just over a third (36%) for 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, despite three out of five (59%) admitting they don’t know that WWII is an abbreviation for the conflict which ultimately led to an estimated 35 to 60 million casualties globally.
The research found that millennials think people today are uninterested in the events which shaped British history, such as World War II, because it doesn’t impact them on a day-to-day basis (38%), they prefer thinking about the future (29%), and they never talk about it with friends or family (18%).
Indeed, 18-34-year-olds 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 on PlayStation 5 & Xbox Series X|S, SEGA and Relic Entertainment have 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.
With paratroopers operating on a large scale for the first time in World War II, Jay completed a series of solo skydives to deliver copies of the new World War Two game to fans of the critically acclaimed franchise. 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.
“As someone with 14 years of military service, including a decade within the UK Special Forces and four within the Parachute Regiment, I was delighted to help launch Company of Heroes 3 – Console Edition. 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,”
Jay Morton, SAS: Who Dares Wins star
Company of Heroes 3 – Console Edition, the latest instalment in the critically acclaimed real-time strategy franchise, offers the biggest and deepest experience yet, bringing boots-on-the-ground storytelling to a brand-new theatre of war, unlocking authentic new tactics, four playable factions, two unique single-player experiences, and a wealth of untold stories from the historic conflict.
Historically a PC-only title, this is the first time that Company of Heroes is available on consoles and the control scheme has been carefully adapted for gamepads to give players the power they need to deal with the chaos of war. The re-designed UI and new features have made it more accessible than ever for console players to liberate Italy and fight through the deserts of North Africa.
Company of Heroes 3 – Console Edition is available now on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. Order here: www.companyofheroes.com/en/company-of-heroes/company-of-heroes-3
