Know your war history
On VE Day, the Holmes Show did a survey amongst Londoners which revealed a serious ignorance of New Zealand's role in both of the world wars. Many did not know what VE stood for, did not know what the Luftwaffe was (the German airforce), and were not sure whether Britain had been invaded during the Second World War. What was disturbing for Kiwis was that many were adamant that New Zealand did not fight
in WW2 (perhaps this perception comes from our nuclear-free policy). We at the Bulletin thought New Zealanders would have a far superior knowledge of historical events and set out to prove this, by surveying people who randomly passed through the Ohakune T yres and Energy Centre. And the results were: 93 per cent correctly answered that New Zealand fought against both the Japanese
and the Germans in World War II, and that New Zealand fought in both of the world wars. Half of those surveyed knew that VE day stood for Victory in Europe, and one third knew that VJ day stood for Victory over Japan. All in all our historical knowledge about the great wars seems good, and if you feel you need to brush up you can pay a visit to the QEII Army Museum in Waiouru.
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https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/RUBUL19950523.2.37
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Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 12, Issue 587, 23 May 1995, Page 12
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217Know your war history Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 12, Issue 587, 23 May 1995, Page 12
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