this post was submitted on 14 Feb 2025
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[–] Mk23simp@lemmy.blahaj.zone 42 points 2 years ago

22 countries have never been invaded by the British yet.

[–] vk6flab@lemmy.radio 20 points 2 years ago (6 children)

Hmmm.

When were Holland, Belgium, France, Germany, Spain , Portugal, Italy, Switzerland, Austria or Romania invaded by the British?

[–] TachyonTele@lemm.ee 25 points 2 years ago (2 children)

France and Britain have a long history of warfare.

[–] BastingChemina@slrpnk.net 12 points 2 years ago (2 children)

I think it would be easier to list the periods where France and Britain were NOT at war which each other rather than the opposite.

[–] heavydust@sh.itjust.works 1 points 2 years ago

I think they still deserve some invasion for their awful food (jelly and honey glazed carrots). They need some education and it can only happens with some kind of war.

[–] vk6flab@lemmy.radio 3 points 2 years ago (4 children)

Warfare and invasion are not the same thing.

[–] athairmor@lemmy.world 22 points 2 years ago

Are you saying the British never sent troops into French territory? Any incursion by armed forces into another state’s territory is the very definition of invasion.

[–] OhNoMoreLemmy@lemmy.ml 8 points 2 years ago

There's been a lot of occupation as well. E.g. the hundred year war.

If we can say Russia invaded Ukraine, England invaded France

[–] Texas_Hangover@sh.itjust.works 2 points 2 years ago

You're trying to be a pedant, yet you appear foolish.

[–] TachyonTele@lemm.ee 0 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)

Ignoring history and being pedant on the Internet are not the same thing. But you're doing a good job at both.

[–] bleistift2@sopuli.xyz 14 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (2 children)

Germany, and probably Austria: World War 2

At the time the Netherlands and Belgium were occupied by Germany. Don’t know if that counts.

France: Probably during the Hundred Years’ war.

[–] LarsIsCool@lemmy.world 3 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)

Weird to exclude Luxembourg from that as they were also occupied by Germany and freed by the Allied forces

Edit: checked the book and:

  • Netherlands, The: it counts the Battle of the Sluys and other various navel battles fought on Dutch territory as valid examples
  • Belgium: it counts the battles that were fought on the land that is now Belgium, so not counting from its creation. It also counts assisting the local people, so for example fighting off the French in defense together with the Flemish

So the book is taking "invasion" more lenient than the comment section:

  • The act of invading, especially the entrance of an armed force into a territory to conquer.

The introduction also states "invasion, had some control over, or fought conflicts in the territory"

[–] Sylvartas@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)

Italy, probably WW2 too (operation dragoon)

[–] IrateAnteater@sh.itjust.works 7 points 2 years ago (2 children)

Maybe they are counting any wars where the British fought? If so, the two world wars would account for a lot of it.

[–] FundMECFSResearch@lemmy.blahaj.zone 3 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Still Switzerland? We weren’t invaded in WW2 or WW1.

[–] ChairmanMeow@programming.dev 8 points 2 years ago

Switzerland was a part of the wars of the 2nd, 5th and 6th coalition against Napoleon against the British.

[–] Klear@sh.itjust.works 2 points 2 years ago

Yeah, they are. It's bullshit.

[–] Redredme@lemmy.world 3 points 2 years ago

Rampjaar. 1672. We where the dutch republic back then so it included belgium, Luxembourg. We had a lot of wars before and after between us and the English in which the english took a lot of our colonies by fotce.

Belgium was "invaded" during WW1 and again during WW2.

Spain: ever heard of Gibraltar?

The English fucked with everyone who had a ship back then.

[–] leftascenter@jlai.lu 2 points 2 years ago

Parts of probably, e.g. Gibraltar

[–] ohulancutash@feddit.uk 1 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)
  • Netherlands - Holmes’ Bonfire, 1666, 1944
  • Belgium - Napoleonic wars — Waterloo
  • France - (as England) 1230, 1337-60, 1369-89, 1373, 1415-53, 1562, (as Britain) 1794, 1795, 1813, 1815, 1944
  • Germany - 1914-18, 1944-5
  • Spain - 1808-13
  • Italy - 1944-45
  • Austria - 1945
[–] SplashJackson@lemmy.ca 11 points 2 years ago

Horseshit, half the countries in the world didn't even bother getting around to existing until long after the British put the great project on pause

[–] boonhet@lemm.ee 9 points 2 years ago (1 children)

The map is bullshit tbh. It includes countries where the brits actually helped achieve independence (the Baltics after WWII).

The definition of invasion according to the book is apparently "has fought in conflicts in territory".

E.g Sweden is uninvaded according to this map. If Norway invades Sweden and the UK goes to help Sweden, it'll count as the brits having invaded Sweden for this map.

[–] FelixCress@lemmy.world 3 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)

Yup, when did Britain invade Poland, Lithuania, Estonia or Latvia?

[–] Dasus@lemmy.world 9 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)

Finland, as we were part of the non-invaded Sweden

[–] LarsIsCool@lemmy.world 7 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)

To clarify a lot of confusion I see in the comments. This book considers a country to be invaded when:

  • At any point during the history of England, Whales, northern Ireland, Scotland, and or significant predecessors any army of theirs "invaded",

  • Counting any part of the land that is now considered part of the UN country. So not only from when the country existed,

  • And being invaded meaning they had some control over, or fought conflicts in the territory.

[–] Benchamoneh@lemmy.dbzer0.com 4 points 2 years ago

Looks like the US is going to try to break this record

[–] Adulated_Aspersion@lemmy.world 4 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)

US?

Edit: I am incorrect. I didn't see the "never" in the title.

[–] homesweethomeMrL@lemmy.world 4 points 2 years ago (2 children)

Well, The British? What do you have to say for yourselves?!

[–] crapwittyname@lemm.ee 3 points 2 years ago

Loves me empire, hates immigrants, simple as.

[–] ohulancutash@feddit.uk 2 points 2 years ago

Please calm down and would the outstanding 22 form an orderly queue.

[–] RandomVideos@programming.dev 4 points 2 years ago

To distinguish Chad and Romania, Romania should add the UK flag in a corner (like New Zealand)

[–] waigl@lemmy.world 3 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Pretty sure the British never invaded South Sudan…

[–] PugJesus@lemmy.world 3 points 2 years ago

The Brit fears the Mongolian

[–] John@discuss.tchncs.de 3 points 2 years ago

They saw the Flag of Ivory Coast and thought they allready invaded it.

[–] Elkot@lemmy.world 3 points 2 years ago
[–] TheBrideWoreCrimson@sopuli.xyz 2 points 2 years ago

Rule #1 to not get invaded: Hide your country as centrally as possible in your continent.

[–] pancho@lemmy.eco.br 2 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)

At first I thought that it was a bit of a stretch to include Brazil there, but I think that you can say that if you consider the English corsairs/pirates activity during the early period of Portuguese colonization.

Edit: also, probably that's the reason why the indland countries in South America are out of this list.

[–] Remember_the_tooth@lemmy.world 2 points 2 years ago

Don't rush them! They're doing their best. If anything, the Tories have been working with US Republicans to get things back on track.

[–] wicked_angel@lemm.ee 1 points 2 years ago
[–] 1984@lemmy.today 1 points 2 years ago (1 children)

British are pretty welcome. Bring tea, cookies and the office guy. :)

[–] PanArab@lemm.ee 0 points 2 years ago

I don't think they ever invaded the entirety of the Arabian Peninsula, they had protectorates: Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman, South Yemen, and the seven emirates that later formed UAE.