[presidio9]

Also, Dwight Eisenhower repeatedly referred to the Nazi forces as “Huns” during the Second World War. Even though everybody knows that actual Huns hadn’t been heard from for over 1000 years. Honest. I am not making this up.

[SandWMan]

I never did understand the “Hun” thing...

[agere_contra]

Calling the Germans ‘the Hun’ was common currency. For instance: Churchill did, most people in Britain did.

Completely unexceptional amongst the Anglophone Allies.

[ejonesie22]

Everybody often refered to the Germans as huns...

An oft use phrase for pilots in both WWs that served as a warning to look out for attacking German coming in from above was “beware the hun in the sun”...

So this is no big deal.

[Dixie Yooper]

Also, Dwight Eisenhower repeatedly referred to the Nazi forces as “Huns” during the Second World War. Even though everybody knows that actual Huns hadn’t been heard from for over 1000 years. Honest. I am not making this up.

Hillary used to channel Eleanor Roosevelt when she lived at the White House. What wonderful African country is she in today? Is Zimbabwe tomorrow?

[allmendream]

[maryz]

Even though everybody knows that actual Huns hadn’t been heard from for over 1000 years

I've read a number of girls' books written about the time of WW I, and "Huns" was a pretty normal usage for Germans during the war. Eisenhauer probably grew up with it.

[editor-surveyor]

And you are unaware of who the descendants of the Huns are?

[wideminded]

Also, Dwight Eisenhower repeatedly referred to the Nazi forces as “Huns” during the Second World War.

Lots of people did. Someone who was around back then told me that a line in the song "Roll out the Barrel", was changed from: "We've got the blues on the run" to "We've got the hun on the run".

As for Eisenhower, two things I have heard about his behind-the-scenes behavior is that he made jokes about black people and did not like cats. I forgive him for the latter.

[JasonC]

Kaiser Bill exhorted German soldiers sent to China in the Boxer rebellion to behave like Huns. When German soldiers committed atrocities in Belgium in 1914, British and French propagandists dug out the quote to show such acts were intentional. That is the origin of the usage. Ike spent WW I training troops stateside but he kept the terms of that era.