War buff in need of your answers

[Spook]

The 101st Airborne and 1st ARVN Divisions assault on Hill 937 (Dong Ap Bai) in the A Shau Valley in Vietnam, as depicted in the movie Hamburger Hill. The casualties were horrendous; and after a weeks fighting and taking the Hill it was abandoned 24hrs later.

Just a horrific and senseless waste of human life to be honest.

 

[dreamwalker]

I've never been in a war or combat situation, but I have served in the Armed servies under the royal airforce for 18 months straight out of college.
It wasn't for any sort of blood or ultra violence lust . But long before, war always excited me, the situation, the technology and equipment, one vs the over, man and machine vs man and machine, state vs state and the pride humans take in it.
Since i've left, I can say that I respect war more than I admire it. War gave our jobs meaning. I now say I admire the millitary, our gruop as with many others had a histroy and honour to uphold in which previous battles and wars where responsible.

The transparent and irresponsible way the politics has made media represent war has made many intelligent people hate and detest wars without actually repecting them. Thats just as dangerous as the gun ho attitude bush currently has at the moment.

As for me personally, I have alot of interest in the Vietam war mainly because it exposed the challenges new technologies poised instead of solutions. How new technology certainly didn't make "the horrors of war" less atrocious. How the cavilery had helicopters instead of horses and how we didn't just use nuclear weapons - Possibly one lesson learnt from WWII. And how it can be used as a model for all wars present and future.

 

[Gwydion]

Napoleonic wars, Civil War, and WWII. I can tell you anything you want to know about the Civil War.

 

[Cyril]

The two world wars (for me linked and indissociables) because these wars link modern and ancient worlds. In these wars, we saw things from cavalry assaults to atomic warfare. And also, they're one of the most major conflict in history (I see the 20 years between them as a break in the same conflict) by their consequences. Like Alexander conquest of the persian empire or barbarian invasions of the roman empire, I think it's a change between two historic eras.

 

[Spartan27]

This is Spartan27, my dad fought in WWII in Europe as a "freedom fighter" against the Reich.

He survived WWII and never did talk much about it but did say he shot down a Messerschmidt using a 30 cal machine gun over greece actually saw the ball of flame when it hit the ground.....

The Reich didn't get him...but cancer did....

 

[HoopyFrood]

To start off: I hate war. Nay...I loathe war.
Anyway...A couple of years ago, we studied World War One for English and we went on a very moving trip to the battlefields in France and Belgium, and visited the monuments and graveyards of the men who died there. It was incredibly poignant. So many graves...one of them alone had over 7,000 in it. And the Thiepval monument has around 72,000 names on it and these are just the people who haven't been found. It's terrible. And even worse is on one of the monuments in Belgium, there are bullet holes in the stone made during the Second World War. Will we ever learn learn?

On a completely different note...I'm quite clued up (although not as much as I used to be) on the Napoleonic Wars.

 

[cornelius]

i live in Ypers so WWI effects me , and when I look out the window I can see about five world war cemeteries . to think that so many men died...

 

[geordie bob]

Before joining the armed forces when younger i was also a war enthusiast,however after serving a tour of northern ireland and two in bosnia ive come to learn theres no glory in armed conflict of any kind and sadly its generally the civilian population that suffers the most,war is a pointless and tragic.

 

[SpaceShip]

I have no like for any wars!!!

What a waste as Leto says for the profit of a few.....

That is so true. My grandfather (my dad's dad) fought in WWI - he lost a leg in the conflict and came to live with us. He didn't talk much about what happened but we knew it was awful - men going into they knew not what, thinking it a glorious thing to do - there had never been mustard/nerve gas before and so this was a shock to them and was awful. My dad served in WWII and was invalided out as well. He died before his father (who still lived with us) of leukaemia - which, in these days, we would attribute to what happened to him during his time as a soldier. He was my mother's second husband; the first went off to war on the afternoon of the day they got married and was lost in action.

As GOLLUM says: what a waste! And I'm sure a few made a mint out of it!

 

[MemmoN]

The French and Indian war, Thermopalaye, The mediicine wars.

 

[Varangian]

I think we have learned something from WWII, and that is the ability to stand up as an international group (the U.N., NATO, ANZSUS etc.) and place pressure on Hitler like personalities. It doesn't always work, but sometimes it does. We are much more of an international community now than we were pre WWII.

 

[Oskari]

War is wrong on every account, but if someone is enthusiastic (i.e. Great excitement for or interest in a subject or cause) doesn't mean they condone it. I share a certain enthusiasm about the nature of warfare because, as a writer, I embrace conflict. I also have an interest in psychology and that adds to my enthusiasm.

Am I interested in any particular war? Hmmm. I think it would be naive of me not to be fascinated by the events of WW2, but my early childhood enthusiasm for medieval warfare tends to suggest that nothing but the weapons change. So, the answer is I am fascinated by the nature of conflict. Thinking about it a little more, the most interesting wars seem to be the ones within my inner circle, especially around Christmas time. Fascinating!

 

[J-WO]

The Spanish civil war and the role of the International brigades fascinate me from a social viewpoint. Firstly, its possibly the only war where the losers got to write the history, simply because they were better writers.

And secondly, its an example of common people drawing a line in the sand against fascism long before their respective governments had the guts to do so. 'If you tolerate this then your children will be next' as a poster said at the time and time and the blitz proved it and the International Brigades right.

Interestingly, the U.K's history syllabus quickly leaps over this fact to get to all that Churchill stuff.

 

[J-WO]

I'm also into the ancient world's warfare on account of the cool helmets and catapults.

 

[Vargev]

I like the Napoleonic war, for it's romance, it's intensity, the heroes that fought within it Napoleon, Blutcher, Wellington, and Nelson. The Gigantic naval battles like at Trafalgar.

Also WWII, as my uncle (sadly deceased now) was a navigator flying a Lancaster bomber. And the Korean war, as my grandfather (also passed away) fought in that, gathering a fair tally of medals, and its mysticism at being called "the forgotten war".