# History buffs: Which is more interesting to you - WW1 or WW2? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 21, 2010, 5:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/history-buffs-which-is-more-interesting-to-you-ww1-or-ww2/529851 "2010-02-21T05:18:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2010, 5:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/history-buffs-which-is-more-interesting-to-you-ww1-or-ww2/529851/1 "2010-02-21T05:18:36Z")
Answer the poll! ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2010, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/history-buffs-which-is-more-interesting-to-you-ww1-or-ww2/529851/2 "2010-02-21T05:23:58Z")
I think WW1 is far more fascinating than WW2. WW2 seems rather straightforward, with good guys and bad guys, while WW1 is just one huge clusterfuck where everybody gets in over their heads for no reason whatsoever. Makes for far more interesting analysis and history. ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2010, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/history-buffs-which-is-more-interesting-to-you-ww1-or-ww2/529851/3 "2010-02-21T05:39:10Z")
I’m sorry, but I could not find a good choice on the poll. You see, I do agree with many Historians that are reporting that WWI and WWII were one war with a 20 year hiatus. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2010, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/history-buffs-which-is-more-interesting-to-you-ww1-or-ww2/529851/4 "2010-02-21T05:42:27Z")
Yeah, and I subscribe to that theory as well. But the fact is that there were two separate wars. They’ve might have been interconnected, but they _were_ separated by 20 years. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2010, 5:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/history-buffs-which-is-more-interesting-to-you-ww1-or-ww2/529851/5 "2010-02-21T05:51:40Z")
WWII, for the machines. Aircraft, ships, subs, tanks, jeeps, ‘ducks’, firearms… They’re all fascinating. For WWI, I’m into the aircraft and air battles. If someone would give me a couple-hundred million dollars to make a film, I have a couple of biographies on Richthofen, and a book that’s a forensic examination of his last flight. I’d love to direct an historical drama on him. But overall, I like the campaigns, equipment, and theatres of WWII. ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Bean](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_bean/32/1760_2.png) [@Green\_Bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Bean)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2010, 6:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/history-buffs-which-is-more-interesting-to-you-ww1-or-ww2/529851/6 "2010-02-21T06:53:10Z")
WWII. The whole Holocaust thing really gives WWII a certain _je ne sais quoi_. ---
**Author:** ![infinitii](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e8c25b/32.png) [@infinitii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/infinitii)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2010, 6:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/history-buffs-which-is-more-interesting-to-you-ww1-or-ww2/529851/7 "2010-02-21T06:56:54Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > WWII, for the machines. Aircraft, ships, subs, tanks, jeeps, ‘ducks’, firearms… They’re all fascinating. > > For WWI, I’m into the aircraft and air battles. If someone would give me a couple-hundred million dollars to make a film, I have a couple of biographies on Richthofen, and a book that’s a forensic examination of his last flight. I’d love to direct an historical drama on him. > > But overall, I like the campaigns, equipment, and theatres of WWII. Wow, are you me? This is pretty much exactly how I feel about both wars. By the by, have you seen Roger Corman’s movie “Von Richtofen and Brown”? It has its problems, but I guess it’s my favourite WWI aircraft movie (an interest of mine). ---
**Author:** ![UncaStuart](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/uncastuart/32/404_2.png) [@UncaStuart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncaStuart)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2010, 7:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/history-buffs-which-is-more-interesting-to-you-ww1-or-ww2/529851/8 "2010-02-21T07:18:41Z")
I think I am primarily more interested in WWII just because my dad fought in it, as did my uncles, and my mom worked for Bethlehem Steel for the duration. Both of my grandfathers were not the right age to have participated in WWI, so there is no family connection there. On the other hand, I do find the leadup to WWI fascinating–in a watching a train wreck in slo-mo kind of way. Recently read Catrine Clay’s \*King, Kaiser, Tsar \*for an interesting look at the royal cousins. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2010, 7:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/history-buffs-which-is-more-interesting-to-you-ww1-or-ww2/529851/9 "2010-02-21T07:23:23Z")
WWII just has so many compelling themes. WWI has always struck me as just an especially bloody variant of an endless series of aristocratic wars. ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2010, 7:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/history-buffs-which-is-more-interesting-to-you-ww1-or-ww2/529851/10 "2010-02-21T07:38:20Z")
WWI was the breaking of nations and empire. WWII was just another (very huge) war. ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2010, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/history-buffs-which-is-more-interesting-to-you-ww1-or-ww2/529851/11 "2010-02-21T13:11:44Z")
I like WWII 'cause my parents were in it, plus you get more visuals with war news reels, listening to old WWII newscast and OTR which provides more info. WWI amounts to a lot of trench warfare, which can be boring unless you find that interesting. I agree the politics behind WWII is more straightforward than in WWI. But the political maneuvering in WWI was mostly before the start of the war. Though That is also very interesting. ---
**Author:** ![figure9](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f0a364/32.png) [@figure9](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/figure9)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2010, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/history-buffs-which-is-more-interesting-to-you-ww1-or-ww2/529851/12 "2010-02-21T13:58:36Z")
WWII. Dad had a huge collection of WWII books that I read through. Fascinating, the brilliance and stupidity that both sides displayed. Also all the personal stories that let me get a feeling for what the war did to so many lives. ---
**Author:** ![Koxinga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4af34b/32.png) [@Koxinga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Koxinga)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2010, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/history-buffs-which-is-more-interesting-to-you-ww1-or-ww2/529851/13 "2010-02-21T14:02:50Z")
World War II laid the foundations for the world we live in today. WWI seems kind of nineteenth century. Also, for me it’s not so fun to read about things that are pointless, sad and wasteful to a horrific degree. ETA: so, my choice is WWII. ---
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2010, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/history-buffs-which-is-more-interesting-to-you-ww1-or-ww2/529851/14 "2010-02-21T14:03:31Z")
> [@GIGObuster](#): > > You see, I do agree with many Historians that are reporting that WWI and WWII were one war with a 20 year hiatus. That way, we get to laugh at the Italians for switching their allegiances _four_ times in one war. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2010, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/history-buffs-which-is-more-interesting-to-you-ww1-or-ww2/529851/15 "2010-02-21T14:11:00Z")
Speaking of WWI, has anyone been to a [94th Aero Squadron](http://www.94thaerosquadron.signonsandiego.com/gallery.html) restaurant? I used to love going there when I was a kid. Back then, the planes were in poor condition, as if they’d been abandoned at the farmhouse. (Maybe just the ones in San Diego are ‘airworthy-looking’ – though they weren’t when I was a kid if I do recall directly. It’s been probably 8 years since I’ve been to the one in Van Nuys, and I don’t remember how theirs looked.) It’s nice to stroll the grounds and look at the ‘WW1 French Farmhouse’ and the planes and cannons and vehicles (even if they are anachronistic), and watch the ducks and geese wander about. Inside, some booths have headphones so diners can listen to the tower and aircraft. Good prime rib, too. ---
**Author:** ![dangermom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e274bd/32.png) [@dangermom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dangermom)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2010, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/history-buffs-which-is-more-interesting-to-you-ww1-or-ww2/529851/16 "2010-02-21T14:21:34Z")
It depends on what mood I’m in. ---
**Author:** ![Jim\_s\_Son](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19adc/32.png) [@Jim\_s\_Son](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_s_Son)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2010, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/history-buffs-which-is-more-interesting-to-you-ww1-or-ww2/529851/17 "2010-02-21T14:27:23Z")
I find WW2 more interesting because there is a whole wide range of theaters to study: Europe, Russia, South Pacific, Northern Africa, U Boat, Burma. Most of WWI seems to be just slogging in the mud of France although to prelude to war is interesting in a train wreck way. You always want to grab these people and say “what are you getting into? Is it really worth the millions of dead”? ---
**Author:** ![OtakuLoki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ac8455/32.png) [@OtakuLoki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OtakuLoki)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2010, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/history-buffs-which-is-more-interesting-to-you-ww1-or-ww2/529851/18 "2010-02-21T14:40:49Z")
WWII, because I’m a Naval buff. While there were definite naval aspects in WWI (the _Goeben_ incident and the Battle of Jutland in particular) at no point was the naval war in the position to be decisive for any side in that war. With WWII, the importance of Naval operations are everywhere: the Battle of the Atlantic; the Siege of Malta; the sortie of the _Bismark_ and the sinking of the _Hood_; to the cruise of the _Atlantis_ and her role in the fall of Singapore; Pearl Harbor; the destruction of Force Z… Obviously not all of these incidents are strategic lynch pins, but many of them are. Just to consider one often over-looked aspect: Had Malta been starved into inactivity the North African campaigns would have been far more difficult and costly with the Akrika Korps getting unimpeded supplies from home. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2010, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/history-buffs-which-is-more-interesting-to-you-ww1-or-ww2/529851/19 "2010-02-21T15:23:49Z")
> [@OtakuLoki](#): > > WWII, because I’m a Naval buff… With WWII, the importance of Naval operations are everywhere… My dad was in the Navy. He had a WWII service ribbon, but I’m not sure of the timing. I think he joined the Army in 1945; but he had 22 years total service in the Army and Navy, and he retired in 1968. Maybe he took a year off between services? Anyway, as an enlisted man in the Navy, he was Combat Aircrew in Skyraiders flying off of Essex-class carriers (CV-47 _Philippine Sea_ and CV-16 _Lexington_). As an officer, he served in CLG-5 _Oklahoma City_, which was built and fought during WWII. (Erm… Obviously not a CL_ **G** _ at the time. 😉 ) So you can see why I’m into the Naval aspects (and aircraft) of WWII. Dad flew in almost-WWII airplanes, and served in WWII ships. As a child I was exposed to monkey-pod bowls and stuff, South Pacific themes, and I lived in Japan when I was three and four. Watching _The Family Film Festival_ and other shows on local TV, I watched films such as _Father Goose_, 'Operation Petticoat\* (Dad loved the scene where the guy rides his motorcycle off the pier), _Donavan’s Reef_, and any number of WWII movies. So even today I imagine being on an island somewhere in the South Pacific without computers, mobile phones – or even telephones – microwave ovens, etc. It appeals to the Romantic in me. Thor Heyerdahl’s _Kon-Tiki_. Imagine setting off in a raft for the South Seas! Even _The Endless Summer_. That was 1964, when the places they went were exotic. That they made a successful film on a wind-up Bolex is also interesting to me. Yes, there was a war on; and yes, many of those idyllic islands were mosquito-infested high-humidity ovens. But still, it’s an aspect of WWII that I can almost kinda-sorta relate to; unlike sitting in two feet of mud in a trench somewhere in Europe. ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2010, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/history-buffs-which-is-more-interesting-to-you-ww1-or-ww2/529851/20 "2010-02-21T15:48:59Z")
The combination of unrelenting horror and utter pointlessness of WWI holds a fascination for me. The emergence of industrial war with killing on an industrial scale, contrasted with the still-existent traditional “gentleman’s warfare” (resulting in scenes like an equestrian cavalry charging tanks)… god it was all so bizarre and horrific. Add in the complete lack of anything we would consider a morally just underpinning – it actually boggles my mind whenever I try to think about it. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/history-buffs-which-is-more-interesting-to-you-ww1-or-ww2/529851.md?page=2)