WWII - Why the Eternal Interest?

[Lumpy]

@the_diego

As long as current wars fail to produce an amphibious landing as big as Normandy, or an airborne attack as big as Arnhem, or an encirclement as big as Kiev, or a duel of guns like that of the Bismark.

Sort of what I came here to say. Nuclear weapons changed everything forever. Nukes ended the idea of a years-long, mass industrial, total war like WW1 and WW2 were.

[Sailboat]

@Clothilde

What is the name of the book and who is the author?

My father survived the Bataan Death March as well as a lot worse during the war. He contributed his experiences to or was interviewed for several books.

Just noticed this. Ghost Soldiers, like so. Warning: some pretty grim damned stuff in this book.

[colonial]

@usedtobe

Maybe because it was the US’s last “good” war?

There is a current thread in GQ about Midway - how many thousands and thousands of hours of history and military people have gone over that battle? Yes, it was the turning point of the Pacific war, yes, it established the carrier as the pre-eminent capital ship.
Yes, a text book battle for those who need to wage war.

But the millions of hours of entertainment? - I suspect that, as long as commuication is possible, somebody, somewhere will be talking about some point of the war.

WHY?

WW2 was a vast international drama involving the highest possible stakes. Naturally it resonates with people who love history and love to discuss history.

[colonial]

Re gun barrel specs for tanks taking part in the North African campaigns,
a few Tigers showed up in Tunisia, and they were armed with the great 88mm gun.

[msmith537]

@LC_Strawhouse

I personally think WWII is a dopey and boring hobby. However, there was a time when boys were pretty much encouraged to obsess over war trivia; it was seen as a sign of health and good spirits. In some classes I’ve been in , half the boys could explain the difference between 5 different types of bayonets and tell you the exact widths of every tank gun barrel used in the North African theater - and that was nothing compared to their fathers. That’s probably why there is a big lingering interest out there.

These days, I get the feeling that stuff is a lot less mainstream among younger people, it’s more for professional military types or crazy loners. Good riddance, I think.

Now with kids these days, it’s all Call of Duty this and Seal Team Six that!

@the_diego

As long as current wars fail to produce an amphibious landing as big as Normandy, or an airborne attack as big as Arnhem, or an encirclement as big as Kiev, or a duel of guns like that of the Bismark.

War has a different image from the massed mechanized armies of yore with their dashing uniforms and slogging through the mud to punch a Nazi in the face.

The new face of war is some special operations operatives “blending” into the local population with their shemagh tactical scarves and Oakley sunglasses to find enough intel to deploy a ghillie suited Delta Force tactical team, peering through a grainy green NV rangefinder and using their encrypted burst transmission sat link to call a high tech ops center at Langly to request a drone strike on some terrorists hideout.

[Clothilde]

@Sailboat

Just noticed this. Ghost Soldiers, like so. Warning: some pretty grim damned stuff in this book.

Thanks, Sailboat. This book is about the rescue of POWs from Cabantuan. I know it’s really grim - actually, grim is probably too nice of a word. My dad was at Cabanatuan, but he was one of the lucky ones. He didn’t remain there like those soldiers did. My dad was put on one of the “hell ships” and taken to Japan and worked as slave labor in one of the prison camps until the surrender. I honestly don’t know who had it worse - those who remained at the camp or those who were taken other places.

Thanks so much for the book title. I’ll see if I can pick it up at the library to read when I get the chance.

[HubZilla]

One of the attractions of World War II was just huge it was. What really drove it home for me was reading up on the Battle of Manila.

It was a pretty unnecessary battle, only a few months before V-E Day. The Philippines had been all but bypassed. The Japanese general had wanted to abandon surrounded Manila, but garrison inside the city disobeyed and decided to make a fight of it. The Japanese fought until the last man, and Manila was totally devastated during the battle; called the 2nd-most destroyed city after Warsaw.

100,000 Manila civilians were massacred by the Japanese during the battle; more than the Bataan Death March, Babi Yar, Katyn, and even Hiroshima’s blast.

Yet, I’d wager this enormous destruction and massacre is but a footnote in the Pacific War, stuck between Iwo Jima and Okinawa.