[QUOTE=Cuel;21811767]I find the first war utterly boring.[/QUOTE]
The First World War is harder to relate to because the mindset was completely different. Before World War One, you had the Edwardians, who were basically slightly stagnant Victorians. After the war, you got the Twenties and that's really the start of people who think along the same lines as we do - it shattered class perceptions, because all the posh people couldn't really carry on employing huge live in staff and the working population was decimated so they were suddenly valuable. You can relate more easily to a guy from 1939 than 1914.
The thing is, WWI literally ended an era. It was the explosion caused by the culmination of events hundreds of years prior, which ended in a world ripped apart and rejecting traditional ways.
WWII had a similar effect, although to a lesser extent.
Without question the Second World War, because let's face it. No matter how interesting you think the Great War was, more happened in the Second World War.
The Second World War was a war of fierce ideology and then there was Hitler and Stalin systematically killing civilians in their own disgusting ways. Where as in the Great War, you did not have any of that.
A very interesting read at the least about the Christmas truce in WWI
[url]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_truce[/url]
World War 2 because trench warfare is boring.
But then again the dated and claptrap technology of World War 1 was pretty awesome. Zeppelins and the first tanks. Pretty neat.
One of the more interesting articles in the Wiki on Kaiser Wilhelm II. It's interesting to read what his reaction to the onset of WW2 was like.
[url]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilhelm_II,_German_Emperor[/url]
[QUOTE=Drsalvador;21811591]WWI and WWII Were both mainly about germany trying to take over half of europe. WWI less so, But WWII More so.[/QUOTE]
WW1 was equally the cause of the allied and the axis powers, AKA imperialism, arms race, the alliance systems, etc...
The assassination of ferdinand was simply a trigger for WW1, the Germans tried to stop the war from spreading to the west. Regardless the Germans still shouldn't have attacked Serbia.
[QUOTE=MadMaxJ;21811840]WW1 ´cause we were the good guys![/QUOTE]
There wasn't any good guys in WWI. not to mention your country planned to take over half of europe(Schliffen plan)
[QUOTE=HappyCompy;21812015]The problem here is that everyone's seen the WW2 movies and played the thousands of WW2 games, and when they look at anything WW1 related, it's always a picture of battered men in some trench on the western front. There simply isn't enough media coverage, but that still doesn't justify the ignorance.
On a side note, Kaiser Wilhelm II and Czar Nichloas II (leaders of Germany and Russia respectively) were both good men, whilst Adolf Hitler and Joeseph Stalin were detestable.[/QUOTE]
No Nicholas was a terrible leader, albeit he didn't want to rule...
There aren't any good guys in war.
[QUOTE=HappyCompy;21812154]Damn, that guy IS badass. Also, anyone saying that WW1 is all gas, grit, mud, rust, and death has obviously never read one of the most uplifiting stories i've ever heard during a war.
Quoted from the Article: Christmas truce, on Wikipedia.
Though there was no official truce, about 100,000 British and German troops were involved in unofficial cessations of fighting along the length of the Western Front.[10] The first truce started on Christmas Eve, 24 December 1914, when German troops began decorating the area around their trenches in the region of Ypres, Belgium.[11]
The Germans began by placing candles on their trenches and on Christmas trees, then continued the celebration by singing Christmas carols. The British responded by singing carols of their own. The two sides continued by shouting Christmas greetings to each other. Soon thereafter, there were excursions across the 'No Man's Land', where small gifts were exchanged, such as food, tobacco and alcohol, and souvenirs such as buttons and hats. The artillery in the region fell silent that night. The truce also allowed a breathing spell where recently-fallen soldiers could be brought back behind their lines by burial parties. Joint services were held. The fraternisation was not, however, without its risks; some soldiers were shot by opposing forces. In many sectors, the truce lasted through Christmas night, but it continued until New Year's Day in others.
...but it get's better
On Christmas Eve 1915, a peace overture came from the German lines. On Christmas Day, after a night of carol singing, Bertie Felstead, a private in the Royal Welch Fusiliers recalled that feelings of goodwill had so swelled up that at dawn Bavarian and British soldiers clambered spontaneously out of their trenches. A football was produced from somewhere – though none could recall from where. "It wasn't a game as such, more a kick-around and a free-for-all. There could have been 50 on each side for all I know. I played because I really liked football. I don't know how long it lasted, probably half an hour."[13]
Now that's fucking awesome.[/QUOTE]
Yeah, there's a documentary video on that called Christmas in the Trenches. Should watch it.
[QUOTE=Emperor Scorpious II;21812442]Wilhelm was more incompetent than most, but then again, all monarchies rule their nation through what they "feel" is right over what is best for the nation.
I'm not saying that Wilhelm was yelling for peace through out the world, no, but during the July Crisis, he was one of the biggest advocates for peace talks between the great powers because he did not want to go to war over such a small nation such as Serbia.[/QUOTE]Uh wait, we are talking about the same July Crisis here?
Wilhelm backed Austria fully; if he hadn't, chances are they wouldn't have gone ahead with attacking them.
I think WWII was more interesting but WWI definitely doesn't get the credit it deserves.
[QUOTE=Sgt Doom;21813417]Uh wait, we are talking about the same July Crisis here?
Wilhelm backed Austria fully; if he hadn't, chances are they wouldn't have gone ahead with attacking them.[/QUOTE]
Where as he favored Austria, who was Germany's ally at the time, he still wanted to have peace for this crisis.
Franz Ferdinand was the Kaiser's personal friend, but even with that, he wanted to maintain peace. Serbia just wasn't worth it to him.
It was the German Chief of Staff General Molke that kept pestering the Kaiser for war.
Read the book "Europe's Last Summer" by Fromkin. It goes into it pretty well.
I will admit though that the reasoning behind the Kaiser's wishes for peace was more or less because Germany wasn't fully ready for a conflict just yet, but whether a war would of started eventually when they "were ready" can only be theorized.
Whichever one had the yellow poison clouds.
WWI, my great-grandfather fought in it
I find WW1 to be more interesting than WW2. Granted the fighting was better in WW2, but the reason behind the conflicts is much more interesting for the first. The second only had a 20ish year lead up, while WW1 had hundreds of years leading up to it.
[QUOTE=RedCzar;21815363]I find WW1 to be more interesting than WW2. Granted the fighting was better in WW2, but the reason behind the conflicts is much more interesting for the first. The second only had a 20ish year lead up, while WW1 had hundreds of years leading up to it.[/QUOTE]
Agreed.
WWI had T.E. Lawrence.
[QUOTE=Tac Error;21815653]WWI had T.E. Lawrence.[/QUOTE]
This is very true. And also had the Red Baron. Very cool people indeed.
I want a WW1 video game.
:sigh:
WW2 because WW1 was pretty much soldiers curling up in trenches and getting shelled/gassed.
[QUOTE=16bit;21815775]I want a WW1 video game.
:sigh:[/QUOTE]
It would have to be either a Real Time Strategy game, or an FPS on the Eastern Front, because something on the Western Front wouldn't get much attention.
But then again, if the world can produce an American Civil War FPS, I'm sure they can for WWI too.
[editline]12:56PM[/editline]
[QUOTE=Jettan;21815955]WW2 because WW1 was pretty much soldiers curling up in trenches and getting shelled/gassed.[/QUOTE]
Read the whole thread. Get proven wrong.
WW1: Trenchfoot
WW2: Revolutionary technology, genius strategy, the fall of a tyrant, etc...
I think it's pretty obvious which one is cooler.
[QUOTE=Micr0;21816065]WW1: Trenchfoot
WW2: Revolutionary technology, genius strategy, the fall of a tyrant, etc...
I think it's pretty obvious which one is cooler.[/QUOTE]
Let me fix that for you:
WWI: Revolutionary technology, new strategies, fall of several tyrants, etc...
WWII: Shellshock
[QUOTE=Emperor Scorpious II;21812013]Because bombing the shit out of civilian cities, executing political prisoners and nuking two cities are much more sensible.
I once read that World War One was "the last war in history to be fought with a sense of honor".[/QUOTE]
No war was ever honorable.
[QUOTE=shadow_oap;21816137]No war was ever honorable.[/QUOTE]
World War One: Red Baron gets shot down in enemy territory. Receives a full military funeral from enemies along with a 21 gun salute.
Third Crusade: When King Richard's horse dies in the middle of battle, Saladin sends a spare horse for his nemesis to ride on and continue to fight him.
Roman War against the Gauls: After surrounding and besieging the last great Gaulish city, Caesar, while he could massacre the city in vengeance of dead Romans, allows women and children to live.
War itself is not honorable. But there can be honor inside it.
What happened after WWII in terms of warfare?
World War II: Russian civilians are mercilessly killed by German soldiers invading.
Vietnam: The Vietcong sent deadly spiked traps for American soldiers to die in.
Second Iraq War: Terrorists kill innocent men women and children with car bombs and suicide bombers to get at coalition troops.
War is bad to begin with, yes, but at least before it retained some sanity, for lack of a better word.
You can hardly say that mustard gas was honorable.
[QUOTE=emPiRe14;21816532]You can hardly say that mustard gas was honorable.[/QUOTE]
It isn't. Never said all of it was, I said it can have some in it.
[QUOTE=Drsalvador;21811664]But still, war is a terrible thing we shouldn't see as something to celebrate.[/QUOTE]
It's not but it's human nature and you have to accept it, it's also how technology grows. The only time technology is made is when there is demand for it. War gives demand, War gives technology.
Sorry, you need to Log In to post a reply to this thread.
