OT - favorite era / theater of war
 

as was recently mentioned on another thread, I have recently become interested in the Winter War of 1939-40 between the Russians and the Finns. While their overall performance was nothing short of heroic, I find perticularly inspiring what the Finnish marksmans were able to achieve with nothing but iron sights - in an era when the russians and germans were using 7x telescopes.

What captures your interestes in military history? what era? which wars? which theaters, which battles? Are you interested in technology, the development of rifles or of seige guns? tanks or warships?

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"...the green, sticky spawn of the stars"
(with apologies to H.P.L.)

Re: OT - favorite era / theater of war
 

The Battle of Kursk. One of the largest land battles in history until Desert Storm. You had everything and anything availible. This battle was one of the death rolls of Germany during WWII.

Jutland, the ultimate naval battle during WWI. No fleet carriers just Battleships.

Re: OT - favorite era / theater of war
 

WW II Pacific Theatre

More ships than any where else, bombers that really did some damage (B-29), land based and carrier based planes, really big sea battles and campaigns, small, medium and large land campaigns (New Guinea, Biak, Phillipines, India, China...), and of course Amphibious Assaults (lots of them)

The only time where you really had to co-ordinate your land, air and sea plus your supply assets.

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Never Give up, Never Surrender!

Re: OT - favorite era / theater of war
 

China: mid 1800s - mid 1900s

Emperors, Boxers, Commies, Japs, Colonials

Everything a growing boy needs.

Re: OT - favorite era / theater of war
 

It's hard to say that any ONE of the many eras and areas of human conflict can hold your attention constantly. There are too many variations in the course of history for any one era to be the "best". But there are some that are more interesting than others. I have to agree that the WW II Pacific Theatre was one of the most epic wars of all time. The scale in terms of distances and kinds and numbers of combatants of all sorts is just staggering. The German-Russian front in Europe was also quite epic, though. It's rarely studied in the West for some reason. The Russians and Germans fought a completely different war than what is explained in the average textbook in the US. Also one of the biggest wars of all time. That both of these were going on at once is just incredible.

But getting out of our own historical times, which we perhaps have been too much absorbed in, I think the tale of the Roman Empire is quite fascinating. This is almost the 'opposite' of modern warfare. They fought on foot and took centuries to reach their greatest extent of power. Roman Imperial forces were never very good with either archery or cavalry, and they had to find a way to turn sea-combat into land combat with boarding bridges before they were very effective at sea. They were just dogged, determined, and skilled sword and shield troops with excellent logistics and siege engineering to back them up. Yet they were the most powerful military in the world for centuries.

The age of "Wooden Ships and Iron Men" is also quite fascinating. The scale of warfare was still very 'human' and it was possible to pull off some incredible stunts. You could send out a ship and not hear from it for YEARS. Think of Sir Francis Drake in "real' life or Horatio Horblower (modeled at least in part on Drake) in fiction. It was possible to beach your "warship" on a South Pacific island for reprovision and extensive repair, and then set to sea again. All you had to return to your homeland for was ammunition and possibly your pay if you were ready to go back to civilian life and spend it. Even those could be sent to you at an advanced base, though.

[This message has been edited by Baron Munchausen (edited 16 August 2001).]

Re: OT - favorite era / theater of war
 

Anything pre-guns. Back when men were men, they fought mostly hand-to-hand. Aaah, those were the days! http://www.shrapnelgames.com/ubb/ima...ons/icon10.gif

Re: OT - favorite era / theater of war
 

Sorry Puke I am at work again and I forgot to bring in the list of books on that era, tomorrow I will post them.

Myself ,, lately I have been reading Civil War. Touring the battle sites for vacations.

As a CDN I get to look at it without any slants.

I find the whole idea of fighting your class mates and fellow regiment ( Mexican war )very interesting.

I spent a week at Gettsyburg this year. It is quite mind numbing looking at devels den, Armstrong's Assault and the angle. If you ever get a chance to go their then do so. I walked the battlefield. It took about 4 days.

A dream trip would be a biking tour of the world war one trenches (western front)(tannenburg would be too hard to get to) and a quick stop at waterloo.

Re: OT - favorite era / theater of war
 

The subject that got me interested in military history was Snoopy and the Red Baron. http://www.shrapnelgames.com/ubb/images/icons/icon7.gif That expanded into WWI aircraft, then all of WWI, then both World Wars, and kept growing. My first serious wargame was Avalon Hill's _1914_. I have a WWI flight sim on my system, but I need to clear some space on the HD for the swap file before I can play it again.

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Cap'n Q

The most merciful thing in the world, I think, is the inability of the
human mind to correlate all of its contents. We live on a placid
island of ignorance in the midst of black seas of infinity, and it was
not meant that we should go far. -- HP Lovecraft, "The Call of Cthulhu"

Re: OT - favorite era / theater of war
 

Medieval. Swords on shields, lances and armor, and a great big gory mess!

Quikngruvn

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Stay alert. Trust no one. Keep your laser handy.
--from the RPG Paranoia, now my PBW mantra

Re: OT - favorite era / theater of war
 

All of you guys have brought up some very interesting era's. The time periods including Alexander the Great, the ancient Egyptians and Romans, the Medieval times and the Crusades, Ghengis Khan, the American Revolution and Civil Wars, Napoleon, the American West, the World Wars, the Arab-Israeli Wars...all of these and many more have held my interest over the years. As soon as I get thru one time period, I find another that I know nothing about...but of all these...what really holds my interest...are the battles of tomorrow. We are heading into an era where technologies will connect everyone on the battlefield, where even the poor foot soldier is tied in digitally to his squad mates and is equipped with the latest tech. Weapons that are not just smart, but brilliant...that seek out their targets using onboard AI. We are so close to directed energy weapons, and I don't just mean enhanced lasers, I mean blow them out of the sky type phasers, and that the battlefields of tomorrow will be unlike anything in the past with the exception of the blood and gore. Let's just hope we don't get too smart for our britches and end up having to fight the machines we create like in Terminator.

Sabre21

Re: OT - favorite era / theater of war
 

Lets drink a toast to those clever bombs, and the men who built them.


and unlike Danny Elfman, I mean that wholeheartedly.

------------------
"...the green, sticky spawn of the stars"
(with apologies to H.P.L.)

Re: OT - favorite era / theater of war
 

Puke

John Erickson's The road to Stalingrad

and the classic

Russia at war by Alexander Werth.

Finland in the second world war -
l.
lundin
The Winter War - V. Tanner

Re: OT - favorite era / theater of war
 

Thanks, I actually have The Winter War on order, as well as A Frozen Hell by William R Trotter. I hear there is a forign film about the war as well, but I dont know too much about the details.

On the topic of WWII reading, I recently digested Inside The Third Reich, memoires of Albert Speer. Very good read, I cant recommend it more.


edit: actually, the copy of _The Winter War_ that I have on order is by Eloise Engle, is there another that I should be aware of?
------------------
"...the green, sticky spawn of the stars"
(with apologies to H.P.L.)

[This message has been edited by Puke (edited 17 August 2001).]

Re: OT - favorite era / theater of war
 

Korean era. The onset of jet fighters, earily jet bombers, the New M26 tanks and such. Still using Tompsons, and M1 Grands.

Battleships were still a significant part of the fleet.

Re: OT - favorite era / theater of war
 

Removed link.

[This message has been edited by tesco samoa (edited 17 August 2001).]

Re: OT - favorite era / theater of war
 

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>what really holds my interest...are the battles of tomorrow.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>Have you read the SF anthology series "The Future of War", edited by Reginald Bretnor? Three volumes: Thor's Hammer, Mars' Spear, Orion's Sword; stories about progressively larger scale theaters of operations.

------------------
Cap'n Q

The most merciful thing in the world, I think, is the inability of the
human mind to correlate all of its contents. We live on a placid
island of ignorance in the midst of black seas of infinity, and it was
not meant that we should go far. -- HP Lovecraft, "The Call of Cthulhu"

[This message has been edited by capnq (edited 21 August 2001).]

Re: OT - favorite era / theater of war
 

The oft-mentioned WWII Pacific Theatre, WWI naval, and pre-dreadnought naval. The Russo-Japanese War is my favorite minor war.

Re: OT - favorite era / theater of war
 

Imagine sailing for one year around the world and when you arrive for the battle your fleet is obsolete.

Re: OT - favorite era / theater of war
 

Plus, starting the voyage by attacking British fishing vessels in the North Sea because you thought they were Japanese torpedo boats, and ending it by entering enemy waters at night with all lights darkened except for your hospital ship which is fully lit-up. http://www.shrapnelgames.com/ubb/images/icons/icon7.gif

But, while I like the R-J war (well, the comic/tragic action at Tsushima anyway), my Favorites are WW II Pacific (lotsa BB & CV action!), WW II Eastern Front (both sides are evil empires!), and Seven Years War (Prussia takes on Austria, France, and Russia all at the same time... and wins!).

Re: OT - favorite era / theater of war
 

Anyone into the classic wars???

B.C. era or before.


Punic wars etc.....

I also find fuedal Japan interesting.

Anyone ever seen Ran. Macbeth done in 1600's Japan. 4 hours long. Epic battles.
Tragic ending

Re: OT - favorite era / theater of war
 

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by tesco samoa:
Anyone into the classic wars???

B.C. era or before.
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

How about the biblical stuff, when the followers of Jahova (i believe he was the agricultural god in their pantheon) were killing off all of their other tribes because their one god was best? Those were fun wars, and so effective that these days people dont even realize there was an entire pantheon. one true god, after the followers of all the others were slaughtered.

now that i have been reminded, i will have to dig up a book list on these. i have been meaning to brush up on my ancient history. which was back burnered, along with my meaning to brush up on eastern history.