OT - favorite era / theater of war

[Puke]

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.)

[thorfrog]

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.

[Kadste]

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!

[Urendi Maleldil]

China: mid 1800s - mid 1900s

Emperors, Boxers, Commies, Japs, Colonials

Everything a growing boy needs.

[Baron Munchausen]

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).]

[dmm]

Anything pre-guns. Back when men were men, they fought mostly hand-to-hand. Aaah, those were the days!