re: WWII: Would You Choose the Pacific or Europe?

I would take Europe. Getting to see some sights and more abundant/appreciative women would be a small plus, but the Japs truly were our greatest adversary, one I would not want to face if given a choice. They were brutal, effective, organized, and vicious SOBs. If you watched Band of Brother, watch The Pacific. Its Band of Brothers but in the Pacific with various Marine's. It was also done by Hanks and the HBO crew who did Band of Brothers so they are very similar. I like Band of Brothers more, but The Pacific was great at showing how truly desperate and brutal the Japs were. I have a lot of respect for them as an enemy because of their fighting style, loyalty, and diehearted ways, but damn I would not choose to take them on hand to hand.

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Oak Ridge, TN.

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Where? Does that even exist? (Get it? haha)

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My grandfather was in battle of bulge, I always heard only one of two from his unit to make it back to the states alive. Also heard he had a limp due to frostbite. Sadly I never met him, booze got him at 49

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I feel sorry for this generation in that there was no understanding of the psychological affects of war along with appropriate tx. Even today, we are still learning but they were basically told to, "be a man". I imagine a lot of those that survived the war died a lot sooner than they should have due to the after affects of war

Europe without a doubt. I worked with a older guy mid 60s at the time that had served in the Marines in the Pacific. He had shrapnel scars on the his arms and torso. I asked him about it and he did occasionally tell me some stories.

He said the Japanese were tough SOBs with no quit in them. You had to kill them all with what ever means were necessary. A lot of the killing was up close and personal due to shortage of ammo. He said they killed them with bayonets, fire, and often ran over the wounded with tanks.

He said he hated to kill all those Japs who were young men like himself doing what they were told. But in the end every one of those MFers he killed was one less that was trying to kill him.

I was told at work to never approach him if he was sleeping/napping in his office chair because he might beat my arse or slit my throat. I stayed away from him if he even looked sleepy

Europe, Nazi's actually had some civility towards POWs.

I would go with the European Theatre, but it would be weird IF I ended up flying with my Grandfather in P-47's....

Cue the Twilight Zone theme song

I would choose Pacific if I was in the Navy.

I probably would have chosen the pacific simply because I would have wanted revenge on the japs for Pearl Harbor, had I been alive at the time.

In hindsight, Europe.

My pop did the Pacific WWII in the Army. Got to party on Okinawa for 50 days. It was not recommended. Japanese occupation duty (Sendai area) in '45-'46, while not making up for it, meant that he bought a Toyota way before many other people of his generation.