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Apocalypse WWI: debating the tactics
Posted on 2/5/16 at 10:41 pm
Posted on 2/5/16 at 10:41 pm
Watching Apocalypse WWI got me thinking about modern day parallels, how I would realistically react if I found myself in that situation, the insanity of the whole affair, etc.
One question I really wondered about: what kept the troops from mass desertion?
Individual deserters/those who refused to fight were obviously shot by firing squad, but what was the motivation to prevent entire divisions from just saying "frick this"?
Think about your life: at some points of the war you hav less than a 50% chance of survival. You are constantly ordered to go "over the top" by distant generals, to get mowed down by the newly industrialized warfare techniques. A good charge will capture the equivalent of a football field at the cost of several thousand troops. You live in filthy disease ridden muddy open trenches, at constant risk of dying a horrible death from gas, shells, etc. You are also starving and cold. If you are lucky enough to be injured, you will be horribly disfigured for life in many cases. While you are suffering, your officers are living in the chateaus in the rear, eating, smoking, and drinking as part of the class system. Seems like there is no way this could have lasted four years.
One question I really wondered about: what kept the troops from mass desertion?
Individual deserters/those who refused to fight were obviously shot by firing squad, but what was the motivation to prevent entire divisions from just saying "frick this"?
Think about your life: at some points of the war you hav less than a 50% chance of survival. You are constantly ordered to go "over the top" by distant generals, to get mowed down by the newly industrialized warfare techniques. A good charge will capture the equivalent of a football field at the cost of several thousand troops. You live in filthy disease ridden muddy open trenches, at constant risk of dying a horrible death from gas, shells, etc. You are also starving and cold. If you are lucky enough to be injured, you will be horribly disfigured for life in many cases. While you are suffering, your officers are living in the chateaus in the rear, eating, smoking, and drinking as part of the class system. Seems like there is no way this could have lasted four years.
This post was edited on 2/6/16 at 12:09 am
14
Posted on 2/5/16 at 10:44 pm to SurfTide
The Christmas Truce
Have you watched Kubrick's Paths of Glory?
quote:
You are constantly ordered to go "over the top" by distant generals
Have you watched Kubrick's Paths of Glory?
Posted on 2/5/16 at 10:44 pm to SurfTide
quote:
One question I really wondered about: what kept the troops from mass desertion?
A sense of duty, honor and loyalty to the motherland and their fellow men.
Posted on 2/5/16 at 10:44 pm to SurfTide
Well in Russia troops did dessert en masse. The German troops started to say screw it at the end.
The French started shooting their own.
The French started shooting their own.
Posted on 2/5/16 at 10:45 pm to SurfTide
At some point you become numb to it and your mind sorta of shuts down in order to cope with it. All I can is thank you to all those veterans who made it possible for many of us to avoid the draft and terrible wars.
Posted on 2/5/16 at 10:48 pm to SurfTide
People back then had spirit, unlike today's pussies.
Posted on 2/5/16 at 10:49 pm to SurfTide
Listen to Dan Carlin's "Blueprint for Armageddon"
Best WW1 program I've heard so far
Best WW1 program I've heard so far
Posted on 2/5/16 at 10:55 pm to SurfTide
Also, it wasn't always the "distant" Generals in WW1 giving the orders. Let's not forget the bravery of Captain Truman who stood firm and fought while many of his soldiers fled while fighting in the Vosges Mountains.
Posted on 2/5/16 at 11:00 pm to SurfTide
Duty
A pitch black sense of humor
A pitch black sense of humor
Posted on 2/5/16 at 11:02 pm to SurfTide
Trench warfare doesnt exist anymore
Posted on 2/5/16 at 11:12 pm to SurfTide
quote:
You are constantly ordered to go "over the top" by distant generals
This is a bit of a myth. First of all, the officer corps in most armies actually suffered higher percentages of casualties than the enlisted ranks. In the British Army alone over 200 generals were killed, wounded or captured. The French generals saw casualties in similar numbers as well. The German generals saw similar numbers of casualties, including two Field Marshals who died in the war.
Posted on 2/5/16 at 11:22 pm to SurfTide
Watch the movie "Gallipoli" sometime... very early Mel Gibson war movie.
The British in particular had some really wacky ideas about warfare. Heck, in the Revolutionary War, they often wore bright red coats with a white St. Andrews cross on the front. They may well have the most effective self-targeting strategy in the history of warfare.
And the same for the trench warfare surges (as shown in Gallipoli). It was almost as if their goal was to make the other guys run out of bullets, and to hell with our own casualties. I guess war is a little more... impersonal... these days, and maybe that's why we have so many of them. A lot less people see the horror and devastation caused on a first hand basis.
The British in particular had some really wacky ideas about warfare. Heck, in the Revolutionary War, they often wore bright red coats with a white St. Andrews cross on the front. They may well have the most effective self-targeting strategy in the history of warfare.
And the same for the trench warfare surges (as shown in Gallipoli). It was almost as if their goal was to make the other guys run out of bullets, and to hell with our own casualties. I guess war is a little more... impersonal... these days, and maybe that's why we have so many of them. A lot less people see the horror and devastation caused on a first hand basis.
Posted on 2/5/16 at 11:34 pm to SurfTide
watch the original "All Quiet on the Western Front" starring Lew Ayers. he movie affected him so much he was a conciensius objector in WWII
Posted on 2/6/16 at 12:00 am to SurfTide
There was no such thing as Glory Holes back then, so, you had much less perversion in those days.
Less perversion led to fewer perverts and when you have fewer perverts, you have more bravery.
And nothing demonstrates bravery like marching at a normal pace in line with your fellow non-perverts into the face of a couple of German machine-gun nests -- nests of perversion spitting out hot lead at about 500 rounds a minute -- one of those rounds with your brave non-perverted name on it.
People were properly ashamed of perversion back then, not PROUD TO BE PERVERTED like they are now.
Less perversion led to fewer perverts and when you have fewer perverts, you have more bravery.
And nothing demonstrates bravery like marching at a normal pace in line with your fellow non-perverts into the face of a couple of German machine-gun nests -- nests of perversion spitting out hot lead at about 500 rounds a minute -- one of those rounds with your brave non-perverted name on it.
People were properly ashamed of perversion back then, not PROUD TO BE PERVERTED like they are now.
Posted on 2/6/16 at 5:44 am to SurfTide
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