re: Could almost anyone born after 1940 fight in WWI

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I would like to wonder though if it wouldn’t have been better for the world at large had the Germans not won?

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I have a hard time imagining a scenario barring nuclear apocalypse (the nuclear bomb is inevitable in any scenario) if Germany had stormed Paris in the first months of the war. The British wouldn't have really been all that involved and then the Germans could solely focus on Russia. I don't think Germany's conditions on France would be all that severe to inspire a French Hitler either to rise to power.

But WWI's escalation led to the Germans smuggling Lenin back to Russia to spread the infectious disease of communism. That killed 150 million people at least and almost led us to nuclear holocaust. And think if the Ottomans had only been around for another 10 years to discover the value of their oil reserves and what that means for the Muslim world? Europe would be much stronger and continue to have influence. America would likely still be an isolationist country, barring the Japanese bombing Pearl Harbor in a different timeline (a possibility since they had imperial aspirations long before WWI). The downside is we'd probably be 20-30 years back in technology.

The only worse scenario I can really think of is Western Europe becomes Communist and through their mass colonies make it even worse. That and nuclear holocaust. WWI was pretty much a worst case scenario.

If we wait until later than 1914, then some other colorful things can pop up, but if Germany had stormed Paris, I really think the world would be a better place... save for not being born of course.

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I'm pretty sure we knew Hitler was a genocidal maniac due to a Jewish refugee crisis and the Rape of Nanking. I'll grant you that Hitler gave us a "hope for the best, fear for the worst" scenario in that going through with the Holocaust directly impedes with his war effort, but not with the Japanese. Tons of journalists and Western Ambassadors witnessed and recorded that, trying to get the Chinese to safety. Nanking was well documented.

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So you believe the United States got involved in the war because of Hitler's actions against Jews and Japanese war crimes in China? Like I said, such naivete.

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So you believe the United States got involved in the war because of Hitler's actions against Jews and Japanese war crimes in China? Like I said, such naivete.

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I'm saying we knew they were evil. I don't think many people in the US thought that the Germans were evil during WWI, and Woodrow Wilson made that clear in his speech on getting Congress to vote for a declaration of war. It just really helps the war effort when your enemy is indisputably evil.

They sure as shite showed the soldiers in the Pacific what the Japanese did in the Rape of Nanking, and the NYT was there to report on it. It was a very widely reported massacre. I'm sure that footage made sure that no American wanted to be captured alive by them and would fight to the death with the Japanese.

I just happened to be watching WWII in Color a few hours ago

ETA: I don’t think it was solely because of Nanking. The Japs also sank one of our gunboats in Shanghai killing 55 sailors.

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I'm saying we knew they were evil.

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Who's "we" and when exactly did "we" know they were evil and how did that influence national policy considerations? Did America decide collectively or through our political leadership that it was our national mission to fight wars against "evil" governments? Was the USSR not an "evil" government? Why did Roosevelt have to wait for a German declaration of war upon the United States if we decided to go to war because we knew they were evil?

Is it "without question worth goin to war" with any government or state actor that someone thinks is "evil?" Is that what you think constitutes a sensible foreign policy in the first place?

The gunboat incident happened in 37 during the same time as Nanking when Roosevelt wanted to get involved. Who knows what would’ve happened had the US and Europeans intervened then instead of waiting.

The first and last resource for those interested in the geopolitical climate before during and after WWI and vivid descriptions as to just how horrific that war was is Dan Carlin’s Hardcore History

the people fighting in WW II didn't want to be there anymore than today's people would want to be there ...

and this notion that today's youth are the problem is willfully ignorant at best ... most of ya'll and your precious parents haven't risked anything for your country and didn't when you had the chance ... but keep patting that chest and chanting 'merica ...

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and this notion that today's youth are the problem is willfully ignorant at best ... most of ya'll and your precious parents haven't risked anything for your country and didn't when you had the chance

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I’ve been drinking JD and probably misunderstood your post but those guys in the shithole of Iraq and Afghanistan risked quite a bit. It was nothing but one big arse booby trap.

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and this notion that today's youth are the problem is willfully ignorant at best ... most of ya'll and your precious parents haven't risked anything for your country and didn't when you had the chance


I’ve been drinking JD and probably misunderstood your post but those guys in the shithole of Iraq and Afghanistan risked quite a bit. It was nothing but one big arse booby trap.

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hence the use of the word "most" ...