SUBSIM Radio Room Forums - View Single Post - The Revisionist Attitude Towards The Pacific Theater

frau kaleun · 07-13-10, 10:24 PM

I will admit to being far more ignorant about the war in the Pacific than in the Atlantic and Europe. I know more than the average person, I guess, because I'm interested in WWII at all - but still.

Part of it for me is personal, as my father served in the ETO and not elsewhere. So did the one brother of his that I was around a lot as a child. So whatever personal stories and names and places I heard, were from the ETO.

And the part about popular WWII movies, miniseries & documentaries (some of which are very well done, and do create a sort of "emotional attachment") focusing on the ETO to the exclusion of, or in a way that downplays the importance of, the PTO - that's also a factor. I have seen some things that focus on the PTO but so far nothing that has revved up my interest in the way that, say, "Band of Brothers" did for the airborne infantry in Europe. I do not have HBO so saw nothing of "The Pacific" but expect I will see it when it comes out on DVD, and that may do what previous exposure to the subject via popular entertainment hasn't yet done.

There's also the fact that for Americans of European descent, there may be a lingering sense of connection to that part of the world that simply doesn't exist in the same way when it comes to the Far East and South Pacific.

However, I certainly hope that simply knowing more about the ETO, or being more interested in studying and/or "simming" that part of the war, doesn't lead to the assumption that this equates to a lack of respect for the sacrifices made by those who served in the PTO. Or for the importance of the PTO in the war effort overall. It certainly doesn't in my case. It's just not what I'm "into" right now. There are multitudes of worthy, important things I'm not "into" right now. Doesn't mean I don't think they're important, but there are only so many hours in the day to devote to satisfying one's curiosity about history (and everything else).

There are a vast number of things in this world I know far less about than the PTO in WWII, lol, but it doesn't mean I think they are unworthy of study or interest.

At any rate I am in the process of (slowly) downloading SH4 Gold, so I may be giving the US subs a try eventually. Who knows, I may fall in love with them too.

07-13-10, 10:24 PM	#10
frau kaleun Rear Admiral Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Skyri--oh who are we kidding, I'm probably at Lowe's. Again. Posts: 12,706 Downloads: 168 Uploads: 0	I will admit to being far more ignorant about the war in the Pacific than in the Atlantic and Europe. I know more than the average person, I guess, because I'm interested in WWII at all - but still. Part of it for me is personal, as my father served in the ETO and not elsewhere. So did the one brother of his that I was around a lot as a child. So whatever personal stories and names and places I heard, were from the ETO. And the part about popular WWII movies, miniseries & documentaries (some of which are very well done, and do create a sort of "emotional attachment") focusing on the ETO to the exclusion of, or in a way that downplays the importance of, the PTO - that's also a factor. I have seen some things that focus on the PTO but so far nothing that has revved up my interest in the way that, say, "Band of Brothers" did for the airborne infantry in Europe. I do not have HBO so saw nothing of "The Pacific" but expect I will see it when it comes out on DVD, and that may do what previous exposure to the subject via popular entertainment hasn't yet done. There's also the fact that for Americans of European descent, there may be a lingering sense of connection to that part of the world that simply doesn't exist in the same way when it comes to the Far East and South Pacific. However, I certainly hope that simply knowing more about the ETO, or being more interested in studying and/or "simming" that part of the war, doesn't lead to the assumption that this equates to a lack of respect for the sacrifices made by those who served in the PTO. Or for the importance of the PTO in the war effort overall. It certainly doesn't in my case. It's just not what I'm "into" right now. There are multitudes of worthy, important things I'm not "into" right now. Doesn't mean I don't think they're important, but there are only so many hours in the day to devote to satisfying one's curiosity about history (and everything else). There are a vast number of things in this world I know far less about than the PTO in WWII, lol, but it doesn't mean I think they are unworthy of study or interest. At any rate I am in the process of (slowly) downloading SH4 Gold, so I may be giving the US subs a try eventually. Who knows, I may fall in love with them too.