Quote:
Originally Posted by guntherprien
Is it only me who finds submarine warfare a particularly cowardly form,especially against unarmed merchantmen?
I mean,come on,it's hardly trench warfare is it?
It riles me when I read of commanders getting medals for sinking merchant vessels and leaving the crew to die,I would be ashamed of myself.
I mean,look at 'Mush' Mortons escapade,when he slaughtered all the Japanese troops in the open water,
to name but a few.
Wreford-brown was hardly a hero sinking the Belgrano relatively recently was he?
No,I'm sorry,I don't rate it heroic one bit.Dangerous? Very,but heroic? No.
Flame away,comrades......  |
Late to the party, but putting my tuppence in anyway!
I agree that Wreford-Brown wasn't a hero, but he was working under direct Prime Ministerial supervision and sinking the Belgrano had a strategic effect which still works today.
Anyone tracking the UK Press will see that the regular complaints about Las Malvinas are roughly on a four-year cycle (aligned with Argentinian politics). Every time the Argentinians make military assertions, the UK military has a low-profile press release mentioning the deployment of an attack submarine to an 'unknown destination', reinforcing the lessons of the war of 1982.
The sinking of the Belgrano had a psychological effect that has lasted for 30 years. I contest that the loss of 323 lives on the Belgrano may have ultimately saved lives in the long term as it helped prevent further military actions over Las Malvinas and therefore further unnecessary bloodshed.
I hope that the vote being held soon will be accepted by both the UK and Argentinian governments, regardless of which way the vote falls.