[Schöneboom]

Guten Tag, ichso,

I regard SH3 as more than an intellectual exercise -- yes, there is real satisfaction in doing something difficult, like manual torpedo shooting. But at its best, one can experience genuine emotions, like when watching a very good film (naturlich, you know which one I mean). This includes conflicted emotions: the pleasure of successful patrols & advancing one's career, vs. the dismay at the waste of life on both sides, for a government that one does not admire.

My Kaleun-persona is not just a dumb tool of the Reich; in idle moments I think about the tragic turn of events from the perspective of a German who is not eager to take on the whole world. Having travelled widely in Europe, this Kaleun is familiar with the neighbors, & has no quarrel with them personally. When possible (1939-41) I try to stop to help the survivors, & feel regret when a ship sinks too quickly for her crew to escape. This feeling is soon replaced by the desire to just survive against an enemy that grows ever more powerful. A complex experience, to be in this position, eh?

I suspect it may be easier for non-Germans to do this role-playing -- since we have not been raised with all the emotional baggage of war guilt. Whether one wishes to apply the lessons of the past to the present day or not, that's up to the individual, nicht wahr?

Mach's gut,