A moment's silence for the passing of an old soldier please

[Knipper]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7210346.stm

RIP Erich Kaestner

[Skybird]

That went almost unnoted in Germany. Having intentionally launched one world war and having played a decciding role in getting another one laucnhed, and having lost both wars whose scars still can be seen in our landscape and cities, any celebrating of military things and war-related events has not formed a tradition here after 1945. It's internal celebrations the Bundeswehr use to hold almost hidden, and without too much public and media attention, which has both pros and contras.

And since war is grim horror, death and destruction, I think that hesitation to celebrate war-related opportunities is a very respectable basic attitude. Military parades in other nations are watched with sceptic eyes in Germany, and with disgust. The parade of paper-tanks and planes after the Kowait war 1991 even caused quite some fury and strong antipathy over here, and comments of that way of celebrating being tasteless. It reminded many of us of the street parades we do at Karneval and Fasching over here, with those vans of funny paper figures showing carricatures and ironic political scenes.

We have war rememberance days, though. They are reserved for remembering the dead, and the horror that took place, serving as a warning. At least that is the intention. In reality the official acts are not much wanted, and are more consiodered to be an unloved public duty for office-holders. The population for the most does not much care.

[mrbeast]

Won't be long till that chapter of history is beyond living memory.

[Knipper]

You're right mrbeast, but until people stop using words like 'glorious' and 'dead' in the same sentence, it will be raked over again and again. Like Skybird implies, what's there to celebrate about horror and destruction? In the words of the song, "War - what is it good for? absolutely nothing."

[Kapitan_Phillips]

Originally Posted by Knipper

"War - what is it good for? absolutely nothing."

Apart from bringing countrymen together and remembering and thanking those who fought and died for their country

RIP, Herr Kaestner

[Biggles]

It's tragic that there is almost noone left to tell the story of The Great War. In another 50 years, it will be tha same with World War II....

[Skybird]

Originally Posted by Kapitan_Phillips

Apart from bringing countrymen together and remembering and thanking those who fought and died for their country

RIP, Herr Kaestner

You can fight and die for your contry - and still be on the wrong side. Wehrmacht soldiers also fought for their country, and most of them were no Nazis. Just imagine they would have not obeyed but stood up against Hitler. A single man's effort probably would have seen him getting courtmartialed, like Stauffenberg. On the other hand - what if these single men - would have been seen in numbers that made them the majority? The fall of an evil regime.

What if the majority of GIs in the 60s and 70s would have rebelled against the political leadership sending them to Vietnam? The sudden end of an unneeded and useless war.

You can find according examples for the military history of EVERY major nation.

[mookiemookie]

Originally Posted by Knipper

"War - what is it good for? absolutely nothing."

Oh I don't know, fighting tyranny, oppression, fascism, Naziism....

Just because war isn't a pretty thing doesn't mean that there isn't anything noble in it.

[Stealth Hunter]

Lang lebe der Kaiser und Deutschland! Lang lebe Herr Kaestner!

[bookworm_020]

It's strange to see this debated. In Australia about 20 years ago, numbers of people attending ANZAC marches were dropping, and many were saying that it would be wound up in the near future due to lack of public intrest. Then on the 75th aniversary of the Gallipoli campain, they flew 20 vets back for the dawn service. Since then crowd numbers have been increasing.

The Day is not a celebration of war, it's a day of rememberance, and a reminder of how bad war can be. The fact that the day doesn't celebrate a military victory helps as well.

[Knipper]

Can't disagree with you either Kpt Phillips. I've been to a lot of reunions with my dad (now sadly gone). That sense of unity was palpable. Fighting together for a common cause is something few of us will experience, hopefully. My sense of gratitude to them all overwhelms me sometimes, but I can't help but feel for those on the other side who believed they were in a similar position, or at least had to do it to survive. Know what I mean?

[Knipper]

@ skybird.

[Knipper]

Darned right Biggles, (love the name ) That one seems to have slipped by the media eh? Maybe they're waiting for the century before doing the front page splashes.

[Sailor Steve]

***

[Biggles]

Originally Posted by Knipper

Darned right Biggles, (love the name ) That one seems to have slipped by the media eh? Maybe they're waiting for the century before doing the front page splashes.

Hm, they'll bring it on for November 11th, that's my guess.

And thank you, I consider myself proud of being the SubSim forums only true Biggles!