What is your favorite World War II theater?

Discussion in 'General' started by NavalAviatorF35, Aug 12, 2006.

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What is your favorite World War II theater?

  1. Western Europe

    0 vote(s)
    0.0%
  2. Eastern Europe

    57.9%
  3. Pacific Islands

    10.5%
  4. MTO

    21.1%
  5. CBI

    5.3%
  6. China

    5.3%
  1. Slipdigit

    Slipdigit Old Hickory Recon

    What is your favorite World War II theater? and why?
    A. European
    B. Asian & Pacific
    C. Middle East
    D. African & Mediterranean

    This was the original question. It wasn't "What was the most critical, or most deadly, or had the largest investiment of men and material, or most important. It was the favorite of each individual member of this forum. Period. It also wasn't to try to dimish the efforts of other countries or to build our own up.

    The reasons one theater would be favored another are varied. The reason I chose Western Europe was two-fold. Please understand that most contributors here are from the British Isles, North America and the English speaking areas of the southwest Pacific and I suspect that their reasoning would be similar to mine, adjusted for their locations.

    1. I have/had many close relatives and friends who participated in the Northwest European Campaign. Not surprisingly, I have an increased interest in that area for that very reason. The men there were able to bring alive, to me, the activities they were involved in directly and piqued my interest in the American sectors. I had a increase interest even over what went on in the neighboring Allied areas and their campaigns were greatly intertwined, to the point of having a single overall commander, Eisenhower. Because of these men, I prefer reading about the ETO over the PTO and the PTO was for all intents and purposes, an American show. No slights are intended to the dedicated contributions of the Aussies, Kiwis and the Royal Navy.
    The first thing I stated in my original "howdy-do" to this forum was that I know very little about the British Army and they fought side by side with the US Army in Europe. Why was this? Because, as a boy, I first talked to men from the US Army, not the British Army, and I then wanted find out more about them. Also, this being the USA, a lot more authors obviously wrote of the activities of the US Army and not the British Army, so the availability of books was less for them.
    quoted from T-34 shame on american movie industry.
    The American film industry, along other cinematic enterprises in other countries, has as it first priority, to make money. They are going to make movies that interest the people they are marketing it to. US interests are no different in regards to their own country as other countries. How many movies were made in the USSR during the 1950s '60s and '70s that even remotely showed the US Army (or British Army, Canadian, Navies et al) in a favorable light, if at all? How many have been made recently in Russia?
    T-34, if you are going to throw rocks, make sure you don't live in a glass house.

    2.The information available on the Eastern Front was squelched for nearly 50 years by the governments that controlled Eastern Europe and Central Asia. Thankfully, since the demise of the Communist governments and before Putin possibly closes them back up, records not available to the West can finally be seen. Think about it. What became of Hitler's body was kept a state secret in the USSR for what good reason? Couple that with the dearth of autobiographical books on the common Soviet soldier in the West, prevented by the government in charge there, it is no wonder there is not a greater interest in the Eastern Front in the West. I have read several books with first hand accounts from Russian soldiers (e.g. Tank Rider by Evgeni Bessonov) and would like to read more. I learned a great deal. The fact that presently, the Western Front enjoys my greater interest is the result of it having enjoyed a good 50 year headstart on trying to get my interest.

    I earnestly hope the current and subsequent governments in Russia and other Eastern European countries continue to keep their war archives open and furthermore release more information concerning that global war. It benefits us all.
     

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