What if USA army in Iraq had good soldier Svejk with it?

[VetLegion]

What do you think

1. Would the course of war have gone different?

2. Would he have deserted?

3. What would be the ideas Svejk would try to get home?


My answers:

1. Yep, USA would have lost due to misplaced maps and friendly fire sinking two aircraft carriers

2. Yes, surrendered to first beduin.

3. Sun burns and sand allergy perhaps.



And the sub-question... if all soldiers of the world were Svejks, would there be any wars at all? The point is after all - that he does not want to die for the empire.

 

[napoleon526]

Um...what's a Svejk?

 

[VetLegion]

A guy that would make your avatar cry for mommy.

 

[VetLegion]

Ich melde gehorsam,

Svejk is a a literary character. Famous in europe. 'Fought' for Austria in ww I. Toghether with catch 22, the most pacifist thing I ever read.

 

[jack merchant]

I doubt any Svejks would ever find their way into the US military, as it is 1) a volunteer force and 2) it fights for its own country, not for any foreign occupiers.

Methinks the Svejks were all on the Iraqi side.

 

[VetLegion]

1) What if you joined voluntarily to defend your country and get sent to Iraq? Defense? No way, you are forced into something you don't want

2) It fights for the Empire. Not a single reason the little man can see to fight for it, be serious.

 

[VetLegion]

Methinks the Svejks were all on the Iraqi side.

True.

 

[Parsifal]

This thread is stupid

 

[test_specimen]

Svejk just shows the whimsiness of Austrians. Whenever they get involved in something, that turns out as historically wrong, they make up a literary character, that revolts against the regime because of his "wit" (Bauernschläue). Svejk is comparable to Bockerer, who was invented for WWII, though he was not a soldier but an ordinary citizen.

The main argument is, that Austrians are just too stupid to be plain evil. On the one hand this belittles the role they played, on the other hand this shows their self-image: "We are just too small a country to have great influence." It is to show, that we followed along, but did no harm anyway.

Basically it is like lying to your own face. A very popular thing around here.

 

[VetLegion]

Svejk is Chech by nationality actually, although he is Austrian soldier

 

[test_specimen]

I know, but many Austrians consider him one of theirs mainly because they made several popular movies about him.

Also because they do not think there is a German nationality, they think that he might as well be from Vienna. And since Czechs belonged to Austria this basically makes him one.

 

[test_specimen]

"Arms and the Man" by George Bernhard Shaw is a much funnier and interesting book about soldiers and the war.

 

[VetLegion]

Well he embodies the resistance to the Empire and represents the ordinary people in confrontation with the rigid regime.

All citizens of the Monarchy could identify with him, not just Czechs nor just minorities.

 

[Vrylakas]

Svejk is a sort of village guy who gets caught up in the larger world (in the form of the Austrian army and World War I) and does his best just to get through things. His own goals are very different from the army's, and the story derives humor from that. He's sort of like a Sad Sack character (for Americans); a bit simplistic but sharp enough to know when he should zig or zag, regardless of what his officers tell him to do. Svejk also became a symbol for the ineffectiveness of the K-u-K army.