What's so intriguing about WWII?

[Theige]

The Second World War was orders of magnitude more massive and caused greater change than any other war in human history.

That's what's so intriguing about it.

Also, no heads of state were lured away from the conflict with the promise of alcohol, which makes it objectively worse than the nine years war.

Just because they weren't "lured away" doesn't mean they weren't drinking

 

[Arwon]

It's a simple and unambiguous battle of good versus evil.

 

[ParkCungHee]

Just because they weren't "lured away" doesn't mean they weren't drinking

It'd be hard to find a war that didn't have the heads of state drinking. But if Hitler baited Stalin with the promise of vodka aboard the Bismarck, then sailed off with him, that would tremendously have improved the war from the perspective of the reader.

 

[ParkCungHee]

Or indeed the Russian settlement of Siberia

Another topic that fascinates me and I can't find good material on.

 

[Lone Wolf]

I think you're looking for a porno, not a war.

One doesn't exclude the other.

 

[Glassfan]

Ungeheur....

 

[Lord Baal]

One doesn't exclude the other.

What are you, the world-wide head of Formula One?

 

[Plotinus]

Obviously it was the last time so many boys got to play with so many toys.

WWII is fascinating only to the male half of the human race (or, more accurately, to a subset of that half). There are so many threads on it here because this forum is so male-dominated.

 

[privatehudson]

WWII is fascinating only to the male half of the human race (or, more accurately, to a subset of that half). There are so many threads on it here because this forum is so male-dominated.

Interesting, I didn't realise Richard Keyes posted on the forum...

 

[Theige]

Obviously it was the last time so many boys got to play with so many toys.

WWII is fascinating only to the male half of the human race (or, more accurately, to a subset of that half). There are so many threads on it here because this forum is so male-dominated.

Or as I like to call us, the leadership and decision-making half of the human race (or, more accurately, a subset of that half)

 

[Ataxerxes]

I think some people are taking the OP way too seriously. Although the underlying question may be serious, it's obviously lighthearted.

It's of interest for the reasons mentioned. It's relatively recent, probably the most important event in human history and has many interesting dimensions politically and socially as well as militarily.

Admittedly the uniforms weren't as nice as wars before the 20th Century but progress isn't good in all respects. Actually, most historical events and especially wars tend to be more interesting to a subset of the minority sex.

 

[Ice_Tyrant]

It's a simple and unambiguous battle of good versus evil.

I do agree with this. The contrast is especially strong when comparing The Soviet Union to Nazi Germany.

 

[Dachs]

I do agree with this. The contrast is especially strong when comparing The Soviet Union to Nazi Germany.

Oh, for the days when this would have started flaming

 

[Masada]

It doesn't interest me at all, I'm left only to posit that people like the snappy SS uniforms.

 

[Theige]

Actually I like World War 2 uniforms the best.

19th and 18th century uniforms are so... flamboyant.

I don't like them for the same reason I don't like "high" fashion.

 

[Traitorfish]

It's a simple and unambiguous battle of good versus evil.

Well, varying shades of evil versus a darker shade of evil, at any rate.

Anyway, part of the reason the British, at least, are so obsessed with it is because it ended up acting as this sort of weird redemptive episode for the nation. The ugliness of WWI had shaken people's trust in the empire and the establishment, so being able to parade about the place claiming to have been the last bastion of European democracy made everyone feel better about that whole "trying-to-take-over-the-world" trip we had between 1171-1939.

 

[Communisto]

It's unambiguous from a distance, which is about as close as most folk who dont like to read long tomes devoid of pictures get.

 

[Masada]

You heard it folks Theige likes his Hugo Boss all in black with skulls.

 

[Ice_Tyrant]

Oh, for the days when this would have started flaming

Hmm? I was being sarcastic.

 

[Dachs]

Hmm? I was being sarcastic.

I know. But Back In The Day the in-vogue thing on WH was the multi-thread argument between the semi-rational apologists for the Soviet Union and the semi-rational loathers of the Soviet Union.

Which ended up being reason number 3 as to why virtually all history past 1920 or so is not worth getting into.