Im inclined to assume that all most Americans would bring up when asked about ww1 is the Lusitania.

As if "we either didn't participate much or didn't participate at all, so its not worth remembering", which saddens me.

Too be fair, we did end up finishing WWI fairly quick upon our official enterance, with our sheer industrial might and eager young bodies who quite literally knew not what they signed up for. But yes, it is sad indeed. What’s even sadder is that more and more Americans are forgetting WWII with each new generation. Sure, they say they know WWII cause of the movies, but those movies don’t portray everything. Not like the documentaries and books do. And this is from my own experience, so it might actually be different, but it is still just disturbing and saddening nonetheless.

7515110
Yeah, while documentaries and movies and such do well, even classes, it doesn't cover everything. Like ,most of my WW2 classes till HS just kept on talking primarily on America and it's role

7515186
On a related note, i hate it how most Americans either dont care about history or are bad at it. Im probably one of the few who knows about the thirty years war.

7515110
I like to think the SJW PC bullshit is partly to blame. History channels on youtube are being demonitised as soon as they mention Nazis or show off any swastikas, and theres the beyond insulting Battlefield 5. One pther thing is it seems like modern ww2 movies are trying to be more like action movies and drama then legitimate history. You got michael bay explosions, arguments between characters or romance drama.

And on a related note, Titanic is overrated and has the same problem as Pearl harbor: The history is sidelined in favor of the stupid romance.

To qoute the Nostalgia critic in his Smurfs review, "so were in a romantic drama that just happens to have the Titanic and pearl harbor"?

Unfortunately, i heard most movie goers dont give a shit about historical accurwcy. They just wanna see Jack and Rose kiss and Jack draw Rose naked! Nevermind this grand ship your on! Focus on the. sort- of-porn! Btw, jack and rose are kinda dicks.

One funny thing though. Apparently, Michael bay wanted to hire a different acctress with bigger breast.
I dont think he realized that in real life the woman would be in her 70s-80s by now! Let that colorful image sink in!

7515484

7515186

I’ll admit I’m not the biggest history nerd. I’m more of a specialized history nerd, focusing/specializing in military history rather than cultural. Closest thing to cultural history I study is the mythologies of various cultures, otherwise its strictly military. This is partly due to my dad, who was in the Army. It’s interesting to spark up a conversation with him, and watch these so-called ‘historical’ military movies with him. We talk bad about most of them of course, but we also find great ones, both among old and new movies. Patton, Green Berets, Black Hawk Down, American Sniper, and Lone Survivor (the last three of which are all surprisingly accurate, according to my dad, especially Black Hawk) to name a few. Fury, while not at all accurate, is an enjoyable movie to us both as well. I’ve great things about Dunkirk, but we haven’t gotten around to watching that together yet, so I can’t comment.

7515539
Big military history buff. I got Patton, Black hawk down, the pacific and Band of brothers, as well as the Assassins creed games, numerous ww2 video games including the Medal of honor series and old call of duties, tons of military history books and im into the tabletop wargaming hobby. Im hoping to set up either Napoleon against Europe or Acis and allies 1942 tomorrow on my table.

7515484
Thankfully there are a few YTubers who point out and analyze historical movies for accuracy and inaccuracy. Still not as bad as that RomCom whose ending revealed the MC is in one of the Twin Towers on 9/11

7515539
I'm mostly focused on ancient ish history myself. Speaking of, a fair few movies like Black Hawk Down and such were apparently had like, people involved in the affairs the movie is about interviewed or the like.
If you like a fairly good historical drama, Schindler's List or Quezon's Game

7515547

7515681

I’ll admit omce again I too have a niche: Ancient Rome for ancient militaries, and WWII for more ‘modern’. Most of the modern things I get from my dad and documentaries done by National Geographic and History Channel. I commend Nat Geo for their dedication to historical preservation, even if they get things from time to time (though again, commendable that they’ll at least admit when their wrong and will correct themselves), as well as preservation of animals and nature. And History Channel tend to do in depth research, and than ‘dumb-it-down’ for their viewers without comprimising the historical value. But of course, no matter what era you study, books will always reign supreme…other than, actual people of course, like my dad. Rome interest’s me so because of their might in their hey-day (the SPQR, not the Empire), how adaptable they were and professional. And WWII is just a gold mine because it was the Golden Age of Warfare: old LoS combined with new technologies.

The fact that fewer and fewer Americans learn about the real history of these wars, and our past in general, is truly and deeply saddening. History is important, it serves as a reminder. Like the Confederate States stuff that we’ve recently been tearing down. Yes, it was a dark time for our nation, but that’s why we need those things up. To remind us of what we did, to strive to be better. Many can spout ‘Pearl Harbor was a turning point in WWII’, but do they know why? I’ve even met classmates in high school and college who didn’t truly understand the impact of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were on a global scale.

7515801
I feel many people dont realize that it wasn't until pearl harbor that the war truly became global.
In fact, the video game, Medal of honor vanguard mentions it.

"But it wasn't until the bombs dropped on pearl harbor that it could ne thought of as a second world war".

7515801
For some reason, it kinda bigs me whenever people use wikipedia for research. The site is just bland to look at: blank white background with walls of text and a few pictures.

I dont wanna sound like a little kid, but a history book with tons of photographs, paintings and such is a lot more eye catching than wiki or a book with only text.

7515827

I actually love using wikipedia. Not for the site itself, but the sources they reference. It gives me a good place to begin conducting my own research into a topic, whether for a personal project (which I tend to do a lot) or for school.

7515968
Back in history class, i actually was allowed to utilize my own books for studying. During some activities, we had to look up information in the text books to help solve questions, but being a huge ww2 buff, i literally had most of the questions finished in about 5 minutes! My teacher was really impressed. Before the bell would ring at the end of class we would talk alot about our hobbies and interest, and especially history.
When i mentioned the (at the time) upcoming 2017 Dunkirk movie, he said he was looking forward to it.

I also did talk about the wargaming hobby to him. Explaining how some of the games i owned worked.

For instance in Axis and allies, players can conduct a strategic bombing raid on their opponents factories. Any defending AA guns and fighter units shoot at the bomber/s and need to roll a 1 to hit (for AA gun) or a 2 or less (for fighters.)

If the bombers have escorting fighters, the escorting and defending fighters initiate 1 round to dogfight.

Theres also technology research. 1 of them including jet fighters and another being the controversial heavy bombers in A&A classic from 1983.

All units roll a single dice during a combat round, but heavy bomber tech lets a single bomber to roll 3 instead of 1, and bombers hit on a 4 or less, so 1 heavy bomber could potentially get 3 kills! Imagine a formation of 5 or 10! Mein Gott!!

7515977

Yeah, I unfortunately didn’t have a lot of those tabletop games available to me. Warhammer 40k, BattleTech, A&A, and so many others. I missed out on them. All I had were books, and an overactive brain.

And I was the kid in high school who wasn’t allowed to raise their hand in history class upon reaching Ancient Rome for Ancient History or WWII for Modern History. Teacher would literally tell me to lower it.

7515801
That is quite true
Also, most don't know that, had we not dropped the nukes, as horrible as it was, the land invasions would have resulted in soldiers having to face civilians forced to fight with whatever they could scrounge up. Those who fail to learn from history and all that. The SPQR and the Empire interest me

7516052
Yeah. I CANNNOT stand the ignorant morons that call us evil for dropping the bombs.
1. None of the B-29 crews were looking forward to what thry were going to do.
2. As you said, the alternative was a costly amphibious invasion, on both civilians and military personnel on both sides.
3. Have none of you morons heard of the rape of Nanking, or the holocaust??

7516025
Theres conquest of the empire and julius ceasar. Both Roman civil war games. But the original 1984 Conquest had a problem with the pieces:. The originals pieces were made out of an extremely stiff plastic, rendering it very easy to break. The newer 2005 version i own has a more bendy durable plastic. Usually the spears on foot soldiers, catapult arms and the legs of the horses on cavalry pieces would break off.

7516059

Actualy the majority of people who aren’t Jewish believe the Holocaust was made up, now.

7516066
Oh God, fuck those people.

7516059
Like, were the bombs fucked up? Yes, but as the bombers themselves recounted, they felt regret and horror once the aftermath came to light
Also, apparently Hirohito WAS going to surrender after the first bomb, but his court stopped him

7516070
I think Japans government was split. According to my books, "The peace party wanted to negotiate a surrender while keeping allied forces off Japanese soil, while the war party wanted a fight to the death to salvage Japans spirit".

7516073
Yeah, there was a split. Its interesting when you go in depth on the nuances of the various factions in the war. I also took a Holocaust and Genocide studies class that went more in depth onto, well, the Holocaust and such

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7516186

A split the Emperor ended after Nagasaki. War party still had majority support (somehow), but the Emperor marched down from the palace and outright commanded the cease fire.

And about the Holocaust: did some digging. Obviously every Jewish person believes it happened (cause it did), but as for everyone else? Well…amongst the American populace…last set of questionaires revealed that around about 69% of American’s believe it was a hoax. Which led to something disturbing I found. There have been four separate petitions made to take down the Holocaust museum. As for the Europeans? Can’t remember, but the number was definitely lower!

7516395
"A petition to tear down the holocaust museum".

WHAT!!!!!!!?????????

7516480

Why have a museum/monument of something that never happened?

We could go on, but bottom line is American’s are becoming more and more ignorant. Faster than other nations, exponentially so.

7516505
I dont know if i wanna cry a river or break something! What the hell??

Why would these degenerates deny something like the holocaust??

7516534
Some assholes/idiots say it never happened, or the numbers are smaller than the official reports say. Despite the fuckmothering Nazis keeping VERY detailed records of the shit they did.

7516395
Yup. Also, there were several instances of German resistance against the Nazis. The Swing Kids and Oskar Schindler aside, there was also Operation Valkyarie.

Also, the Philippines was one of the few nations, or well, "nation" was it was still trying to gain independence from America, to welcome the Jews in. The movie Quezon's Game and the documentary The Last Manilaneers cover this topic well

7516534

7516629

We were top of the totem pole after WWII. No other nation had a stronger military or economy. We were the dominant nation in the world.

Key word ‘were’. When you’re top of the totem, it’s a long way down. And we have fallen so very, very far. While our military is still considered by many to be strong and powerful, that is mostly down to our continuous upgrading of equipment that is proven. But we have regressed so much in other aspects. Education, economy, but most importantantly, in our knowledge and understanding of history. For Europe (including the UK to a certain extent) and Asia, it’s hard to ignore WWI and WWII. All one needs to do is step outside and wander about for 5-10 minutes and they’ll find evidence and tell-tale signs of the wars. We Americans don’t. Only reminder we’ve kept are the naval vessels we’ve turned into museums and the still sunken Arizona.

7516975
That is both infuriating and sad. Im thinking about the school kids that find history boring. A part of me feels thats a tiny part of why we are stupidly ignorant of the past. For Gods sake, there are idiots who have the balks to compare the mask mandates and vaccinations to Nazi Germany!!

Efforts to combat a pandemic and antisemitism in Germany AND the final solution are two completely different things!! Its not like the Goddamn CDC is sending infected people to an Auchwitz-esque location!! Motherfuckers!! 😡

Outside of ww2, I read online that high school students in California wanted to remove a wall murel of George washington because they were offended by the fact he was a slave owner.

ITS THE 18TH CENTURY. Practically everyone in those days living in America had a slave!! And of course, theres the tearing down of Confederate monuments like Robert E. Lee. One of Americas greatest generals, and the one who described war as being so terrible, otherwise we'd fall in love with it!

7516982
Also, there is the fact that Lee only joined the Confederacy cause Virginia did. I get not wanting to seemingly honor the Confederacy, but yeah.

7517014
I think he was offered a chance to command a union army too.

7516982

Well, to be fair, humans are a warrior race through and through. We hate war, but at the same time love it. Some may argue we crave war. I’m not one of those, but there some who are.

7517670
War is an inevitable part of mankinds nature. Humans will always find a reason to fight.

But we must also strive to hold onto the history of the war. America has forgotten so much in such a short time. There are those outside history buffs who do their best to honor those who gave their lives, so there is still hope to turn things around.

7517745
Most Americans barely know anything about the war outside of the holocaust, and Pearl harbor. Walk up to any and mention a battle that wasn't D-day or a non-American general and watch them struggle to answer. Seriously, how many do you think know WHY Japan attacked pearl?
Japanese war plans required the seizure of the resource-rich Dutch East indies and European colonial territories in Asia, and the U.S fleet at pearl was seen as the only major threat to the plan. After securing their territory, Japan was hoing the U.S would be daunted by this defensive ring and seek peace on Japans terms.

7517853

Well, there was another reason to target Pearl. We had no ships (military or otherwise) that could go from the west coast to anywhere in the Pacific without stopping at Pearl Harbor. It was ‘The Gateway to the Pacific’, as it has been known to be called. Even to this day, there are very few ships outside of nuclear powered one’s that can afford to skip over Pearl for refueling and/or resupplying. Sure, we have gotten better at conducting at-sea refueling operations, but Pearl is still a highly important stopping point. It also arguably serves as the first major obstacle in any war against the US in the Pacific theatre. So long as Pearl operates, they serve as a buffer to the US mainland for any enemy: sea, air, or land.

7517912
Didnt the japanese fleet that sailed for Pearl have fuel tankers with them?

7517921

Yes, but refueling at sea was harder and much more risky than now. Remember, computer’s were still new, and they took up entire rooms.

7517921

In case you’re unresponsiveness is due to the computer thing, let me explain: today we use our computers in almost every task, even refueling. Help match speed, gauge distance between ships, starting and ending the refueling sequence, and everything in between and so much more. We didn’t have that in WWII. It was all done without electronic assistance. Most computerized component on a ship was the SONAR and RADAR. Sure we had other things computerized, but the tech was new. The computer components were mostly there to augment/assist human operations, not do a ten-step operation with one click of a button.

7518376
Yeah, i already knew that the closest we had in ww2 was sonar and radar. I just couldn't think of anything to say.

7517853
Yeah, mostly cause, outside of extracurricular or AP classes, most people are taught only the American side of WW2, with token references to the other Allies

7518558
You've gotta be kidding me. This is a WORLD war, and we just focus on one nation??

7518592
Well, it's mostly telling it from the American side of things. It mentions the Blitz and such, but mostly focused on America

7518800

7518558
On other question i forgot to ask.

Is removal of the swastika in modern ww2 movies and video games a sign of this ignorance? I recall seeing an old 1970s board wargame on operation Sealuon, that had a photograph of the Big ben clocktower, and a swastika on the box cover. Many people said that would never be allowed today.

I get that its an offensive symbol, but its a part of history. Theres thousands of offensive stuff throughout history! (Theres a rumor that Napoleon bonaparte was sexist, and Joan de arc a lesbian.)

In the case of video games, its understandable if the developers wanna see an international release, but over here in America were also seeing this censorship.

As far as i can remember, i dont ever remember any ww2 movies ir games censoring the Soviet hammer and sickle or Joseph stalin, who was arguably just as bad if not worse than Hitler thanks to his purges in the 1930s, but I guess most Americans are too ignorant to know that! 😤

Im deeply sorry for my angry outbursts, but as you can probably tell, im a big, big history/ww2 buff.

Im just infuriated at all the history slowly being forgotten or censored. Either Nobody talks about it much, or they censor any parts that dont fit modern society to make it more PC, giving the average American a false idea of history.

Im just glad i grew up in the 2000s, where we had the Medal of honor and early ww2 COD games, numerous ww2 movies, several revisions of the Axis and allies game, and no SJW crybabies complaining about something that can't be changed.

7519439
Its mostly due to broadcasting and such overseas. Especially in Germany, which, understandably, bans any Nazi imagery in a non Educational context.

7519965
Yeah. I knew that. Other than that, Germany is also stingy on video game violence. For example on TF2, the giblet chunks when a player is killed by an explosion are replaced with hamburgers and hotdogs......apparently.

7520025
Yeah, then again, different cultures have different views on those sorts of things

7520217
Believe it or not, the Turkish government thought Minecraft of all games was too violent.