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Post by kevinharrell on May 14, 2018 5:28:10 GMT -5
Which WWII warrior is more macho? German Submariner  Kamikaze Pilot  |
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Post by wheelbender6 on May 14, 2018 7:19:45 GMT -5
Submariners from das Kriegsmarine. Macho men try to live to fight another day.
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Post by SylvreKat on May 15, 2018 8:13:34 GMT -5
Subbers. Takes way more macho to go around in a tin can knowing there's always a chance something can go wrong and you slowly die, rather than an almost cult-like fixation on "my quick and glorious death furthers our cause".
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Post by SylvreKat on May 15, 2018 8:16:30 GMT -5
Barely-related thought-- a young man from our church ended up manning the engines on a nuclear aircraft carrier. One time when he was home, he asked me if it concerns me that 18-20 year-olds are running a nuclear power plant. "It does now!" Of course, there is a 22 yo in charge of them....  Wonder if they're that young in a sub? (I was gonna write "wet behind the ears"  ) |
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Post by wheelbender6 on May 15, 2018 14:31:21 GMT -5
Similarly, I know we have lady fighter pilots serving now. I don't know if we have gals crewing subs. Gals routinely served on surface ships back when I was in the Philippines, so it's very likely that they now serve on boomers, at least.
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Post by oldchopperguy on May 16, 2018 0:43:55 GMT -5
Hmmm.... THIS one took some thought!
At first, I thought: "Is it more macho to be submariner who will PROBABLY get killed?" Or, a Kamikaze pilot who KNOWS he will get killed?".
The submariner was in horrible peril, especially toward the end when anti-submarine tech got really nasty... But he still performed his duty, planning and carrying out attacks, and in general was a deadly force until meeting his likely demise. THAT is mighty macho.
The Kamikaze pilot was patriotic, brave, but truly a one-trick-pony. THAT is just plain NUTS,
"Macho" and "Insanity" often go pretty much hand-in-hand, but the Kamikaze goes over the line. I admire their zeal, but as others have stated, a truly macho fighter lives to fight again if possible. And, the Deutsch submariners had to be very macho, since they knew their chances for long-term survival were practically nil.
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Post by wheelbender6 on May 16, 2018 7:24:12 GMT -5
Until the end of WWII, there was no "Surrender" in the Japanese vocabulary. They fought until they were out of blood or out of ammo.
Kamikaze attacks became more common when the tide of war turned against them. It was a last, desperate attempt to secure a victory and avoid the humiliation of defeat. Committing harikari (not sure of spelling) did not hurt the enemy. Kamikaze attacks inflicted a great deal of damage and casualties in the enemy.
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Post by SylvreKat on May 16, 2018 23:25:15 GMT -5
I never thought how kamikaze was a form of hari-kari. Just one that took out some enemies with you. I've learned my something for the day.
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