Kinda off subject, but interesting...

[HeLLcAt]

Salute Everyone,
            I was sitting in U.S. History class and we were learning about World War I and you know I want to know more about that because I don't even really have a basic knowledge of it. Well our teacher gave us a sheet about all the countries involved. So I started counting them and wow:eek:...35 countries were involved...I was very suprised at that number. Did anyone else know about that? Does anyone have some kind of information on the aerial battles in the war. Any help would be appreciated. Salute!

~Wildkat/BlueiceJ~

[narsus]

HellKat good to see that you are learning about WWI, I recommend a book

The First World War
by John Keegan

It goes into every campaign during the war, and the reading is a bit dry but very informative. I have some books on the air campaign at home but the names escape me...if I remember when I get home I will look them up for you.

Understanding WWI will give you a better perspective on how WWII began, which in turn gives you a better understanding of  the Korean War and Vietnam Conflict.

[Golfer]

if you want to learn more of the aerial battles, learning about the pilots who fought them would do you well also.  just some names...

Voss
Richthofen
Rickenbacker
Boelcke
Immlemann
Udet
Lufbery
Luke
Bishop

Off the top of my head.

[Kweassa]

It's also pretty interesting to keep track of the consequences of WWI.

 After the war of 1914~1918 was over, about 1/3rd of European countries which lasted for hundreds of years, ceased to exist, and became another country, split up, unified, and met revolution and etc.

[cpxxx]

Eh Golfer? Haven't you forgotten two rather significant Flying Corps there? LOL:p

Off the top of my head:

France
Guynemer
Nungesser

RFC
Ball
Mannock
McCudden
Bigglesworth (sort of)
Hartigan (Ok he was only an observer but he shot down five aircraft and no one ever heard of him but we share a name.)

As a kid I saw Fokkers and Se5's and Camels dogfighting overhead every day. No I'm not that old. They made the movies The Blue Max and the Red Baron practically in my back yard. No wonder I'm hooked on AH.

On the WW1 point the current Balkans issues are traceable back to to that war not to mention the fact that Britain invaded Iraq back then to (and won). Then there's the Palestine issue. It all seem terribly relevant all of a sudden doesn't it.

[Golfer]

Originally posted by cpxxx
Eh Golfer? Haven't you forgotten two rather significant Flying Corps there? LOL:p

Off the top of my head:

France
Guynemer
Nungesser

I'm sorry...i didn't know we were still including the french or they counted, especially from all the 'flame france' threads on this bbs.  Well you might want to look into neuports then as well since they were 'state of the art' planes then.  (i wouldn't be caught dead flying one)  And the only real difference between guynemer and nungesser is...the french people liked one more than the other, i'll let you figure out which is which hellcat, i'm sure you're a clever young lad.

[Bluedog]

Something that allways shocked me about WWI stories/battle reports is the sheer number of casualties, in virtually stalemated fights that didnt seem to deliver anything like acceptable gains for the cost.

[Golfer]

There was a movie starring Mel Gibson that portrayed an australian (noticed that on your info tag you are from the land down under) unit's useless loss of men.

Galipoli.

Verdun - over a million (one million, 1,000,000) young men died.
(and you recall the outrage of the tragic loss of 50,000 men in vietnam.  what would 1,000,000 casualities do to stir a movement.  20 vietnams in one battle)

I even remember talking with Andy Politz (lives right here in central ohio) about his part in the eventually succesful search for George Mallory on mt. everest (the 'camera' and Irvine's body have yet to be discovered, with the exception of a chinese climber who while out for a walk found "an old english dead" in a seperate and distinctly different position than that of the way they found Mallory) and how so few good climbers (certainly able bodied, you must be in peak condition to climb any mountain of such scale) were left after the war because simply they went to war.  Tragic to say the least, and thats just one example of a relatively small niche of men.

[Bluedog]

Originally posted by Golfer

Galipoli.

Verdun - over a million (one million, 1,000,000) young men died.
(and you recall the outrage of the tragic loss of 50,000 men in vietnam.  what would 1,000,000 casualities do to stir a movement.  20 vietnams in one battle)

Gallipoli is something every Aussie has at least a basic knowledge of, sort of like the Aussie/Kiwi version of Omaha Beach, but 30 years earlier.
Every year on the 25th of April ( anniversary of the Gallipoli landings) we have a service at dawn to commemorate ANZAC Day  ( ANZAC = Australia and New Zealand Army Corps )
http://www.awm.gov.au/commemoration/anzac/anzac_tradition.htm
Sort of like rememberance day, but with a focus on Aussie battles, no doubt in NZ they focus a bit more on the Kiwi's fights.

http://www.anzacday.org.au/spirit/hero/chp07.html  <- where it happened

http://www.turkishpeople.com/tours/henk/anzac/22.html    <- has some casualty figures, keep in mind this campaign lasted from the 25th of April, to December 20....just under seven months.

http://www.firstworldwar.com  <- an allround good source of information about WWI  



What Golfer states about 20 Vietnams in one battle.........do you think the people of the world at the time would have accepted such casualty figures had they been able to see the war for themselves somehow?  
Was it just that in the case of Vietnam, the average person could see for themselves the horrors of war, or has humanity really changed that much in the last hundred or so years?

 Blue


They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old;
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.

Lest We Forget