John,
Point by point, my considered opinions:
In a message dated Fri, 8 Jun 2001 5:40:53 AM Eastern Daylight Time, "John A. Hern Jr" <hern@nidlink.com> writes:
1) Why Germany and Japan never really co-operated, the same way the Allies did
John, picture this: You're a German tanker, in the field, an American tank killer team has you in their sights, you open the spring cover on your sighting equipment, and the directions are all in Japanese! The simple fact is that there was no bridge between the two cultures, language or philosophy-wise. Germany saw Japan as a bunch of whiny little Asian mutant barbarians that ate rice with sticks, who made a good expendable diversion.
2) Why England didn't see ( and the U.S, as far as that goes) that her/our national interests were more closely alinged with Germany than with the USSR. The Germans were thinking all through the war that England and Germany were natural allies, and that any day England would wake up and come to her senses.
There was nothing wrong with England's senses....to wit, England watched the US economy comfortably bolster BOTH the Japanese and the German war machines simultaneously, and with England still feeling some common bond with the US, she knew which side her bread was buttered on, financially. In the US, pro-socialist forces in our government and big business DID see it, and if not for Japan's faux pas at Pearl Harbor, we might have later entered the war on Germany's side. This certainly would have saved England from a pounding. An alliance with Russia was too far a stretch for the British mind. As it turned out, she was right too. Alas, the fortunes of war can be turned by a single angry moment.
*Please don't give me the stuff about Hitler killing the Jews. Stalin made Hitler look like a rank amateur in killing Jews; then he took up on his own countrymen. I want logical arguements please.
Hitler and Stalin were eggs boiled in the same pot. Stalin may have been a bit closer to the heat, and thus, his shell was more fragile. The biggest danger in the world right now is that Europe is STILL capable of, and still producing, such rulers.
3) Why the Japanese couldn't get it right on The Greater East Asia Co-prosperity Sphere, and Asia for the Asians, instead of whacking away at all the native populations they had under their control. Their
propaganda makes a whole lot more sense than Asia as a European Colony.
Japan fights the same way she does business...ever read the doctrine that governs their business practices? They still see themselves as a "Warrior Culture", and her scorched earth policies are steeped deeply in her past. A Japanese businessman doesn't see any gain in a profitable deal, unless he can prevail via treachery and greater show of force. The Code of Bushido governs everything she does. An old saying that puts this in perspective is: "A dawn attack is one's reward for yesterday's mercy".
Perhaps two bombs were not enough. Time will tell.
*War is hell, I hope neither I nor my family or friends ever have to fight another. There were heros and cowards on all sides, and history is written by the winners.
Don't underestimate the liberal revisionists, who are among us everywhere. They've never won a damned thing, but they always have the last word.
*To get the facts, you have to read between the lines, and only by understanding history will we have the slim
chance to avoid repeating it.
Can you say "Bosnia"?
Cheers,
Jack
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