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At first I would say WW1 caused more destruction in Europe, due to the nature of trench warfare. Many of the trench lines are still visible. I agree that WW2 was a continuation of the WW1, due to the unsatisfactory Treaty of Versailles and a host of hard feelings.
However, WW2 caused infinitely more destruction by air. So it's hard to say for a fact which war caused more destruction. Photos of German cities after the bombings are apocalyptic. It's amazing that anyone lived through them.
And what is even more amazing was by 1955; most of the destruction in the former West Germany was already repaired-----------despite the pundits stating it would take 50 years to do so.
WW I was fairly limited in its destruction as Trudy Rose pointed out (Ypres, Somme, etc) whereas WW II 'jacked up' essentially any part of Europe where the Nazi's held sway.
And why leave out North Africa, or the entire Pacific Theater?
Total deaths in the Soviet Union alone were greater than all deaths, military and civilian during WWI.
I think that the answer to the question is a no brainer; World War II, hands down.
Thanks 6/3...That was great.. And Daryle..it's 2009 and the British still have a monarchy.. and I haven't heard anyone calling them stupid recently
I still thinkit is pathetic to have a hereditary monarchy, even if they have very little power, what kind of democracy is that? And dont flatter the country too much, England is a 2nd rate power at best.
How powerful a country is and how stupid it is don't have much to do with each other. England may be a 2nd-rate power, as are the Scandinavian countries, but they are not stupid. One might say that a very powerful country is more likely to be stupid, since their temptations are greater. The USA might do better with a figurehead monarchy to calm things down on occasion.
I watched the Battle of Gallipoli and also the Battle of the Somme yesterday on Youtube as the carnage of those battle was just incredible. Sending thousands upon thousands of troops over the trench lines to run straight at the machine gunners and artillery fire was damn near suicide by the commanders. It makes me wonder how did europe have any manpower 25 years later to fight WW2 after the Great War ended.
Indeed.
Somme, Ypres, Pasiondale, Gallipoli haunt Europe.
I have relatives who fought for the British (maternal side) and relatives who fought for Germany (paternal side).
The letters from the front, which I have in my possession tell only part of the story.
What gruesome battles they all were.
To think that an obscure Serbian Gavrilo Princip would launch WW1 by his assasination of Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand in 1914 which would some several decades later give Hitler the excuse to attack Poland/France which would start WW2 which would lead to the Cold War between the USA and the Soviet Union as i'm sure that poor ol' Gavrilo never realised that his pistol shot in 1914 would create so much commotion around the world over the next 80 years or so .
Very true.
of course, Europe was regarded as a "tinderbox" at that time 1913-1914 : the monarchs of Europe were vying for ascendancy over one another.
The Kaiser, The King of England and the King of Russia were all cousins and yet they allowed their countries to go to war with each other.
The letters from the front, which I have in my possession tell only part of the story.
That's sounds awesome to be in posession of Induran !!
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