What Caused More Destruction To Europe, WW 1 vs. WW2 (war, bomb, USSR)
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While their time era's and weaponry were different they still brought upon major destruction to europe during their World Wars on the continent and so which war do you think caused more destruction to the continent ..... WWI or WWII ?
Last edited by Six Foot Three; 09-16-2009 at 12:22 PM..
Reason: Changed Around Wording - 6/3
Oh WW2 without a doubt. WW1 left countries devestated in terms of manpower loss and financially, but front lines were static and the devestation limited to a few hundred mile trench line between the English Channel and the borders of Switzerland, and a bit in the Italian alps and the Balkans, Germany was virtually untouched, citizens weren't targeted in strategic bombing or ethnic cleansing....But WW2 left little of Europe unscathed except for the few nuetral countries. Cities were bombed and devestated, industries destroyed. The populations of entire countries were removed and/or homeless. Countries were redefined politically. Germany and parts of France, Italy, and Russia were wastelands.
Well, if you are talking about physical damage and disruption of populations, Dd714, you are exactly right. However I think the Great War was much more devastating to Europe and the world emotionally and mentally. It was the first time weapons such as "Big Bertha" were used, planes for reconissance and let's not forget the several forms of gas. The world had never seen such death and suffering as what happened. A war that was suppose to last just a few months turned into such devastating horror never seen before. So many young men lost in such futile battles that at the most gained a few yards and the conditions beyond belief at such places as Ypres. I could go on, but everyone knows the story.
WWII.In WWI it wasn't until the last thast any bombong was really doen. Most peoploe kiled were soldier at teh front and there were alot of them wiping out a good per centage of the younger menBasically experts realised that as long has the war manufaturing was touched the war last as long as the supply of men with the stalemate brought abut by defsne increases. After the war they began to think baout a all inclusive war involving the manufacturing plants. That lead to the resong that if you also inclused the workers that the plants wouold be slow if at all coming back on line. Thus the massive bobmbing theory of war that involved boht miltary and civilians which they believed would shorten wars and actually cause less casualities in the end.The british basically did carpet bombing at night which was inaccurate and the eighth air force decided on daylight precision bombing.The toll waqs massive and it wasn't until really dessert storm that the real precision came in. The bombing of Iraq really shcoked and awed the experts with it precise bombing resulting in target in heavily buot areas being taken out like a lazer comapred to before then.Yes;the massive bombing it took to stop war production causes many lifes and almost destroyed much of europe.That even leaves outt the pacific war.
While their time era's and weaponry were different they still brought upon major destruction to europe during their World Wars on the continent and so which war do you think caused more destruction to the continent ..... WWI or WWII ?
I'm going to say WW1, primarily because in reality it lead almost directly and inevitably into WW2.
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.
It depends on the area. For example, if we are looking at Poland, its people suffered on an unimaginably greater scale in WWII. Germany, the same, given the tonnage of ordnance that hailed down upon it. But for France, it seems clear that the WWI devastation (especially human devastation) was the greater--it also devastated the French soul, in my view. Russia/USSR suffered so badly in both wars it boggles the mind, but I don't think what happened in WWI there can compare with the property and human devastation of WWII.
We can talk about the weapons, battles, and destruction this war caused , but to understand the human cost we have to learn more.
Here is the recollection of Calvaryman Walter Beclade, a British veteran of the Neuve Chapelle battle.
" I was wounded in the battle and taken to a casuality clearing station. I was beside a fellow who had got his arms bandaged up -I'd simply got my right arm bandaged. He was trying to light his pipe but couldn't get on very well, so I offered to fill and light it for him. But when I'd lit it I suddenly realized he had nowhere to put it, as he'd had his lower jaw blown away. So I smoked the pipe and he smelt the tobacco, that was all the poor chap could have.
A passage from: "A World Undone The Story of the Great War" by G.J. Meyer
What's amazing in WW1, is that you had some armies just collapse on a national level due to the rate and amount of casualties.
Desertions are nothing new, regiments, divisions, and sometimes total army groups routing in battle are nothing new in history - but in WW1 in the later stages you just had mass collapse in a nation's miliary force as soldiers realized they had no chance for survival.
France had a mass mutiny in its entire military, Italy in late 1917 just stopped fighting, Russia in 1917 "voted for armistice with their feet" as Lenin put it.
It set the historical limit on how much of a casualty rate a societies military force could endure before collapsing.
WWII there was more destruction and civilian casualties.
And concerning the mutinies in Europe during WW I, I consider that it was mostly due to high ranking military officials that did not know what they were doing. Also, military officials that had no business commanding anyone. Plus political decisons being intermixed with purely military decisons.
So the regular troops were the ones who paid for the high ranking officials mistakes.
There is a good film with Kirk Douglas called "Path of Glory" which describes this:
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