View Single Post
Old 2012-04-23, 15:50   Link #232
Ithekro
Gamilas Falls
 
 
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Republic of California
Age: 46
World War II was probably the last time there was any honor shown. It wasn't common and usually outside of combat. There was respect for ones enemies. "An Officer and a Gentleman" I think is the term. It shown mostly in the Navy and Air Forces of the various combatants of the time. Especially in the air. There is still a lot of respect on the Allied side for several high ranking (and high scoring) Luftwaffe pilots and some for their Japanese Naval Air Arm allies. Though generally when it comes to the Japanese officers, it is their Naval Officers that get respect from the Allies. Then there is Rommel who is respected still.

There were Allied soldiers who were respected by the Axis officers. Though it seems the Armies of all involved had their share of bastards who where the ones that got things done.

Honor and glory are pretty much gone and only left for naval battles and dogfighting. Both of which are pretty much gone now. It is rare to have a naval action anymore and most air combat is done with missiles so no need for a dogfight, nor are there many instances with huge kill numbers for fighter pilots so Aces and the like are also something uncommon. Thus the "Knights of the Sky" is something of the past as well.

In World War One there were instances of ceasefires for holidays were soldiers from both sides might sit and drink together. Or instances where wounded from one side would be deliver them back to their enemy's side of the trenches.


Today there is no such respect. But then there hasn't been a large scale war between equals in a long time. It is almost always one large power verses a smaller power with a lot of guerilla and/or terrorist tactics. Very rare for to have a stand up army verse army fight, much less a naval action or more than a few air duels.
__________________
Dessler Soto, Banzai!
Ithekro is offline   Reply With Quote