Question only for American friends...

How do you describe the character of Isoruku Yamamoto?

 

I'll bite ...if only to admit to the world how little of US history I actually know. If you ask of his character as a man...not having known him personally nor read extensively of him, I can only assume by his rising to highest ranking officer,that he was at least very ambitious and driven.
If you mean what do I think of the 'character' Yamamoto, I think he did an outstanding job as a military leader.Both as a tactician and I presume also a 'motivator', he was able to dominate the US forces arrayed against him for as long as he lived. At his death I believe the balance of power in the Pacific was already starting to swing toward the Americans if only by the incredible luck that they had at Midway, and the inevitable power of US industry and its incredible ability to turn out numbers of all weapons that the Japanese could never have hoped to match.

Im curious to learn the reason behind the question being asked only of Americans I predict you'll be surprised at how little we may know of our own history, although perhaps that is the point?

Just saw that there was a vote of 4 choices above, I voted that Id have to learn more of the man as I already stated my ignorance on the subject But I can guess where this is going

 

nope. i'll explain why i want to listen american opinion in some time.
now i'm afraid this explanation can spoil the poll.

 

I think he was a hero for his own country and cannot have that put against him. He was a brilliant tactician and had the numbers been equal, the outcome may have been different.

mike afi m

 

Well, i must admit also i have little knowledge of his life. but i must agree with my squadmate that he must have achieved alot to get to his place in the nippon nations navy. but he did unlease a beast. we took our hits early. and after midway having finnished thier carriers and not having the industrial strength to get them back. he still fought valiantly. until that p-38 finnished him off. ( but we all know it couldn't be a p-38 modelled here at FH! tis the truth i speak of!)

 

i must admit, i haven't been asked, but i was curious to see the results of the poll... so i voted, sry
please consider one pink vote as undercover, exec.

 

Sum him up in just one word......BASTARD!

 

he served his country heroically
in my opinion hes definately not a villian
to me hes no more of a hero than any other soldier who died fighting my country
so i say i must think carefully to decide how to describe his character

 

the idea was to know wether people distinct the orders, moral, etc from skills of miscellaneous soldiers.

you know, in soviets, there are may people that think that german aces don't deserve respect, because they all are charged in fascism crimes, more or less.

it all started from salute for nowotny. you could notice some of expressions against walter from russian-speakers.

now it's a long and hard thread (i'd say flame) in russian forum wether nowotny is a hero or not. many things are involved, such as conscience, freedom/absence of it for soldier, etc, etc.

my personal opinion is that enemy ace whatever he was ideologically in mind could be greeted for the combat skills. even if he's a complete dumbhead and arsehole, we can say "he was an complete jerk, however, we can notice we was an ace too".

i decided that it's too hard for some soviet members to discuss objectively the warriors touched them. they could speak calmly about far soldiers only, such as sakai, francis drake, some richard of kings, bjarn herlofson probably...

so, i expected that americans will show negative opinion for the american enemy i could recall.

may be i choosen wrong 'enemy' for this poll?

 

i can only speak for myslelf
i would have been more emotional if you had asked about a person from the U.S. civil war
maybe it is because that was the most recent widespread war fought in the contiguous states
for us ww2 was fought away from home
for russians it was fought at home

 

So, this poll results show up that american virtual pilots are intelligent and curious people that better prefer to learn and study, not to be stuck to cliches, whatever they are. Of course, the sample is too small, but... expositive

 

Sorry if I go bit OT.
Whats is todays view in US of their Civil War?

I know its not anymore Good vs. Bad struggle. (like winner propaganda almost always portrays such events). Are generals (and ofcourse casual soldiers) of the South equally remembered?

Also I'd like to learn bit about reasons that lead U.S to Civil War. (Sorry my ignorance)

 

I dont see target of your endeavour exec- , bit think you try brightly manipulate general opinion here.

Your question is wrong in her matter. If you will ask the WWII veteran who have personal experience with war, you will get absolutely different answer than you will ask someone who was born in 1980.
My granduncle was martyred in german concentration camp and my father took injury when german bombers raided over my hometown adn droped eggs to civilians... Try ask my father if he mean that pilots who flew over and aces who escorted them were heroes and needed salute for their pilot skills?

WWII is more 50years off and less and less people have original memories of feelings from this time. So this war still go into realm of legend. Legend about heroes, knights, aces...
War is dirty job and doesnt matter on what side you are. Only dead win.

Was Nowotny an "ace" and got many kills? Ok, he was good fighter - NOTHING MORE. Thats result what we should adjudge in current time. Was Yamamoto good general? In relation of historical fact we can say - yes, he was, BUT NOTHING MORE. Any questions and polls about his "character" are misguided.

But aslo we must say - they both served for regimes who precipitated milions peoples into dead and fate. This is not a guilty - but this is stigma which will not, must not - be forget and must put in remembrance.

So my dear -exec-, i understand you between lines very well, i see. You can create legend, you can be impressed by story (what was created by another legend makers) about some pilot or soldier. You can try affect others for accept the view of history what you like. But you never will get objective result. You only will get the ilusion of historical true, what people want have.
So keep facts - this is only chance for be much close of historical reality.

 

The most suscint description of the American Civil War:

+ South wanted slaves for farms (cheap man power)

+ North wanted to industrialize (needing free people to buy products -> abolition of the slavery)

+ President took the North side

= War

 

rubin-
my personal opinion is that the war is the very disgusting thing.
but my personal opinion is not the subject.

the subject is that humans often disguise the war with romantics of exploit and heroism. it goes from ideological aspects of wars, of course. and the image of some soldier could be fixed for centuries (see 300 spartanians, drake francis etc).

i already said the the poll was about ability to salute your former enemy for combat skills, nothing more.

 

YES!

 

Yes, IIRC South was very dependant on slave workers. Something which North was not.

But was that only cause of war? I'm inclined to think leaders of south realised they couldnt keep on using slaves forever.

 

the main causes of the civil war were states rights and taxation
slavery was brought into the spotlight when the north
needed more soldiers
abolition was intended to divide the slaves against their owners and endear them to the north so that hopefully they would join the northern army

generals and soldiers from what i know are rememberd more in the south than in the north...
sombody from up north help me out on this?

 

Isoroku Yamamoto was a brilliant naval strategist. His plane was shot down in order to advance the timetable to finish the war.

The action was akin to a sniper taking out an officer on the battlefield.

BTW - who did shoot his plane down - Lanphier or Barber? The debate goes on...

Texican

 

here is the story on that p-38 mission that took yamamoto out. and the second link is a painting of the p-38's rtb. enjoy.



http://www.af.mil/news/Jan1997/n19970102_970009.html


http://www.oldgloryprints.com/Fighter Two - Guadalcanal.htm