Which war is the most exciting to learn about

I was the only one who voted for the “war on terror”, b/c it happens today, and it is especially interesting that asymmetrical warfare was not possible until recent times, at least, the warriors conducting asymmetrical warfare didn’t achieve any goals, except for annoying the kings and conquerors who had the most power.
In historical times, including WW2, if you had the strongest military forces and won battles on the ground, you won political power. In modern times, this is not so obvious. I guess the Vietnam war was first in history where a much stronger power didn’t accomplish their political goals, and so, the US lost that war even if the killed hundreds of thousand of enemy soldiers and only lost about 60.000. 
The Vietnam war was not about terror, but it had some asymmetrical warfare elements, as the Vietnamese was illiterate peasants defeating the most powerful country on earth, although, with some help from China.
We can see some of this in Afghanistan, NATO is much more powerful than taliban and other warlord fractions, but they still seem to loose. This make war much more complicated and difficult.
The long lasting truth that if you won military you also automatically won politically, does not apply anymore.

Well I don’t think you can actually say that the Vietnam War saw a weaker opponent get defeated in the battlefield but still win politically.

That would capture the American perspective perhaps.

But the North Vietnamese had to switch from asymmetrical to conventional warfare in order to complete their victory… they just waited until the US left South Vietnam.

Much like the Britons once the Legions left and a number of other asymmetrical wars. Wars of waiting for the apex predator to leave.

Similarly, if the Taliban continue to fight for influence in Afghanistan with bullets (and not ballots) then once NATO packs up, they will shift gears to pursue a more conventional course to dislodge the government and “win” the war.
Victory there will undoubtedly require a home grown means to win that conventional fight without NATO.

#645

WWII gets my vote for three reasons.

1. It is the first war where there is a great deal of film (yes, I’ve seen film from WWI but there is precious little of it).  As such, you can learn as if you were there by seeing the footage.

2. It is a more or less “good” war in that a very strong case can be made that it was a war of good vs evil.  Most wars do not have a good cause worth fighting for (example: Vietnam).  Honorable mention goes to the US Civil War (end of slavery) and for the US Revolutionary War (freedom).

3. It was a war where technology rapidly advanced.  The weapons which won Europe for Germany in 1939 and 1940 and Asia for Japan in 1941 and 1942 were hoplessly outclassed by 1944-45.

Another comment, while I am fascinated about how WWII changed forever the balance of power in the world, I find the changes after WWI to be more fascinating and, in my opinion, more far reaching.  WWI gets an honorable mention for this reason.

Had I not chose other, my pick would have been WWI followed by The War of Southern Independence.

the THIRTY YEARS WAR is interesting…I don’t know if it would be worth studying it…

@ABWorsham:

The War of Southern Independence.

Hey, is that a.k.a. The War of Northern Aggression?

Anyway, WW2 got my vote, from the perspective of someone not knowing the target audience, as most interesting to study solely on the basis of recency and quality of documentation with emphasis on video footage.

Properly, and passionately, pursued the study of any war can be extremely interesting!!!  :-D

#651

@allboxcars:

@ABWorsham:

The War of Southern Independence.

Hey, is that a.k.a. The War of Northern Aggression?

Anyway, WW2 got my vote, from the perspective of someone not knowing the target audience, as most interesting to study solely on the basis of recency and quality of documentation with emphasis on video footage.

Properly, and passionately, pursued the study of any war can be extremely interesting!!!  :-D

#651

Actually, the South fired the first military shot

@calvinhobbesliker:

Actually, the South fired the first military shot

Ah yes… and yet when I visited South Carolina, to hear them tell of it, you wouldn’t think so.  :-D

#653

Yeah, well every combatant in war tells themselves and/or their people that they were attacked; never that they were the aggressor

@calvinhobbesliker:

Yeah, well every combatant in war tells themselves and/or their people that they were attacked; never that they were the aggressor

Lincoln was a genious to keep troops in Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor and get the South shoot first.

1812 war?
and which civil war??

@Dylan:

@Frontovik:

1812 war?
and which civil war??

You should know about the War of 1812
The US one.

Why should he know? He may not be from the US, UK, or Canada

i like the WWI eastern fronts, especially hungary vs russia

the undermentioned southern fronts in the balkans and italy are great to learn about too.  the turkish front with the uk attempted invasion.  The arab jihad movement.  Hell, the fighting in africa is great to learn about along with jockeying done in the far east.

another poster mentioned the mind numbing crap about the western front, and thats true.

@Dylan:

@ABWorsham:

I enjoy studying about the Punic Wars, I consider those three wars as the first World Wars.

Was that

Persia vs Greeks
or
Greeks vs Romans

and their allies of coarse.

Rome and Carthage

@calvinhobbesliker:

@Dylan:

You should know about the War of 1812

Why should he know? He may not be from the US, UK, or Canada

Well see that’s what happens when you don’t come up with a better name for your war.
War of 1812…. sheesh. LAME.  :|
We should run a poll to come up with a better name… but I’d be afraid of what suggestions we’d see.
:-o

Of course speaking of lousy war names…

@ABWorsham:

@Dylan:

@ABWorsham:

I enjoy studying about the Punic Wars, I consider those three wars as the first World Wars.

Was that

Persia vs Greeks
or
Greeks vs Romans

Rome and Carthage

OK I imagine Dylan has to be scratching his head wondering how this got to be Punic?
(And yes I know the answer)
It’s like a history teacher named this just to make it more difficult!

#660

Dont the Brits have a different name? They have them for other wars:
French and Indian War-Seven Years’ War
American Revolution-The American War for Independence
World War 1-The First World War/Great War/the archaic and now shown to be an epic fail “War to End All Wars.”
World War 2-The Second World War

Boy talk about a tough choice!
I think the Chinese civil war, begining with the begining of warlordism in 1917 all the way through the 20’s, second world war and Korea is the most intresting to me.

@calvinhobbesliker:

Dont the Brits have a different name?

War of the Annoying Colonials?

OK seriously I don’t think they do.

#664