MovieChat Forums > Age of Heroes (2011) Discussion > Because only Germans ever killed POWs in...

Because only Germans ever killed POWs in WW2


We have to remind the ignorant movie going public of this fact again and again, in case they try to think for themselves.

Also... we have to claim a commando unit puts "honour" above all else when by definition said commando unit's mission is to sneak around in the dark bombing and sabotaging things behind enemy lines, stabbing sentries in the back in the most dishonourable way possible, and generally fighting war in exactly the same way as today's "terrorists" in Afghanistan.

reply

Don't think anybody nowadays says only the germans killed prisoners,but you might agree that the Americans and British treated prisoners better than the Germans,Soviets or of course the Japanese?
The commandos were dressed in their national uniform,they were fighting behind enemy lines,were they meant to stab the sentry in the chest after offering him a hot drink?
In the case of Norway they were fighting in alliance with the legal government of the country against a foreign invader.
You probably don't mean to but you come across as one of these "everybody was as bad as everybody else in World War 11,if the Afghans want to treat women like *beep* it is up to them" sort of person.

reply

World War 11? :p

To the op- I don't think you can compare the Second World War with Afghanistan. The Second World War was necessary to fight and it achieved something. I do think the taliban are disgusting too but it's still a different thing. No one thinks the ordinary German soldier is repsonsible for the atrocities carried out by the Nazis and I do feel sorry for the German people today to have to have their past constantly thrust at them in films.

However the Nazis did do terrible things, a relative of my nan was captured, with his platoon, and they were taken to a barn and left inside. Eventually they took out lines of soldiers and shot them before finally throwing grenades into the barn to kill the rest.

And the Japanese were barbaric to prisoners of war. The Second World War wasn't the grey "you can't really tell who is in the right" type. Obvisouly there are still people with terrible memories of the time and a film where the allies are shown as the baddies wouldn't be welcome. A film that shows the oridnary German soldiers in a good light would be more positive.

reply

I think it is fair to say that informed opinion would now agree that the western allies did do some bad things in world war 11,prisoners were shot,lifeboats sunk and so on but the conduct of the USSR and all the axis powers and Japan was much worse.

Just how ordinary german soldiers behaved is a big debate in world war 11 studies,in the past it was the SS who got all the blame but despite the evidence that the ordinary german troops often behaved badly german public opinion finds that hard to accept.

I guess it is an age/generational thing but I don't see what is odd about writing WORLD WAR 11people always used to write it like that,it is like IRON MAN 2 or whatever,I really don't mean world war eleven.

reply

^^Oh yeah,obviously the allies weren't perfect heroes who could do know wrong.

About the number thing- I didn't think it was odd, it just looked like eleven because it's not written as Roman numerals. Of couse I don't think you mean eleven.

reply

The Japanese did not sign the Convention. They were entitled to execute POWs.

reply

generally fighting war in exactly the same way as today's "terrorists" in Afghanistan

I really hope you're not being serious and that the basic difference between turning innocent civilians into targets in the name of some propaganda on the one hand and soldiers fighting other soldiers, using decoy (which is a legitimate tool in war by all means), on the other hand doesn't really allude you...

"He shall be an adder on the path, to bite a horse's heel"

reply

I wish Sean Bean would stick to the good stuff, not these silly things.

However, British Commandos during World War II did used to disembowel German sentries and leave their intestines in a pile next to them. Fair play I say, fight fire with fire. Grandad is not fond of the Krauts, and for good reason.

reply

And then some of us ... who have been there and done that - with honor - must remind those (who see 'war' from a video game or their TV screen) that, war is not fair and all black and white. Killing, in different ways, is done as a means to an end.

Take the bombing of 2 cities in Japan. The Japanese were not going to give up, even though the war was lost for them. Even though it was a horrible thing to do; which is better? Invade Japan and kill another 1.5 or 2 million people, on both sides, or try to end the war as quickly as possible?

reply

incredibly farking stupid OP which nonetheless attracted one or two sensible and insightful replies.

reply