10 Thoughts On All Hell Let Loose: The World at War 1939-1945

All Hell Let Loose: The World at War 1939-1945 wrote about the everyday lives of World War Two soldiers and civilians, from the euphoria experienced by the 20-year-old young man flying a Spitfire Jet to the desperation of a starving housewife in Russia. 

Millions of people experienced extreme hardship over the seven years of World War II, and many perished. Any single bombardment, famine, or loss of loved ones (or a limb) was enough for a lifelong trauma. Yet, these experiences were repeated daily by millions of people, illustrating the broadest range of human nature — men's (it’s a sad fact that they were mostly men) blind pursuit of power, unprecedented excitement, unbelievable greed and selfishness, and bottomless fear, with sparkles of the best of humanity.

With a bit of blind faith, I hope that no one who reads this blog post will ever have to experience a war. Still, these lessons offered by the War (which I comfortably learnt through reading) are timeless. Here are 10 of them: - 

Patience matters – The war lasted for less than 7 years. A lot of us can agree that 7 years is not a very long period of time. However, it is perfectly understandable that people living during that period thought that they could never see the end of the tunnel. They lost hope and died (in addition to many other reasons). Keeping hope and patiently waiting for the war to end was critical to survival.  

Prepare For The Unexpected –  No nation nor individual responds adequately when a battle breaks out or a bomb falls, even though you have every reason to anticipate that. Prepare as best as you can. For example, learn about the geography of the place where you are going to fight. The English young man who had grown up near the sea and saw a mountain for the first time in Norway, or the German who experienced the vastness and coldness of Russia for the first time, did not fare too well. 

At the same time, know that you will be frozen when a catastrophe hits (who wouldn’t be at the scale of a war). Gather yourself as soon as possible, be agile, and ready to make difficult choices, which leads me to the next point. 

Take Actions – Almost always err on the side of action. Inactivity is dangerous, as fears grow in inactivity. Not knowing what’s happening on the battlefield and realizing that there is nothing you can do is a horrible feeling. Sailors in World War II exemplified this. In addition to the cramped living conditions and boredom, the sailors seldom saw their enemies, and their fates were almost completely at the captain’s judgment. They were expected to sail day after day through the most perilous waters in the world, knowing nothing of what was happening save what they could see from the upper decks. In today’s life, we seldom have as few choices as those sailors. 

When attacked, holding a weapon and countering the attack is always necessary for defense. Idling would only get you starved and killed. If you have the luxury to take action, do it. 

Relationship is a life-and-death matter – Soldiers care about the comrades with whom they fought alongside. The replacement (the newcomers) were always first sent to the frontline (to die). Don’t be the replacement. 

When making friends, take the time to understand one another. For the Axis powers (Germany, Japan, and Italy), they did not communicate effectively with one another to create a coherent strategy. For example, the only thing Germany and Japan had in common was to attack the Allies and get as much land as possible. The physical distance between them and the language barrier (without the help of Google Translate) didn’t help as well.

When UK and USA wanted to work with Stalin to fight the Nazis, Stalin’s secretiveness, incompetence, and ill-will were very difficult to operate with. Think again when you want to make friends with Stalin.

Learn to distinguish your friends and enemies. For eighteen months, Stalin was Hitler's ally before the many bloody wars when Nazis fought the Sovient Union. 

Pick The Right Fight – No war accomplished what it was intended to. It will always go out of control. Additionally, the nations that initiate the war always struggle to bring it to a close. 

Do not take a task that is beyond your (nation’s) power. Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor was one of the major causes of its devastation. 

Press your advantage when victory is within your grasp.The Japanese failed to do so multiple times. They never enjoyed the same opportunity again. 

Don't fight for the stupid medals, whatever that means to you. The Red Army issued eleven million war medals, and the US Army issued 1.4 million of them. What is that worth? 

War Does Not Favor The gentlemen –  The Allied soldiers prided themselves on behaving like civilised men. The Nazis showed them what unreasonable men could do. British soldiers looked like men who had finished their work by contract at a suitable salary and were taking a rest free from the anxiety of the battlefield. Would you put a bet on them in a war? 

No One Is Going To Help You – When war hits, allies seldom help others, as seen in the early tragedy of Poland and Finland. Empires, such as the British Empire, have often shamelessly abandoned their native populations, as illustrated in the Singapore and India episodes. 

At the beginning of the War, the Allies wished, and almost begged, the US to join the War. But the US was largely content with the society it had. Why would they join a war that had little immediate concern to them? Nations provide first for their people. Why would it be any way round? (Of course, things changed.)

Learn The Power Of Words – Speak well and learn the power of words. Churchill mainly contributed by convincing his people that their struggle was noble, necessary, and successful. Success stories are required in propaganda, while secrecy is essential for operations. 

Don't Live Under Dictatorships (even if they are winning, and of course, assuming you have a choice) – It’s much better to be in a losing nation that is democratic and has the basic respect of its people, than to live in a winning nation that does not. 300,000 Russian soldiers were killed by their own commanders in WWII. That’s more than all British troops who died at enemy hands during WWII. An evil nation is one that institutionalizes evil human nature — its winning has very little benefit to its people. 

Just be Grateful, very Grateful for the Lives We Have — A British lieutenant Norman Craig wrote in the desert during the War, “To stay alive, to lead once more a normal existence, to know again warmth, comfort and safety — what else could one conceivably demand? I would never chide circumstance again, never question fate, never feel bored, unhappy, or dissatisfied. To be allowed to continue to live — nothing else matters.” I have nothing to add to that. 

War is hell. It breaks every reality you have and disintegrates your familiar world. Human beings can be torn to pieces of flesh and bone, cities blasted into rubble. On average, 27,000 people died every day from September 1939 to August 1945 because of the War. You are constantly under the fear of death, constantly hungry, and constantly lonely. I’m not naive enough to say that people who were in the War have the choice to read this blog, apply these principles, and stay calm and carry on. More often than not, Lady Fortune does not allow the luxury of such choices, especially in arguably the most monumental event in human history.

However, if we have the choice (and I believe that most of us actually do), we should learn from the lessons of history, put ourselves in a good and healthy place, and wholeheartedly enjoy life every day. 

Until next time, my friends.