Brotherhood in War | Second World War

While i'm a pacifist, why am I obsessed about stories and emotions of the second World War? Arguably, brotherhood exists in wars. 

I don't know how the end of my biological existence on planet Earth would be, naturally or otherwise, no one knows their end for certain. However, towards the last moments, I'd be listening to the theme of my brothers with whom not only did I shed blood, but lost life between 1939 - 1945 in one of my previous incarnations, which is the melodramatic theme of 'Band of Brothers' composed by prolific musician MichaelKamen, executive produced by TomHanks and Steven Spielberg.
https://youtu.be/7uTAIpU0sa0
Yes, I fought along with my brothers.

My brothers of East Company with whom I fought the second world war for allied forces. In one of my previous incarnations I was an allied soldier. Fought and died along my brothers. 

A leader should create leaders not followers. I live by this code not only in this reincarnation as "#BT", but my previous as Major Richard Winters.
Yes, I fought along with my brothers.
band of brothers
My brot hers of EastCompany with whom I fought the second world war for allied forces. In one of my previous incarnations I was an allied soldier. Fought and died along my brothers.



Arguably, brotherhood only exists during wars, not only among the soldiers of a nation, but even with the enemies. Reportedly, during world war II, a German soldier buried an unknown British, killed in action beside his fighter aircraft. While it is debatable that this picture was staged, I'm of the view that real brotherhood only prevails among soldiers in combat, not necessarily among the civilians as they don't get to witness the brutalities of humans often.


Image credit: War Amateur (https://www.instagram.com/p/BZsvNJDF_DZ/)


A work in progress blog, not exhaustive. There will be addendum in the near future. 

Even though, I'm a pacifist, my behavioral traits are largely manipulated by Marines as not only did I grow up watching documentaries and feature films on the Marines, but I see authentic brotherhood existing only among them. I share the heart of a marine. Happy 245th birthday, Marine corps.  


The only cloth I would like to wear ever, even when I'm buried or cremated is of a #marine. Even though, I'm a civilian, I always imagine myself of a marine. 
I wish I could be a marine.

Image credit:
https://www.instagram.com/p/BnvuROElp3t/?utm_source=ig_share_sheet&igshid=11kq4awtrlhz8
Once a marine, always a marine!


The cloth that I'd wear even on my death bed is of a #marine. Ironically, brotherhood exists among soldiers not civilians. Photographed is a US marine meditating before a jump from military transport carrier. 

Image credit: U.S. Marine Corps
(https://www.instagram.com/p/BprVV6Rhwi9/?utm_source=ig_share_sheet&igshid=3evf7uts4yjo)

I wish I could be a marine, dead or alive. Once a marine it is an honor forever. 
That's me along with my brothers, marines. Only the brave can be called #Marines, not the ordinary.

Image credit:
https://www.instagram.com/p/BbdKfvaF7Xk/
How did I realize that I was a Marine serving allied forces, in one of my previous incarnations between 1939 and 1945? Even though, I wasn't exactly a paratrooper, but a marine, this quote from 'Band of Brothers' series made me realize that I served among heroes, sacrificed my life, in liberating Europe and Pacific islands. 

How did I realize that I was a Marine serving allied forces, in one of my previous incarnations between 1939 and 1945? Even though, I wasn't exactly a paratrooper, but a marine, this quote from '#BandofBrothers' series made me realize that I served among heroes, sacrificed my life, in liberating Europe and Pacific islands. 

How did I realize that I was a Marine serving allied forces, in one of my previous incarnations between 1939 and 1945? Even though, I wasn't exactly a paratrooper, but a marine, this quote from '#BandofBrothers' series made me realize that I served among heroes, sacrificed my life, in liberating Europe and Pacific islands. 
The only cloth I ever wanted to wear is brotherhood's, a marine's. I'm not able to do in reality. I hope I can at least do with my story, and die a marine as I did in my previous incarnation with east company, 'Band of Brothers.'
How did I realize that I was a Marine serving allied forces, in one of my previous incarnations between 1939 and 1945? Even though, I wasn't exactly a paratrooper, but a marine, this quote from '#BandofBrothers' series made me realize that I served among heroes, sacrificed my life, in liberating Europe and Pacific islands. 
That's my brother. I don't see brotherhood exemplified among civilians. Only marines do. I myself was a marine in one of my previous incarnations, served allied forces between 1939 and 1945, and liberated Europe and Pacific islands.

Image credit: United States Marine Corps
https://www.instagram.com/p/BgQ2atjF4Lu/

'Once a marine, always a marine, hoohah!'
Image credit: Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 25 (HSC - 25)
The fact that I'm instinctively brutal and relentless (and hiding that instinct for livelihood) made me sort of inclined towards stories of wars especially second world war. Part of the reason is my grandfather Bhavathevar was a soldier and an ambulance driver of British Indian Army during second world war, then joined the rebellion, Indian National Army led by Nethaji Subash Chandra Bose. I grew listening to and watching stories of the second world war. However, my understanding is superficial. There is still more to be known. If I were to direct a feature, or cast some, I would demand them to be the character no matter how eccentric, complex or cruel the character is, both in reel and for real. I do not accept flamboyance. After going through the grind of my film, the cast would never be able to return to normalcy. Shia Labeouf is one such actor and that is what he precisely did in poignant second world war drama, FURY.




14 October 2021

Reportedly, China has developed a nuclear capability hypersonic missile or a rocket, capable of maneuvering low earth orbit (400 kilometers above Earth). This implies that China has officially militarized space, arguably, only after the former USSR, then (in the heights of the cold war between US and USSR, reportedly Soviet Union was the first to launch and deploy missile in space).

source:
https://www.ft.com/content/ba0a3cde-719b-4040-93cb-a486e1f843fb

Reportedly, between 1939 and 1945, 1000 people were killed across the world. No known human history has had such profound grief, despair and hope as it happened then. And, its accounts have to be told to not only make people know about the history, but the fact that ideologies and its followers are not what they propagated to be, which is one of the reasons why I strive to be a military historian especially of the second world war.
Remember, i was doing all of this, while I was doing something absolutely unrelated in your reality. 

Thanks to the "Intelligence", unit of " The Economist ", I learnt the politics of "AUKUS" deal. 

Unlike European Nations, where there is NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization), there is no formal strategic military alliance between Asian countries. Reportedly, China is increasingly becoming a security threat to not only the Asia-Pacific region but to the entire world. Reportedly, having this in mind, United States has agreed to supply a nuclear powered submarine to Australia, which United States typically don't do.

India is among the six Nations (US,UK, France, Russia and China) in the world to have a nuclear powered submarine. What does it mean? A diesel-electric submarine can stay submerged for a certain period of time and not for extended duration, whereas a nuclear powered can stay submerged almost indefinitely except for the reason it has to surface for its crew to replenish supplies. And, it can travel longer distances, stay undetected even in the hostile waters. 

Moreover, what goes into making a nuclear bomb sort of powers the nuclear powered submarine - enriched uranium. It implies that a nuclear powered submarine equates to a bomb. While, India doesn't have a nuclear attack submarine yet, it is reported to have building one.

After examining the second World War for a considerable length of time, I can only say I have acquired a superficial understanding of the time 1939-1945. Now, I have graduated to the time, where the real power was perception of power, whether if the power was really there or not did not hold any good. Nations was allegedly trying to not fight wars, but annihilate human race as a species by nuclear war. Yes, I'm talking about the cold War between United States and Soviet Union. And, precisely the missile crisis, which almost brought humankind to end and how it was evaded.

https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vTlNSODIzNjQ3ODY4Mw/episode/ZjQ1ZjczMDYtZjllNi0xMWViLWIwOTEtMDNiN2ExZGNjM2E4?ep=14



Pearl Harbour to Nuclear Bombing!
The ethical question of United States nuclear bombing Japan (Hiroshima and Nagasaki) continues to remain debatable until now, even though 79 years have passed since the human catastrophe on 6th and 9th August 1945. According to historical accounts, the pressure on the Americans to make this decision was multifold.

The perception of super power between US and USSR was already raging with the latter declaring part of the captured Nazi Germany as East and Americans' as West Germany. The "Cold War" had already begun. Furthermore, Russians need to capture Japan and make the world known that they have put an end to the Second World War. Thus, becoming the world's super power.

Japan was virtually defeated by allies and still persevering by preparing every man, woman and child left to fight the allies till the last man standing even with sticks and stones. A guerrilla warfare was anticipated with very high casualties on both sides.

Americans were planning on carrying out an amphibious invasion of Japan in a way similar to how Nazi occupied Europe was captured and liberated.

Americans after realising the ambush created by Japan needed to end the war immediately by making Japan surrender unconditionally. By doing so, Russians would realise that the United States were more competent than Russia. Most importantly, Americans didn't want another territory to be shared with Russians for their contribution in the war.

President Roosevelt had to make not only one of the toughest but arguably morally wrong decisions ever made by a US President. The decision was made out of necessity.

It was a go. What happened next is history.

83 years ago today, on December 7, 1941, Japan, which was reportedly agitated by American involvement in trade, assaulted Pearl Harbor. 20 American naval vessels and more than 300 airplanes were destroyed, about 2400 died and 1000 wounded. Consequently, with Adolf Hitler's third Reich declaring war on the United States, America officially entered into the world war II, fighting Germans in the Europe and Japanese in the Pacific.
 




"To stay secret we are going to have to become more open."
How does it feel like if you actually get to meet or speak to the real life head of the British Secret Service known by the code name "C"? Does it remind you of " M" of the James Bond universe? Absolutely, I'm talking about them. Thanks to the "The Economist Asks" podcast of "The Economist", I happened to listen to the " C" talking about clandestine operations carried out by the United Kingdom since the second world war to cold war and the current global threats not only the UK but the world face.

The very existence of MI6 Or SIS was denied, not made public or remained anonymous until 1994, a year before the release of the revival of the James Bond franchise "Golden Eye" (1995). The fact that my grandfather "BhavaThevar", served the British Indian Army and " Nethaji Subash Chandra Bose's", "Indian National Army", thereby having instilled the interests in military secret services especially through the films of Ian Fleming's James Bond in my father and his grandsons, i'm always fascinated by knowing about military and their intelligence services of nations, but from the comfort of being a civilian and most importantly a patriot of homeland India.

https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9yc3MuYWNhc3QuY29tL3RoZWVjb25vbWlzdGFsbGF1ZGlv/episode/MmU2ZTYyOTMtZjk2OC00MzgyLWFmZjItNzJhM2MxYmQ1NjJm?ep=14


https://www.sis.gov.uk/about-us.html



 January 29, 2022:


"The strong is strongest when alone."
Finally, I'm in the possession of something profound, which not only divided humans in the 19th century but altered the course of mankind irrevocably. This post is apolitical. I do not subscribe to national socialism nor do I propagate its ideology, but I'm sharing it for educational and research purposes.




This organization was not declassified until 1992. When nations couldn't even imagine of observation from the space, they had satellites seeing, photographing and listening to people of interests. As a part of my endeavor to direct James Bond, I try to keep myself abreast of the world of espionage. Thus, I happened to listen to this podcast, while I was doing something mediocre in the physical reality you and I exist, but I was processing this information in the mental reality of my own, where the place for the ordinary is forbidden. 

https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9hdWRpb2Jvb20uY29tL2NoYW5uZWxzLzQ2MzQzMjAucnNz/episode/dGFnOmF1ZGlvYm9vbS5jb20sMjAyMS0wNi0yMjovcG9zdHMvNzg5MTEwNg?ep=14


While I was doing something mediocre in the physical reality you exist, I was processing something exceptional about Indian military aviation from a podcast "The Blue Skies Podcast" about veteran Indian Air Force (IAF) pilot Raghu Nambiar, and why did India choose fighter Jet Mirage 2000? , in the mental reality of my own, where the place for ordinary is nonexistent.

Reportedly, in the early 1980s, Pakistanis had inducted a tested, tried and proven American's fighter jet F16 into their fleet, which apparently not only posed a significant threat but dwarfed Indian Air Force. As a counter measure, Indians acquired French made Mirage 2000, a multi role jet, which proved its mettle, in almost every mission against adversaries surrounding India.

https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5idXp6c3Byb3V0LmNvbS8xNzE0NTEzLnJzcw/episode/QnV6enNwcm91dC0xMDI5NDY1OA?ep=14


#JaiHind #IndiaIndependenceDay

Even though, the #military is in my blood, for some reasons I couldn't realise my aspiration of becoming a soldier in the reality I exist. Perhaps, in the next incarnation I would.
My grandfather #BhavaThevar served in the Indian army under the British rule during the second World War, subsequently became a rebel and joined #Nethaji's Indian National Army (#INA) because of Nethaji's camaraderie with #Pasumpon_Muthuramalinga_Thevar. Having heard his stories of both the allied and axis forces, the idea of becoming a soldier or examining the second World War reinforced with #Steven_Spielberg's "#Saving_Private_Ryan" in 1999, which my father took me and my brother to a theatre in Madurai Sri Mappillai Vinayagar .
Therefore, anything to do with military fascinates me and thus I became a military historian aspirant.

There is enough content for the military of the western powers, especially Americans and British, but almost none of the inside view of Indian Army until the internet became ubiquitous. Now, I have to thank Mr #PR_Ganapathy, who is an aviator himself, and striving towards bringing the stories of Indian Military Aviation through his podcast "#Blue_Skies_Podcast", which has been quenching my thirst for military action.

#BT

http://mindofbt.blogspot.com/2021/09/how-do-i-exist-and-why.html
http://mindofbt.blogspot.com/2020/10/brotherhood-in-war-second-world-war.html


https://blueskiespodcast.com/


More than a feature filmmaker, I aspire to be a documentarian. I'm in the process of becoming one. The rationale is not only will I be able to unravel mysteries, shed light, but exhibit situations as it is without concluding and keeping subjective. I happened to watch this short documentary 'North Korea: The Path to War', on BBC, and this notion of becoming a documentarian got reinforced. The documentarian Rupert Wingfield-Hayes actually flew a South Korean fighter jet alongside the pilot during a regular drill. That is the kind of risk documentarian takes. I'm fascinated by it, and need to do. #BT
Time: 2017

My interest in studying the Nazi Germans began with their uniforms, which sort of fascinated me. It all began in the mid 80s, when my father took my brother and me to "Madurai Mappillai Vinayagar" theatre for Steven Spielberg's "Raiders Of The Lost Ark". That's was the very first time I was introduced to the notion of Nazi ideology and  their uniforms. It got my attention. Since then,  I have been studying them especially the division which wore black colored uniforms - "Waffen SS".  One of the main designers/brand of the Nazi uniform was " Hugo Boss". However, it appears that their involvement was not voluntary.

" Waffen - SS", kind of began as a private military unit of Nazi Germany. Young men in the 1930 were not only given the regular military training but went through exclusive training in Nazi ideology purpose built facility. After several assassination attempts on Adolf Hitler, he lost belief in his army and held SS as his personal bodyguard.

While I was doing something mediocre for my livelihood in the reality you exist, I was listening to something profound in my reality - a podcast on "Waffen SS" by  WW2 podcast hosted by Angus Wallace on the book  "Hitler's Armed SS: The Waffen-SS at War, 1939–1945", authored by Anthony Tucker-Jones.

This post is apolitical and it's shared for examination and historical purposes and no ideology is embraced.


https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cDovL3d3MnBvZGNhc3QubGlic3luLmNvbS9yc3M/episode/YzExNzNlYzAtZmRhMi00MDkyLWFlN2ItN2M0N2JiYWYxZDVm?ep=14


Sivan was possibly an allied or axis soldier in his previous incarnation:


No ordinary civilian leading a ife in the ordinary circumstances can comprehend the pain of a soldier be it an allied or axis of second world war. This one of the reasons why I not only study but attempt to reenact their pain in my existence.


SEPTEMBER 2ND, 2024


The Surrender of Japanese in the Second World War:
79 years ago today, on September 2nd, 1945, Japanese unconditionally surrendered to the allied forces (USA and UK), formally ending one of the brutal battles in the history of humanity. Historically, the nuclear bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki made Japanese to surrender.
Authored by Balaji Thangapandian aka #BT - a spacefarer, who is also curious about film-making, connectivity technologies and military history.

October 27 | 2024


BROTHERHOOD EXISTS IN WARS!
Civilians could not possibly die the very next moment unless something profound happens to them. The likelihood of them dying the very next moment is extremely high. They are combat soldiers. Not only do they value their lives but men next to them. They protect each other from taking fire. Therefore, I claim brotherhood exists in war among the combat soldiers and not among the civilians.

November 13 | 2024
I wish I could be a marine, dead or alive. 
Once a marine, always a marine. 
An honor forever.



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