I have seen the exellent movie
Flags of our fathers by Clint Eastwood, but in true swedish fashion it is far harder to find a copy of the second movie his Iwo Jima pair, "Letters from Iwo Jima".
So far I have heard it is just as good as "Flags of our fathers" so I hope to be able to someday.
But half a year ago, a swedish japanese born journalist and litterature research, Yukiko Duke published the Iwo Jima letters in her book "Breven från Iwo Jima" (Letters of Iwo Jima), by the Japanese general who planned and commanded the defence.
I was planning to make my IG army based around russians and anzac themes, but suddenly it dawned to me that would would be a more fitting theme to base the theme around "Iwo Jima" as a whole. Planet Strike anyone?
The heroism of both attackers and defenders are no longer questioned and I think Clint Eastwoods two movies are maybe the greatest effort in war movies to document the horror and heroism in war, and to portray both sides as human beings, and at the same time make one understand why both sides also tend to demonize their opponent.
Since Homer pilled together his epic "Iliad", few if any storyteller, writer or lately film director have come close to his remarkably neutral and humane treatment of the story of Troy, where heroes on both sides are portrayed in a very heroic and brutal way, with depictions of combat wounds inflicted with spears and bladed implement no one have yet been able to match.
(This shows that the composer was far from really blind, cause the injures described and their effect betrays a terrifying personal knowledge and insight in the very personal and ugly face of war in the age of cold steel (or bronze for that matter).
Nevertheless, the Iliad in the end is a story where the audience, who most likely where of mixed origin since Homer most likely lived in the greek settlements in asia minor, would find both heroes and villains on their side, and with the story ending before the fabled fall of troy, with Achilles and king Priam sharing a meal and Achilles helping Priam to smuggle Hectors body out of the camp, it ends with a message of reconcilitation and about the fact that we are all humans and very much alike when we remove the layers of pride and hate.
Having to compose for such a mixed audience probably helped the composer to find a balance and a realism, in the middle of all interfering gods and heroic duels, that few have been able or even dared to match.
This also made the Iliad controversial in the ancient Worlds. When the Persian wars had been fought, Trojans where portrayed as persians, and Homers version of the war was infact ignored in Athens. After all, the enemy where to be portrayed as evil as it was possible, and Homer did the opposite, especially since the most noble and humane of the heroes, Hektor, is infact a trojan!
Not good athenian imperialistic propaganda!
Well, back to Iwo Jima. I am now thinking of basing my army around a mixed formations inspired by the US Marines and Imperial Japanese army and Imperial Marines, the forces that came head to head on Iwo Jima.
I think it would be a fitting tribute.
Please, bring on suggestions! Lots of infantry, especially since the japs had few tanks compared to others!
Anyone have any good book with hard data about the units from the US Marines deployed. Or better, what stuff did they have. How many tanks and of what kind? Any tanks at all?
Oh, what shall happen to my Russians?
Donīt worry, Kelliez Herouz will be expanded upon and will be joined by a russianesqe band of Snake bite freebooters (They love brown and brown was the usual russian uniform colour). And The orkz are even better for portraying those crazy russian armoured assault units, Who went into battle riding on the rear of their tanks, hanging onto some freaking handle, each man kitted with either the dreaded PPSH 1941 sub-machinegun or light machineguns, and extra drum magazines and handgrenades all over!
Snakebitez wielding shootas and bigshootas anyone!
