Editor’s Note: Adam Piggott, The Gentleman Adventurer, shares another of his insightful posts with us. We encourage you to visit his site regularly.
Here is a documentary of the only operational De Havilland Mosquito in the world going on one of its first flights. The narrator, an ex-Royal Marine, is almost giddy with excitement before the flight and fully emotional about the experience afterwards, (and for once a modern narrator who isn’t a giant douchebag as so many of them are.)
To gain an understanding of why people love this plane so much, (and incidentally it is also my favorite combat aircraft of the Second World War), you have to return to your own youth and remember why as children we played army men in the backyard, and built models of our favorite vehicles and aircraft, and read countless books and comics about battles large and small.
It’s because boys love war.
Boys love war because genetically it’s what we’re built to do. Girls are meant to bear and raise children, (which is why girls play with dolls), and boys are meant to protect those women and children from external threats. The Second World War holds the most fascination for boys because of the huge variety of toys that were developed during that conflict, and the Mosquito was one of the very best examples of technological advancement and pure romantic performance.
Yes, war is hell, and nobody sane wishes for war. But at the same time boys love war because it is our primary opportunity to perform the role that we were designed for in the first place. Of course many men die during war, but many women died during childbirth as well. It was the inherent risk for each sex of the species.
Many cultures have embraced war and warriors as the supreme example of the pinnacle of male development with the Japanese samurai being one of the best examples.
An example of this is encapsulated in the following clip from The Pacific television series.
That is pure male purpose and esprit di corp. That is why the narrator in the first video is so emotional about flying in that plane. Because it is not just a plane. It is male destiny and purpose made manifest. And when he flies in that plane he wishes above all else that he could have been there flying it operationally as well, and on the most dangerous missions possible.
In this sense men are still little boys. They never grow up. And thank God for that.
Boys Love War
6 Comments
Leave a Reply
Latest from Culture
A Memory of Robert E. Lee
"Everyone obeyed him, not because they feared but because they loved him."
The Venerable Bede
"Arising from the gloom of a dark age, he is still considered one of the most illustrious of the learned men of England."
Gildas
The underrated chronicler who paints "fully and vividly the thought and feeling of Britain in the fifty years of peace which preceded her final overthrow."
Movie Review: The Thing (1982)
A brilliant horror movie that blends the right amount of suspense, schlock, body horror, and practical effects to create a classic.
Friday Music: September 87 – Room Service
Editor’s note: See the previous chapters at these links: Bad Dream Baby and Light Years.
5
5
5
I highly recommend The Pacific. It is a great series (as was Band of Brothers). It fully encapsulates what you are saying here, as well as the cost associated with war. Good article.
Just wondering if boys love war,what is/was wrong with The President for getting out of going to war? If you are wondering about me,I was on getting drunk on booze from daddy’s liquor cabinet.
Dont be a fag Edward.