[Fan Art] England in North Africa

[ca-manzanita.livejournal.com]

Title: Kreig Ohne Hass, Who Dares Wins
Author/Artist: ca_manzanita aka japdrow
Character(s) or Pairing(s): England, Germany, France, Belgium, Greece
Rating: G
Warnings: Smoking, England's eyebrows, and inconsistent coloring
Summary: While in the African desert, England's not being a jerk for once.






Germany and England share a smoke with a barb wire fence, meant to contain POWs, between them.  You're not suppose to be able to tell who is the prisoner and who is the captor. 

The leader of the Axis forces in North Africa, Field Marshal Erwin Rommel aka 'The Desert Fox', called the North African campaign <i>Kreig Ohne Hass</i>--The War Without Hate.  In the barren, unforgiving deserts no war crimes were ever recorded and both sides, mainly the Germans and British Commonwealth, practiced an unwritten code of chivalry.  Common examples were fair treatment of prisoners and wounded from both sides were treated in the same dressing stations and field hospitals. 




Today's well-renown special forces brigade, the British SAS, made its debut in the North Africa, 1941.  Till the end of the war, the  British units conducted operations alongside with their Free French and Belgium counterparts.  Greece's Sacred Band, a special forces unit of free Greeks,  was to also join the SAS but the plan never went ahead when the SAS commander was captured in 1943.  

When the war ended, the unit broken up and/or were disbanded.  Later on, the units were reformed in their own respected countries but all four have similar unit badges and the same motto: "Who Dares WIns".

The SAS has served as a model for the special forces in other countries, including America's Delta Force.

Comments

[iroh-fancier.livejournal.com]

What awesome pictures, and what an awesome fact about the North African war! I knew things were more "gentlemanly" on that front between combatants, but I didn't realize that both sides got treated in the same field hospitals!

[ca-manzanita.livejournal.com]

Thank you! The North African war was what got me really into WWII history. Some of the personal stories I've read were really touching to just plain silly.

There are a couple of pictures and stories of British and Germans wounded being treated at the same stations. One famous story is this one under the fifth paragraph: http://www.armchairgeneral.com/pov-war-without-hate.htm

I know in Op. Market Garden, it was also the same for the wounded, but that was mostly because space and medical supplies were limited.

Sorry for all the information. I'm such a nerd!

[iroh-fancier.livejournal.com]

No no, give me all the information you have, please!

And if you're a history nerd, you're gonna love this: My Dutch grandparents lived in Arnheim and were there for Operation Market Garden! (I didn't know at all about how the wounded were treated there).

[ca-manzanita.livejournal.com]

OMG!! O_o Wow.. just wow... being in Arnheim during all that... it's just... I'm speechless really.

Have you heard of Cornelius Ryan's A Bridge Too Far? He tells the story of OP. Market Garden after compiling hundreds of interviews from all sides, including Dutch citizens. Great source of information but very depressing to read.

[iroh-fancier.livejournal.com]

It was pretty amazing :O. They were also members of the resistance (who would probably be upset at me for liking Hetalia--understandably my grandfather (and father) had a huge grudge against Germans for the rest of his life).

I have a copy of that book! But I've not read it yet (I was too young to appreciate it and then too sick for several years, to make a long story short). I'm looking forward to it, though! My grandparents went to see the movie and told my mother that a lot of it was wrong.

[ca-manzanita.livejournal.com]

I know a few relations and acquaintances of mine who would be upset if they found out I was fan, too ^^;

Yay! I hope you enjoy the book! I know they left out a lot of information in the movie, but the movie was long to begin with. Three hours long!

[iroh-fancier.livejournal.com]

You know, when I first heard about the series I went, "Wow, that sounds disturbing!" And when my girlfriend recommended it to me, I was very nervous, but I said I'd read a few strips anyway. I was prepared to really hate Germany but... well... as you can see by my default icon, that wasn't the case ;). If the series had been just about World War II, I might not have warmed up to it to the point that I've written more fan fic for Hetalia in seven months than I have for other fandoms in years. When people bash it, I always tell them, "You know it's not 1) all about WW2 and 2) not about making Mussolini and Hitler look cute, right?" Even so, I know I could never cosplay Germany or Prussia, or wear even an approximation of Netherlands' WW2 uniform. It'd feel to weird.

I'm sure I'll find it a fascinating but painful read, but I am looking forward to it. It'll help put a lot of my grandparents' war stories in context, which is a good thing! Someday I hope to visit the memorial in the town, and to attend the national day of remembrance.

You know what's really neat? I have a very nice heirloom from the time period, that my grandma entrusted to me. I will try to find a picutre of a similar one online.

[iroh-fancier.livejournal.com]

Here's the closest thing I could find to the item I have. Click the picture (mine is a pendant, not a brooch). http://en.allexperts.com/q/Coin-Collecting-2297/2009/5/1929-2-1-2.htm

[ca-manzanita.livejournal.com]

That's a cool heirloom!

I remember being skeptical about the series, too, but curiosity got the better of me. After reading the first few translated strips I really got hooked. This is the first fandom where I have actually done fanart! I can understand why some people bash the series, but I've learned a lot more about history and different cultures because of Hetalia and I like how it affects other people the same way, too.

[ca-manzanita.livejournal.com]

Mwahahaha! I have friended you!

And I need to get to sleep... I'll talk to you later, yes?

[jedishampoo.livejournal.com]

Nicely done!

[ca-manzanita.livejournal.com]

Thanks! ^__^

[obscurealice.livejournal.com]

Your drawings are absolutely fantastic :o
As is the historical commentary :D

[ca-manzanita.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed it! ^__^

[mogumogu.livejournal.com]

Smoking is bad for your health... but it's such an amazing visual tool, isn't it? I love that first picture.


I'd never heard of that. War really is a strange, unpredictable thing.

[ca-manzanita.livejournal.com]

Cigarettes are a great visual tool in WWII themes... even if it's unhealthy >_>

Oh, War! What a strange, tragic contradiction you are!

[mogumogu.livejournal.com]

Truly not a force to be taken for granted or underestimated.

(...says the Hetalia fan. But the Devil is disarmed through, humor right? Still, caution must be taken...)

And, reading above posts, I need to add... Hetalia got my lazy bum creative juices flowing like few series have, but I scare myself sometimes thinking about it the implications.



(you're a little apple?)

[ca-manzanita.livejournal.com]

Yeah, Hetalia has revived my history geekiness (especially WWII history), but in my fanarts I try to blend both history and Hetalia together so there's not much room for misinterpretation. There's the possibility of misinformation on my part, though. That doesn't sound very creative does it? -___-;


...'little apple' O_o?

[mogumogu.livejournal.com]

Well, the creative genius of Hetalia is coming up with a clever way to tackle something so morbid and put faces on a generally faceless history.


Yeah! Manzanita! Little apple, right?
(Oooh, it's a place... and a tree)

[ca-manzanita.livejournal.com]

Ah, yes the plant! I'm also bit into plants and the manzanita is one of my favorites. I've never actually heard of it being called 'little apple'... Interesting!! :D

[tamabonotchi.livejournal.com]

It's some sort of headcanon of mine to think that Germany, knowing the health concerns of smoking, still does it from time to time.
Lovely fanart!

[ca-manzanita.livejournal.com]

Thank you! :)

The smoking is more or less just a symbolic gesture. But yeah, since Germany holds everything in, I can see him having a quick smoke once in a while.