TheNobleCannibal t1_iwo2zla wrote
Reply to comment by pupsinpajamas in TIL: WW1 Armistice Day was Nov 11th, fighting was to cease at 11:00 AM. An American solider charged a German machine gun nest with 16 mins left, and died at 10:59 AM. The last soldier to die in WWI. by wats6831
He probably didn't do it because he wanted to.
ratt_man t1_iwo4zad wrote
He wanted to, he had been busted down to private from sargeant a short time prior. Some say he did the suicidial charge to regain his honor
Suddenly, Gunther jumped up and charged the machine guns. His fellow
soldiers shouted for him to stop, as did the Germans. In fact, the
machine gunners stood up and waved, urging him to turn around. Then,
Gunther fired a shot. The Germans had no choice. They fired back in a
five round burst. One bullet struck Gunther in the left temple, and he
fell to the ground. Those who were there swore that the rumbling of
artillery stopped the very moment his body hit the earth.
Jaded_Prompt_15 t1_iwo6nlh wrote
He fought thru WW1...
He was probably legally insane by today's standards and just couldn't imagine life without war.
He might have had CTE from the constant explosions and gunfire.
He might have been trying to get last second revenge for friends who died.
Who knows why he did it, but there are lots of things that could have made it seem like a good idea at the time.
ratt_man t1_iwoci0z wrote
>He fought thru WW1...
no he had only been in europe for 5 months, most of that was spent behind the lines as supply sargeant. Until he got demoted and sent to the trenchs, dont get me wrong in the trenches must of been hell my grandfather spent a week in the trenches during the somme before being wounded. So not calling him out or anything but to say he fought through WW1 is not true
minkju t1_iwodnc1 wrote
US soldiers who fought in the war were there for a couple months to maybe around a year. He definitely could imagine life without war.
swanqueen109 t1_iwowfm9 wrote
5 months in that trench hell are enough to become insane.
minkju t1_iwpr8y4 wrote
Oh for sure, all it takes is just one horrible day to change your life. He got sent to the trenches at the very end after working supply lines. My point was that the original commenter made it seem like everyone who was a World War One vet came out like some totally changed person who saw nothing but non stop trench warfare, when that really wasn’t the case at all
swanqueen109 t1_iwqx2fs wrote
👍🏼
TheNobleCannibal t1_iwo5wox wrote
Yeah I read it he had a death wish
Unsettleingpresence t1_iwoore4 wrote
He went against orders to stand down. The Germans tried to wave him off but he kept going so they shot him. He did what he did specifically because he wanted to, despite his superiors telling him not to.
deegeese t1_iwo3wfg wrote
I bet if he really wanted to, he coulda found a way to procrastinate for 16 minutes.
TheNobleCannibal t1_iwo4c8f wrote
Cowardice in the face if the enemy was punishable by death during ww1. So it was either a small chance of survival in the charge or no chance by being shot by your own officer.
pupsinpajamas t1_iwo4mk2 wrote
Nobody ordered him to do it. Maybe read the article?
ivanthemute t1_iwo4x4w wrote
Not just that, but his unit was given orders to stand fast, don't advance, don't retreat, repel any attacks but don't attack further.
He disobeyed a legal order and could have caught a court martial (NJP didn't exist back then) had he survived.
TheNobleCannibal t1_iwo5m91 wrote
So the man had a death wish
SteakHoagie666 t1_iwo9hnj wrote
Always love the reddit historians who try to teach us a lesson without even reading the fucking article. The Germans who killed him even waved at him to stop. His unit was told not to advance. His unit tried to stop him. He just did it.
deegeese t1_iwo50ay wrote
So if someone ordered you to charge a machine gun nest 16 minutes before armistice, you seriously wouldn’t be able to think of an excuse?
dougaderly t1_iwob9et wrote
Fuck I can tie my shoes for twenty minutes if it means not charging a machine gun nest
deegeese t1_iwobfna wrote
That’s the spirit!
TheNobleCannibal t1_iwo5tuj wrote
No I would have kept fighting like everyone else.
deegeese t1_iwoaykd wrote
Cool, cool.
Personally I’d rather go on living.
TheNobleCannibal t1_iwoklp3 wrote
Unless your co puts one 8n the back of your head for cowardice
deegeese t1_iwolt0y wrote
Did you even read the article?
TheNobleCannibal t1_iwom0fy wrote
Yes but we're being hypothetical
Ryjinn t1_iwoie8f wrote
But everyone else wasn't fighting lol
TheNobleCannibal t1_iwokjcu wrote
Alot of units still were
Ryjinn t1_iwom4bw wrote
His wasn't. Nor were the Germans across the line.
TheNobleCannibal t1_iwom894 wrote
He was
Ryjinn t1_iwomcak wrote
Yeah. The only one. Against orders.
5-dig-dick t1_iwo8q8f wrote
Same honestly
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