Naval Historywith Dr. Alex

Q&A · 1:56:50-1:59:10

Togo and earlier admirals confronting modern navies

An imagined return of earlier admirals contrasts dissatisfaction with modern fleets and governments with Togo's presumed wish for a larger Japanese fleet.

AdmiralsCounterfactual HistoryGerman NavyJapanese NavyRussian NavyTogo Heihachiro
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Question

How might earlier German, Japanese and Russian admirals react if they appeared today?

Short answer

The German and Russian visitors are imagined objecting strongly to current decisions, while Togo would want a larger Japanese fleet and might object to a shrine devoted to him.

Notes

Earlier German and Russian admirals are imagined reacting angrily to their modern governments and navies, while Togo is expected to accept Japan's fleet but want it enlarged. The Russian admiral's imagined condemnation of his country's fleet leads to a dark joke about punishment for speaking out. Togo's response includes a separate concern about his own commemoration. The suggestion that he would object politely to his shrine rests on a tentative recollection that he did not want to be deified.