To many, war history may not sound like their cup of tea, but to Max Wygal there is nothing more interesting than the influential eras of World War II, Vietnam and the Korean wars. Wygal loves to study the tanks, airplanes and war heros, an interest sparked from his grandfather, who served in the National Guard in the 1950’s.
Wygal’s true passion is WWII, which he feels is not talked about enough and Wygal has made it his life goal to clear any misconceptions. For example, according to the History Channel, the Tiger I tank, used by the Germans, was the most powerful and feared tank, but according to Wygal, the thing broke down a lot and the Allies hardly ever broke a sweat taking it down. Armed with this knowledge, Wygal is considering going into teaching so he can inform others about the fascinating world of military history.
More recently, Wygal is interested in WWI and the Korean war because “Nobody ever talks about them,” but no matter what war, his is talking about, Wygal is interested in tanks, planes and strategies. When asked who he was most inspired by, he didn’t go with the typical answer of a war leader, but instead talked about Franz Stigler, a French pilot who ignored his wartime ideologies get in the way of his humanity. According to Wygal, when Stigler saw a damaged Ally B17 plane, instead of shooting it down, he escorted it across the German sky and back into safety. Wygal finds it incredible that the circumstances didn’t “get in the way of dignity and honor.”
Wygal thinks of WWII as the most influential because by the end of it, the way machinery worked had completely been overturned. Slow, clunky tanks became armoured vehicles, which could easily traverse the landscapes and the political atmosphere had made some drastic shifts.
When asked about the future of war, Wygal says he’s, “Open minded about… military” and that he wants to stay “aware of what's to come.” No matter what, he plans to continue to study the past, to create a better educated future.
Molly Mahoney