Dambudziko Rehondo

PAIMPERIAL War Museum muLondon, England, vashanyi vanoshamiswa newachi nechinoverenga nhamba zvakasiyana nezvimwe zvose. Wachi iyi haisi yekuratidza nguva. Chinangwa chayo ndechekubatsira vanhu kunzwisisa ukuru hwechinhu chatonga kwazvo muzana rino remakore—hondo. Chinoratidza nguva chewachi yacho zvachinotenderera, chinoverenga chacho chinowedzera imwe nhamba kuhwerengedzo yacho masekondi 3,31 ega ega. Nhamba imwe neimwe inomirira murume, mukadzi, kana kuti mwana anenge afa nemhaka yehondo muzana rino remakore rechi20.

Chinoverenga chacho chakatanga kushanda muna June 1989. Pakati peusiku musi wa31 December 1999, kuverenga kwacho kuchaguma. Panguva iyoyo chicharatidza mamiriyoni zana, nhamba yekufungidzira ine mwero yevaya vakafira muhondo mumakore 100 apfuura.

Chimbofungidzira—vanhu vanosvika mamiriyoni zana! Vakatowanda nekaviri kupfuura vagari vemuEngland. Asi, nhamba iyoyo hapana zvainoratidza pamusoro pokunetseka nokurwadziwa kwakaita vanhu vacho. Hairondedzeriwo kutambudzika kwakaita vakafirwa nevadiwa vavo—mamiriyoni asingaverengeki avanamai navanababa, ehanzvadzi nehanzvadzi, echirikadzi nenherera. Zvatinoudzwa nenhamba iyoyo ndeizvi: Redu rave riri zana remakore rinoparadza kwazvo kupfuura nokure mamwe ose munhau yevanhu; utsinye hwaro hauenzaniswi.

Nhau yezana remakore rechi20 inoratidzawo kuti vanhu vasvika papi muunyanzvi hwekuuraya. Munhau yose kugadzirwa kwezvombo zvitsva kwakaitwa zvishoma nezvishoma kutozosvikira muzana remakore rechi 20, umo makagadzirwa zvombo zvakawanda. Hondo yenyika yokutanga payakatanga muna 1914, varwi vemuEurope vaibatanidza varume vakanga vakatasva mabhiza, vakapakatira mapfumo. Nhasi, zvichibatsirwa nemichina inotenderera muchadenga ichitora mashoko nemifananidzo ichibetserwa nemakombiyuta, zvombo zvinokandwa zvinogona kuparira rufu chero kunzvimbo ipi zvayo yenyika, zvichienda zvinoshamisa pari kudiwa chaipo. Mumakore ose ari pakati apa mave mune kuvandudzika nekuwedzera kweunyanzvi hwekugadzirwa kwepfuti, motokari dzehondo, ngarava dzinofamba nepasi pemvura, ndege dzehondo, zvombo zvinouraya zvinhu zvipenyu nezvemakemikoro uye, zvechokwadi, “bhomba.”

Zvinoshamisa kuti, vanhu vave nyanzvi mune zvehondo uye kuti hondo zvino wava mutambo uyo vanhu vasingachagoni kutamba. Kungofanana nengano yaFrankenstein, inotaura nezvechikara chinotyisa chakauraya mugadziri wacho, hondo inoisa pangozi upenyu hwevanoisimudzira. Chikara chinotyisa ichi chinogona kudzorwa kana kubviswa here? Nyaya dzinotevera dzichaongorora mubvunzo uyu.

[Vakatipa Mifananidzo iri papeji 11]

U.S. National Archives photo

U.S. Coast Guard photo

By Courtesy of the Imperial War Museum