As they say, forewarned is forearmed. "Forewarned is forearmed. Asia and Middle East

01/08/2014 at 18:45

From the Middle Ages until about the middle of the 20th century, Latin occupied a central place in the educational process in the West. Latin grammar, along with logic and rhetoric, was part of the trivium - the system of humanities in the Middle Ages. The Latin language was rightfully considered the gateway to the world of reason and thoughts, because the lion's share of scientific, religious, legal and philosophical literature up to the 16th century was written in it. Latin was simply necessary for immersion in the classical and humanities.

Secondary schools in Europe and in England in particular were at that time exclusively Latin. The first public school in America, founded by the Puritans, was also Latin. But starting from the 14th century, writers began to use their native language in their works, which gradually led to the decline in the importance of Latin in the field of education. This trend in English-language education increased markedly in the 19th century. Schools began to actively remove the influence of the clergy and focused on producing future businessmen who would become responsible for the industrialization of the economy. The emphasis in favor of the humanities gradually gave way to what came to be considered more practical in the teaching of reading, writing and arithmetic. As a result, in the 20th century Latin remained essentially only the language of the Catholic Church.

Even though Latin is no longer a requirement, it is still an excellent subject to study. Even if you are not particularly inclined towards self-learning, there are many reasons why you should still have at least basic knowledge of the Latin language:

Knowing Latin will help you expand your vocabulary in other languages. The English language, which is part of the Germanic branch of the Indo-European language family, has a lot of borrowings from Latin. Most of the prefixes and some of the roots of the most frequently used English words migrated into the English language from it. By some estimates, about 30% of all English words were borrowed from this ancient language. If, for example, you come across a new English word that you have never seen before, but at the same time you know the meaning of the same root Latin word, then you can guess with fairly high accuracy what it means. Similar to English, most Romance languages, particularly Spanish, French and Italian, grew out of so-called Vernacular Latin (also known as “Vulgar Latin”), which was essentially a colloquial variety of Latin. When studying them, you will be pleasantly surprised by the impressive number of words in these languages that have their direct Latin analogues.

Many legal terms and phrases are borrowed from Latin. Nolo contendere. Malum prohibitum. Caveat emptor. Do you know what this means? These are all fairly common legal terms. Old Latin expressions in the original are still ubiquitous in various legal documents around the world. If you are going to pursue a law degree, this is definitely something you should pay special attention to. And in general, it will never be superfluous for any educated person to know what such terms mean.

Knowledge of Latin contributes to a deeper understanding of history and literature. Latin has been what is called the lingua franca (language of interethnic communication) for people in the Western world for over a thousand years. Consequently, most historical and scientific documents, philosophical works and literary works were first written in Latin. Reading the classics in the original language will give you a much more accurate understanding of the things described.

Below is a list of Latin words and expressions to help spark your interest in learning this classic language. This list is not complete or exhaustive in any way. It mainly consists of the most common Latin words and expressions that you can still encounter today, and which will be useful to know to improve your literacy and speech culture. The list also includes some life sayings, aphorisms and maxims that can inspire or remind you of important truths. You may even find a phrase here that you want to make your personal motto.

List of Latin words and expressions

a posteriori- “based on experience”, “based on experience”, “from experience”, “from experience” (knowledge gained from experience)
a priori- “before and outside of any experience”, “in advance”, “knowingly”, “explicitly”, “indisputably”, “initially”, “independent of experience” (knowledge acquired before experience and independently of it, i.e. knowledge , as if known in advance)
acta non verba- “deeds are not words”
actus non facit reum nisi mens sit rea- “action does not make one guilty if thought is not guilty”
ad hoc- “to this”, “for this case”, “for this purpose” (used to indicate a solution intended for a specific problem or task and not intended for any generalization or adaptation for other purposes)
ad hominem- “to a person”, “in relation to a person” (an argument based on the personality of the opponent, and not on the essence of the discussion, objective facts and logical reasoning)
ad honorem- “out of honor” (“free of charge”)
ad infinitum- “to infinity”, “without end”
ad nauseam- “to the point of nausea” (talking about discussions that have already tired the participants with their duration)
ad victoriam- "to victory"
alea iacta est- “the die is cast”
alias- “another time”, “on another occasion”, “otherwise”, “in other words”, “in other words”
alibi- "in the other place"
alma mater- “mother-nurse” (used in the meaning of “higher school that gave spiritual food to the student”)
alter ego- “other me” (real or imagined alternative personality of a person)
amor patriae- "love to motherland"
amor vincit omnia- “love conquers all”
annuit c?ptis- “our endeavors are blessed”
ante bellum- “before the war”, “before the war”
ante meridiem- "before noon"
aqua vitae- “water of life”
arte et marte- “art and war”
astra inclinant, non necessitant- “the stars incline, but do not force”
audemus jura nostra defendere- “we defend our rights”
audere est facere- “to decide means to do”
aurea mediocritas- “golden mean” (ironic about the merits of average quality, about mediocrity)
auribus teneo lupum- “hold the wolf by the ears” (to be in a hopeless situation, “between two fires”)
aut cum scuto aut in scuto- “either with a shield, or on a shield”
aut neca aut necare- “kill or be killed”
aut viam inveniam aut faciam- “either I’ll find the road, or I’ll pave it myself”
barba non facit philosophum- “a beard does not make a philosopher”
bellum omnium contra omnes- “war of all against all”
bene vincit, qui se vincit in victoria- “He who rules over himself wins twice”
bis dat qui cito dat- “he who gives quickly gives twice”, “a quick gift is doubly valuable”
bona fide- “in good faith”, “sincerely”, “simple-heartedly”, “trustingly”, “out of good faith”, “without any intent”
carpe diem- “seize the day”, “seize the moment”
caveat emptor- “quality at the buyer’s risk”
circa- “approximately”, “approximately”, “about”
citius, altius, forties- “faster, higher, stronger” (the motto of the Olympic Games)
cogito ergo sum- “I think, therefore I exist”, “I think, therefore I exist”
consuetudinis magna vis est- “great is the power of habit”
contemptus mundi- "contempt for the world"
corruptissima re publica plurimae leges- “the worse the state, the more laws it has”
creatio ex nihilo- “creation from nothing”
cura te ipsum- “heal yourself”
curriculum vitae- "biography"
de facto- “in fact”, “in fact”
de jure- “legally”, “by right”, “formally”
deus ex machina- “God from the machine” (deliberate denouement of a particular situation, involving an external factor that was not previously active in it)
dictum factum- "no sooner said than done"
disce quasi semper victurus; vive quasi cras moriturus- “study as if you are going to live forever; live as if you were going to die tomorrow"
docendo discimus- “by teaching, we learn”, “by teaching, we ourselves learn”
ductus exemplo- "lead by example"
ducunt volentem fata, nolentem trahunt- “fate leads those who want, but drags those who don’t want”
dulce bellum inexpertis- “war is sweet to those who have not fought”
dulce et decorum est pro patria mori- “it is pleasant and honorable to die for one’s homeland”, “it is happy and noble to die for one’s homeland”
dulcius ex asperis- “life is sweeter from the trials passed”
e pluribus unum- “out of many - one”, “single of many”
emeritus- “honorable”, “deserved”, “retired”
ergo- “as a result of this”, “therefore”, “and therefore”, “therefore”, “therefore”
et alia- "And so on and so forth"
et cetera- “and so on”, “and so on”, “and the like”
et tu, Brute?- "and you Brute?" (according to legend, the last words of Julius Caesar addressed to his murderer - Marcus Junius Brutus)
ex animo- “from the heart”, “sincerely”
ex libris- “from books”, “ex libris” (book sign identifying the owner of the book)
ex nihilo nihil fit- “nothing comes from nothing”, “nothing comes from nothing”
ex post facto- “after the fact”, “after the event”, “retroactive action”
faber est suae quisque fortunae- “everyone is the smith of his own destiny”
fac fideli sis fidelis- “be faithful to those who are faithful”
fac simile- “do something like this”
fortes fortuna adiuvat- “fate helps the brave”
fortis in arduis- “courageous in difficulties”
habeas corpus- “shall have a body”, “let you have a body”, “let you have immunity” (an ancient concept of English law that guaranteed personal freedom)
historia est magistra vitae- “history is the teacher of life”
hoc est bellum- “this is war”
homo unius libri- "writer of one book"
honor est praemium virtutis- “honor is a reward for valor”
hostis humani generis- "enemy of the human race"
humilitas occidit superbiam- “Humility kills pride”
igne natura renovatur integra- “by fire all nature is renewed”
ignis aurum probat- “fire tests gold, misfortune tests strong people”
in absentia- "in the absence of"
in flagrante delicto- "in the act of crime" (a legal term meaning that the offender was caught in the act of committing a crime)
in memoriam- “in memory”
in omnia paratus- “ready for anything”
in situ- “on site”, “in stock”, “at location”
in toto- "generally"
in umbra, igitur, pugnabimus- “that means we will fight in the shadows” (the answer of the king of Sparta Leonidas to the threat of the Persian king to darken the sun with clouds of arrows)
in utero- “in the womb”
in vino veritas, in aqua sanitas- “truth is in wine, health is in water”
in vitro- “in glass” (technology for performing experiments, when experiments are carried out “in vitro” - outside a living organism)
intelligenti pauca- “for those who understand, a little is enough”
invicta- “invincible”, “indomitable”, “unconquered”
invictus maneo- “I remain undefeated”
ipso facto- “by virtue of the fact itself”, “by virtue of obviousness”, “by the fact itself”, “thus”
labor omnia vincit- “work conquers everything”
lex parsimoniae- “law of economy” (underlies the principle of “Occam’s razor”)
lex talionis- “the principle of talion”, “the law of retribution” (the principle of sentencing for a crime, according to which the punishment must reproduce the harm caused by the crime)
magna cum laude- “with great honor”
magnum opus- “the main work of life”
mala fide- “dishonestly”, “unconscionably”
malum in se- “an act that is criminal in nature”
malum prohibitum- “an act that is criminal due to prohibition by law”
mea sculpture- "my fault"
memento mori- "memento Mori"
memento vivere- “remember life”
modus operandi- “mode of action”, “model of behavior”, “mode of action”
morior invictus- “I will die undefeated”
morituri te salutant- “those going to death salute you” (greeting to the emperor from gladiators going to the arena)
morte magis metuenda senectus- “one should fear old age more than death”
mulgere hircum- "milk the goat"
multa paucis- “a lot in a few words”, “a lot in a little”, “short and clear”
nanos gigantum humeris insidentes- “dwarfs standing on the shoulders of giants” (according to Bernard of Chartres, who commented on the works of Plato: “We are like dwarfs sitting on the shoulders of giants, and therefore we can see more and further than the ancients.” 500 years later in a letter to Robert Hooke Isaac Newton repeated them in his own way: “If I have seen further than others, it is because I have stood on the shoulders of giants”)
nec aspera terrent- “difficulties are not scary”
nec temere nec timide- “not with reckless courage, but also without timidity”
nil volentibus arduum- “there are no barriers to those who strive”
nolo contendere- “no objection” (a statement by the defendant in court, with the help of which he refuses to challenge the charge, but does not admit his guilt)
non ducor, duco- “not a follower, a leader”
non loqui sed facere- “don’t say it, but do it”
non progredi est regredi- “not to go forward means to go backward”
non scholae, sed vitae discimus- “we study not for school, for life”
non sequitur- “should not” (a conclusion that does not correspond to the premises; an illogical conclusion)
non sum qualis eram- “I’m not the same as I was”
nosce ipsum- "Know yourself"
novus ordo seclorum- “order of the new century”
nulla tenaci invia est via- “the one who walks will master the road”
obliti privatorum, publica curate- “leave private concerns, serve society”
panem et circenses- "Meal'n'Real"
pater familias- “father of the family”, “head of the family”, “head of the house”
pecunia est ancilla, si scis uti, si nescis domina- “money serves you if you know how to use it, but if you don’t know how, it dominates you”
perpetuum mobile- “perpetual motion machine”
per aspera ad astra- "Through hardship to the stars"
per annum- “annually”
per capita- “per capita”, “per person”
per diem- “per day”, “per day”
per se- “in itself”, “essentially”
persona non grata- “undesirable person”
pollice verso- “the thumb is turned down” (a sign of spectators demanding the death of the gladiator)
post meridiem- "afternoon"
post mortem- “after death”, “posthumous”
post scriptum- “after written” (a postscript to a completed and signed letter, usually denoted by the Latin abbreviation “P.S.”)
praemonitus praemonitus- "forewarned is forearmed"
primus inter pares- “first among equals” (denotes the most senior person in a group of people having the same position or the same status)
pro bono publico- “for the sake of the public good”
pro rata- “proportionally”, “in accordance”
quasi- “as if”, “as if”, “imaginary”, “imaginary”
Qui totum vult, totum perdit- “he who wants everything loses everything”
Quid agis?- “how are you?”, “how are you?”
quid pro quo- “one thing instead of another”, “then for that” (a phraseological unit usually used in English in the meaning of “quid pro quo”)
quidquid latine dictum sit, altum sonatur- “anything said in Latin sounds like wisdom”
quis custodiet ipsos custodes?- “Who will guard the watchmen themselves?” (used to describe a situation when people assigned to protect certain laws and rules themselves violate them and steal property that they should protect from thieves)
quomodo fabula, sic vita; non quam diu, sed quam bene acta sit refert- “life is like a play in the theater; It’s not how long it lasts that matters, but how well it’s played.”
requiescat in pace- “may he rest in peace”, “may he rest in peace”, “peace be upon your ashes”
scientia potentia est- "knowledge is power"
semper anticus- "always forward"
semper fidelis- "always true"
semper paratus- “always tog”
si vales, bene est, ego quidem valeo- “if you are healthy, good, I’m healthy too”
si vis pacem, para bellum- “if you want peace, prepare for war”
sic parvis magna- “great things begin with small things”
sic semper tyrannis- “it’s always like this with tyrants”
sic vita truditur- "that is life"
solvitur ambulando- “escape by walking”
spero meliora- "hoping for the best"
statim- “immediately”, “immediately”
status quo- “the position in which”; "the status quo"
subpoena- “under threat of fine”
summa cum laude- “with the greatest honor”
summum bonum- "highest good"
suum cuique- "to each his own"
tabula rasa- “cleaned tablet”, “clean sheet”, “blank slate” (used to denote the epistemological thesis that a separate human individual is born without innate or built-in mental content, that is, clean, his resource of knowledge is completely built from experience and sensory perception outside world)
tempus edax rerum- “time destroys everything”
tempus fugit- “time flies”, “time flies”
terra incognita- "uncharted land"
vae victis- “woe to the vanquished” (implies that the conditions are always dictated by the victors, and the vanquished must be prepared for any tragic turn of events)
vanitas vanitatum et omnia vanitas- “vanity of vanities, everything is vanity” (used to describe something small, insignificant, without true value)
veni, vidi, vici- “I came, I saw, I conquered” (the words with which, as Plutarch reports in his “Authorities of Kings and Generals,” Julius Caesar in 47 BC notified his friend Amintius in Rome about the victory he quickly won at Zela over Pharnaces, son of Mithridates)
verbatim- “verbatim”
versus- “against”, “in comparison with”, “depending on”, “in relation to”, “towards”
veto- “I forbid”
vice versa- “in the opposite way”; "on the contrary", "on the other side"
vince in bono malum- “conquer evil with good”
vincit qui paitur- "Patience prevails"
vir prudens non contra ventum mingit- “a wise husband does not urinate against the wind”
viriliter agite- “take courage”, “be courageous”
vivere est vincere- “to live means to win”
vivere militare est- "live means fight"
vox populi- “voice of the people”

“I am a physician”, “I am a doctor, I know everything...”, this was usually stated by people who did not want to take information material against vaccination, which was distributed by participants of the Russian Social Movement” at a picket held in Novodvinsk on November 6, 2010 shopping center "Olympus".

The purpose of the picket was to inform the population about the dangers of vaccination, about the use of vaccines as a weapon of genocide of our people, about the right of citizens to refuse vaccinations for themselves and their children, enshrined in the Federal Law of the Russian Federation “On immunoprophylaxis of infectious diseases” No. 157-FZ FROM September 17, 1998.

The law was adopted twelve years ago, but how many citizens, and especially young parents, know about its existence? Why are those who, by the nature of their professional activities, must adhere to the basic principle of “do no harm,” try to hide from us the whole truth about the consequences, remain silent about our rights to refuse vaccinations, and, on the contrary, exert pressure in every possible way, using intimidation of parents, unlawful refusal of admission to preschool institutions; they are not allowed to work.

At the moment, doctors are not interested in the patient’s recovery; their payment depends on the number of patients and the number of vaccinated people. Therefore, vaccination, which undermines a person’s immunity, making him sensitive to all negative environmental factors, plays into the hands of medical officials, doctors and drug manufacturers. How else can we explain their indifference and persistent pressure on people? However, no doctor guarantees the safety of vaccinations!

Only a few thinking, decent, honest doctors sound the alarm and publicly declare that the population of the country It’s not just sick, it’s dying! That Russia has turned into a dumping ground for low-quality medicines, especially imported ones, and has become a testing ground for imported vaccines on our children. Why are other doctors' consciences silent? Or maybe it’s their ignorance that makes them stupidly follow orders and instructions from above?

Galina Chervonskaya, a professor of virology, explains the situation this way:

“...In Russia, immunoprophylaxis of infectious diseases continues to be carried out “from above” - epidemiologists and health doctors who have absolutely no understanding of immunology. But they are entrusted with completely different responsibilities... “From below”, district pediatricians are responsible for coverage with “economic incentives”, who, as the practice of communicating with them over the past 15 years shows, are completely unfamiliar with the immunological aspects of infectious diseases and have no connection infectious diseases, like vaccinology, with the immune system. Their idea is very primitive and absolutely specific: to carry out the order to cover - and that’s all they believe is required of them. But if a pediatrician who interferes with the immune system were certified in immunology, I am sure that not a single pediatrician or medical doctor would have passed such certification...”(Young Guard magazine)

So what prevents our doctors from looking at the truth, studying the problems of immunoprophylaxis from all sides and changing the situation? Fear that disobeying orders will result in dismissal from your job? How can you calmly look into the eyes of mothers whose children have become disabled as a result of thoughtless obedience to orders? Have they wondered why vaccinations such as BCG against tuberculosis and the polio vaccine, banned in European countries due to the fact that they are proven dangerous and useless, are administered to our children repeatedly up to a year?

Most doctors are women, mothers. Do they really have the same indifferent attitude towards their own children, or do they find a lot of reasons to avoid vaccinations?

Everyone is personally responsible for any action. Everyone must personally decide which side of the barricade to take. Before dismissing the information offered at the picket, medical workers should think about whose interests they are working for, who benefits from mass vaccination, which provides a wide testing ground for real bacteriological weapons on us and our children, and think about who is behind the project of universal vaccination “ Children's Vaccination Initiative," who funds the production of vaccines.

Our enemies are enriching themselves with taxpayers' money - the international pharmaceutical mafia (Rockefeller Foundation, World Bank, WHO, UN Children's Fund - UNICEF is involved), bribing medical officials in our country, ensuring the state order for vaccines, making huge profits, both from vaccines, and from the sale of drugs to treat complications after vaccinations.

Even former vaccine creators repent of their actions. When asked why vaccines are needed, Dr. Mark Randol (the pseudonym of a former vaccine creator) replied: “At the highest levels of the medical cartel, they are valued because they weaken the immune system. I know this is hard to believe, but it's true. They do not want to help people, but only to harm, weaken, kill them... The cartel operates in every country. He jealously guards the “sanctity” of vaccinations. And the proof of the effectiveness and safety of vaccinations is entrusted to the very people who produce and sell them... People are harmed. It is tangible, it can lead to death..."

To the question: “Can you give at least one argument in favor of vaccinations?” Answer: “There is none. I would never vaccinate my child…»

Ignorance, fear, indifference – this is what we encountered during the picket. Medical workers ran past without entering into discussions, and young mothers with strollers asked the eternal question: “What should I do? How can we resist the pressure of doctors, because we trust them?”

Even a mature person sometimes finds it very difficult to make any decision without referring to authorities, so the situation of young women who need to take responsibility for their child, overcoming the pressure of health workers, is understandable. This requires courage, knowledge, complete confidence in one’s rightness, and the support of loved ones.

The picket participants, without any doubt about the correctness of their actions, driven by pain and responsibility for the fate of their people, distributed information in the hope that people would wake up and think. The words of gratitude from passing people who do not get vaccinated, realizing their uselessness, were like a balm for the soul. But for many people our slogans and leaflets caused sincere surprise; for the first time they learned that they can refuse vaccinations and that mass vaccination brings nothing but harm.

Should we be surprised at the gullibility and naivety of our people? They were not taught anything by the swine flu scam, which was recognized by , and which lined the pockets of swindlers with billions of dollars. And no one was called to account! You have to be blind and deaf to once again succumb to the provocations of pharmaceutical businessmen! It's time to understand that It's not the flu that's dangerous, it's the vaccine itself, which is produced in the same laboratories from which bird, pig and other infections are released into the wild.

With what triumph, statements are flowing from all the media that medicine is ready to meet the long-awaited next, annual flu, no matter what. They already have syringes ready with, no matter what kind of flu, probably left over from the previous vaccination, why should the “good” go to waste. Anyway, no one will ask for a quality certificate, or ask unnecessary questions about the contents of vaccines, the consequences of vaccination, not to mention examining the vaccinated person before and after. This is a silent herd!

No matter how hard they lure you, our doctors will go to any lengths to carry out the vaccination plan! It was on this same cold autumn day, November 6, that doctors carried out "Health Day" at a central department store where every customer was offered a free vaccination against the much-anticipated seasonal flu as a gift.

What kind of compliance with the Law on Immunoprophylaxis can we talk about when people voluntarily surrendered to the joy of our doctors and the vaccine manufacturers standing behind them, rubbing their hands with satisfaction. Based on the results of the action, the figure was solemnly announced: in a city of strategic importance 67% of the population had a weakened immune system. We can only regret that we were not there with posters in the city of shipbuilders that day.

So when will people see the light and learn to distinguish truth from falsehood?

Usually, the main argument in favor is the fact that there were no consequences, except for high fever after vaccination and a mild illness. But it’s possible not to get sick at all if you don’t get vaccinated. And the fact that there were no consequences, we must thank our still strong immunity, which coped with the foreign protein. What if the immune system is weakened by the attacks of numerous vaccinations to which our children are exposed from infancy?!

Each child’s body is individual, differently susceptible to one or another, but this is not studied, no one is engaged in immunodiagnosis. The “livestock” system is not a fight against pathogens of infectious diseases, but a fight against human nature. Each vaccine forces the immune system to work beyond normal, but the “norm” is different for everyone. And when the body cannot withstand the attack and trouble happens, then doctors, at best, admit that this is a post-vaccination complication, and then you you are left alone with your problems.

This is exactly what happened to a young woman who called after the picket and told her story. The child was simultaneously vaccinated against rubella, measles and mumps, and as a result, at the age of one and a half, the little man became disabled. Mom was forced to quit her job, she practically lives on a disability pension, they turn to various funds, because... There are not enough funds even for constant monitoring of a sick child. But even the disease did not stop the doctors, who were zealously carrying out the vaccination plan, from offering vaccination against polio, arguing that for an organism that has experienced the effect of a live vaccine, this vaccine is a trifle...

There are many such stories. They don’t report on them, they try to keep quiet. For medical officials, it is not the children themselves who are important, but their programs, methods, and vaccination schedules. Instead of formal responsibility of doctors to their superiors, it is necessary to introduce real responsibility to children and their parents for their activities.

But the passivity and indifference of parents regarding the health of their children is unforgivable. Every parent is responsible for the life, health and future of their child! You cannot trust blindly, you need to know your rights and resolutely defend them; cowardice can cost a child dearly. We need to reinforce our confidence in refusing vaccinations with the positive experience of parents who have taken responsibility for the health of their children, described and posted on various sites on the Internet. The main thing is to make every effort to strengthen your own and your children’s immunity.

Nowadays we need to be very vigilant in matters of health. There is an undeclared war against the Russian people. There are a lot of lies imposed on us, they flow abundantly from the media. Those who pay and call the tune have no concept of conscience. We must learn to see, distinguish between these lies and resist them. Even in an animal, the instinct of self-preservation is triggered, and in a person, the mind must also be activated. Scientific expert on vaccination issues, Doctor of Medical Sciences Galina Borisovna Kirilicheva warns:

“...Vaccination is not only a medical problem. The worst thing that can happen is that they can become a means of mass destruction... And, given the massive use of vaccines, it can be argued that vaccines are the optimal means for the complete chipization of the population. And you need to clearly understand that at present, in science, money is allocated mainly to the development of this problem. They are developing nanovaccines containing nanochips. Everyone should know this, and we should not allow this...” (from the report at the Round Table of the People” held in the State Duma of the Russian Federation, June 10, 2010)

Forewarned is forearmed! Everyone makes their own choice, but the fate of the entire nation depends on this choice...

A Latin proverb says: “Forewarned is forearmed” (Praemonitus praemunitus). The meaning of these words is extremely simple: vigilance is never in vain. German submariners paid special attention to vigilance, guided by the rule “Who notices first, wins,” since constant and attentive observation ensures the safety of the submarine and its success in battle. Those who neglected this rule faced a sad fate. The enemy of carelessness did not forgive and severely punished it. One such example was the incident that occurred on October 6, 1944 in the Java Sea, where two submarines - German and Dutch - met.

Dutch swordfish from Great Britain

On October 13, 1942, another British T-class submarine, which was named HMS Talent, was laid down at the John Brown & Company shipyard in Clydebank (Scotland). However, even before its launch, a decision was made to hand it over to the Dutch allies, and on November 23, 1943, the boat was received by the Dutch crew at the shipyard. The new submarine was named "Zwardvis" (Dutch Zwaardvisch - "swordfish"), and its first commander was Lieutenant Ter See 1st Class Hendrikus Abraham Waldemar Goossens. He was an experienced submariner and managed to make several trips in the Norwegian Sea on his previous boat O 14 - although without any success.

Reception of the submarine "Zvardvis" by the Dutch crew

Testing of the new boat and training of its crew lasted until the end of February 1944. After this, Zvardvis made two short trips to the Norwegian Sea to prevent the passage of German submarines to France and the battleship Tirpitz to Germany. After completing these cruises, the submarine underwent scheduled repairs and began preparations for the transition to the Far East. On May 16, 1944, Zwardvis left the submarine base in Holy Loch (Scotland) and after two and a half months of passage, on July 29, she arrived at the Trincomalee base on the island of Ceylon, having previously visited Malta, Port Said, Aden and Colombo.

On her third combat campaign, Zvardvis left Trincomalee on August 6, 1944. According to the order received, she was to act against enemy shipping off the Nicobar Islands and at the entrance to the Strait of Malacca, and then go to the Fremantle base, located on the west coast of Australia. During the campaign, Gossens managed to inflict several injections on coastal shipping in the indicated area, sinking several junks and small sailing boats with a deck gun. On September 7, Zvardvis completed this trip in Fremantle, where she docked for repairs.

On September 26, Gossens took his boat out to sea again. This time he received orders to operate in the Java Sea. On October 4, Zvardvis fired on and sank a small Japanese tanker, which Gossens estimated at 500–700 tons. In his entire career, the Zvardvis commander had yet to achieve success in using torpedoes, even when he commanded the previous boat. However, fate had already prepared such a chance for him.

Submarine cruiser U 168

Almost at the same time when the construction of the Talent began in Scotland, namely on September 10, 1942, the shipyard of the DeSchiMAG concern (German: DeSchiMAG - Deutsche Schiff- und Maschinenbau Aktiengesellschaft) in Bremen delivered another submarine of the IXC type to the German fleet. 40. Lieutenant Commander Helmut Pich was appointed commander of the new boat, which received the number U 168 when it was laid down. The first six months of the boat's service were spent in the Baltic in testing and combat training, which were completed in early March 1943. The submarine and crew were declared ready for the first combat campaign.

On March 9, 1943, U 168 left Kiel to make the passage to France, but along the way she was involved in a convoy hunt. During this time, U 168 was alternately part of five “wolf packs”, taking part in attempts to attack seven allied convoys, including ONS-5, the battle with which is considered the end of the successful operations of German submarines in the North Atlantic.

The deckhouse of the submarine U 168, on which its emblem is visible - a shield with an image of a cup and three dice

On the night of April 11–12, during an attack on convoy HX-232, Pikh fired six torpedoes and chalked up one sunken ship worth 5,000 GRT. According to British researcher Kenneth Wynne, he can claim damage to the British ship Fresno City, which was later finished off by another boat. The German historian Jürgen Rohwer put forward another candidate for this victory - U 563 of Captain-Lieutenant Götz von Hartmann, which attacked the convoy a little later than U 168.

Piech completed his voyage on May 18, bringing his submarine, damaged by depth charges, to Lorient. U 168, which had been at sea for 71 days, needed repairs and was docked. While she was there, an event occurred that influenced her future fate.

Following the submarine warfare crisis in the North Atlantic in May 1943, Admiral Dönitz decided to agree to repeated Japanese offers to provide bases for German submarines in Malaysia. This decision was consistent with his strategy of attacking weakly defended enemy shipping areas. By that time, the Indian Ocean remained the only area where shipping was still in a state close to peacetime, and the convoy system had not been introduced everywhere.

Photo of a gala dinner given by the Japanese in honor of the crew of the German submarine U 511, which was transferred by the Germans from Europe to Japan and donated to the Japanese fleet. In the photo, German and Japanese sailors are sitting at tables under the flags of Imperial Japan and the Navy of the Third Reich. The photo was taken in the summer of 1943 at the naval base in Penang, where U 511 visited on the way from France to Japan

Necessary preparations were made to reinforce the German submarine cruisers still operating on both sides of the Cape of Good Hope and to send a new group of IX submarines to attack shipping in the Arabian Sea. The operation was planned to be carried out before the end of September 1943 after the end of the summer monsoon period, so this group of “nines” was called “Monsoon”. The group's boats were supposed to leave France no later than July and, after completing the operation, arrive in Penang, where they were based with the consent of the Japanese.

U 168 went to sea on July 3, becoming one of 11 submarines of the Monsoon group. According to the plan, the group was supposed to refuel at sea from one “cash cow” south of the Azores, but the underwater tanker U 487 did not arrive at the rendezvous point. On July 13, it was sunk by American aircraft - as were five boats from the group, which were also sunk on the way to the meeting place.

To get out of this situation, the headquarters of the submarine forces ordered one of the boats to transfer fuel to the other two, and itself to return to France. The three remaining boats, including U 168, were ordered to refuel with U 155, which was not part of the group. Thus, the Monsoon group was reduced to five boats, but all of them passed the Cape of Good Hope and entered the Indian Ocean, where the German tankers located there were supposed to provide them with fuel.

The explosion of a depth charge (left) - and a greasy stain of diesel fuel spreads across the surface of the ocean (right). With the death of the “cash cow” U 487 on July 13, the chances of success of the Monsoon group of boats dropped significantly. Photo taken from the American Avenger

Having reached the place, the boats of the Monsoon group began individual actions. U 168 took a position in the Bombay area, where on October 2 Piech sent the British ship Haiching to the bottom and sank six small fishing sailboats with artillery. On November 11, U 168 arrived in Penang, completing its second campaign, which lasted 132 days.

The base in Penang, due to the limited capabilities of the local shipyard, could receive no more than five submarines. The boats of the Monsoon group also needed torpedoes, which were not available at the base. Therefore, it was decided to load the submarines with strategic materials (tungsten, opium, quinine, etc.) and send them on a “hunt” to shipping areas in the Indian Ocean, after which they were to leave for France. However, of the remaining four submarines (the fifth died in the fall of 1943), only one managed to do this - Lieutenant Commander U 188 Siegfried Lüdden.

Ludden managed to refuel from the tanker Brake before the latter was sunk on March 12 by Allied ships, who knew his whereabouts thanks to their knowledge of Enigma codes. U 532 and U 168, which came to refuel, did not have time to do this and were forced to take on board the crew of the sunken tanker. As a result, U 532, U 183 and U 168 had to remain in Malaysia because they did not have enough fuel to cross to Europe. It is worth noting that in this campaign Pikh managed to distinguish himself by sinking a rescue ship of the British fleet, a Greek merchant ship and torpedoing a Norwegian tanker, which he could not finish off due to the complete consumption of ammunition. On March 24, he brought his boat to Batavia (now Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia).

The Greek steamer Epaminondas C. Embiricos (4385 GRT) became the largest catch on the account of both U 168 and its commander

After these events, U 168 did not go to sea for six months while the problems of providing German submarines with torpedoes and fuel were resolved. During this time, 13 more submarines arrived from Europe to Malaysia. In September 1944, the boats of the Monsoon group entered the new 33rd submarine flotilla, created specifically for Far Eastern submarines.

On October 5, Pih left Batavia to travel to Surabaya. According to the received assignment, he was then supposed to go to the west coast of Australia to act against enemy shipping in those areas. However, as it turned out, fate had a different fate in store for U 168.

Swordfish Attack

Early in the morning of October 6, Zvardvis was in position in the Java Sea between the Karimunjawa Islands and Bawena Island. What happened next is known from the report of the commander of the Dutch submarine about the attack:

“06:41 - submarine spotted, bearing 304°, range 5900 yards. The submarine was identified as an enemy one, heading at 115°, speed 13–15 knots. Pre-volley maneuvering began, the target's speed was determined to be 14 knots.

06:52 - 6 torpedoes fired from 900 yards. 42 seconds after the launch of the first torpedo, an explosion was heard and it was visually noticed that the submarine began to land with its nose in the water. The stern rose above the water, and the submarine sank with a trim of 40° . It completely disappeared from the surface by 06:54.

We approached the sinking site in a submerged position. 6 Europeans were spotted on the surface. The commander decided to capture everyone, but waited 10 minutes to make sure there was no enemy aircraft.

07:03 - Surfaced and approached again. This time, not 6, but more than 20 people were spotted on the water. As a result, 27 were taken on board. It is impossible to keep them all on the boat until the end of the trip. They left three officers as prisoners of war, the rest were transferred to a fishing boat that happened to be nearby.”

It is worth noting that in the end, Zvardvis took two more Germans: a wounded German sailor and a boat doctor to care for him. Therefore, the total number of Germans on board was five, and 22 remained with the fishermen.

Submarine "Zvardvis", post-war photo

Meanwhile, there was an active exchange of messages between Berlin and Tokyo. The headquarters of the submarine forces was concerned about U 168's failure to communicate, but soon details of her disappearance came, which were recorded in the combat log of the commander of the submarine forces on October 11:

“The following additional details of the death of U 168 were received:

At 08:00 October 6 (Tokyo time) torpedoed by the Dutch submarine Zwardwis 10 miles east of Mandelik. A torpedo hit in the area of the senior officers' living quarters. It sank quickly. The submarine lay on the bottom at a depth of 45 meters. All survivors were first taken aboard the enemy submarine. After this, 10 foremen and 12 privates were landed on a fishing boat.

Captured: the commander, the first watch officer, a doctor, a mechanical engineer and a foreman, who was seriously wounded.”

The details of the death of U 168 from the German side were preserved thanks to the report of the interrogation of four German submariners, including the commander of the boat, Helmut Piech, who were delivered by Zwardvis to Fremantle. This interesting document reveals the reasons for Pikh's loss of his boat (translation by E. Skibinsky):

« U 168 was en route from Batavia to Surabaya, presumably for operations off the west coast of Australia. Despite the fact that the Dutch submarine performed pre-salvo maneuvering for 11 minutes, the commanderU 168 admitted that he did not take any precautions. It is impossible to establish whether the cause was a malfunction of the German direction finder (according to the testimony of a mechanical engineer, the device did not operate at speeds above 12 knots), or whether the cause was negligence and inattention. The commander of the Dutch submarine informed them that he had fired a 6-torpedo salvo. One torpedo hit the bow torpedo compartment and exploded, the second pierced the pressure hull in the area of the central post (hereinafter referred to as the CPU - author's note), but did not explode. A sailor who was on deck at the time stated later that he heard someone screaming a warning a few seconds before the torpedoes hit. The senior mechanic was drinking coffee in the CPU.U 168 was diving nose-first due to flooding of the bow compartments, so the mechanical engineer immediately gave the order to batten down the watertight doors.

U 168 sank slowly and touched bottom at a depth of about 120 feet. At this depth, the air pressure in the CP rose sufficiently to open the conning hatch. The senior mechanic opened the hatch and, together with the commander, doctor and several sailors, floated to the surface in an air bubble. Another officer and a sailor were upstairs at the time of the explosion and also escaped. The Dutch submarine soon surfaced and took on board 27 officers and sailors. An hour later, 22 lower ranks were transferred to a local sailing ship, which probably landed them somewhere in Japanese-occupied territory. Most of the dead sailors were in the bow torpedo compartment, on the deck or on the way to the deck through the conning hatch.”

Based on this, we can conclude that the blame for the death of the boat and half of its crew lies with Helmut Piech, who forgot to be vigilant. The reason for this attitude towards safety measures may be that the commander of U 168 is not in the best condition.

Another post-war photo of “Zvardvis”. The boat was withdrawn from the Dutch fleet in 1962 and scrapped

As you know, Piech and the commander of U 183, Corvette-Captain Heinrich Schäfer, were not in the best moral and physical shape after a long journey from France to Malaysia. As a result, Schaefer was removed from U 183 and was transferred to the transport submarine UIT 23. A month after this assignment, Schaefer was hospitalized with typhus, where he suffered an attack of appendicitis. After the operation, the officer died, as his weakened body could not bear such an ordeal. It can be assumed that Pikh was never able to get in shape during the six months he spent in Malaysia before the last campaign, and he should not have been released into the sea.

Forewarned does not mean forearmed

By 1944, the Java Sea and the Strait of Malacca had lost their relative safety for the Germans due to increased Allied submarine activity. Therefore, the circumstances of the loss of U 168 greatly excited the headquarters of the submarine forces, which already knew about the death of the submarine U 859 under similar circumstances. On September 23, 1944, this submarine cruiser was sunk by the English submarine HMS Trenchant on the voyage to Penang. The surviving part of the crew was able to rise from a depth of 50 meters, after which 12 submariners were captured by the British, and eight more were picked up by a Japanese submarine. Therefore, on October 13, headquarters ordered the Monsoon group to strictly follow the following safety instructions (translation by E. Skibinsky):

“To: Penang, and also to all boats in the Far East:

Everything possible must be done to ensure safe passage of boats between bases. It includes:

1) Before each departure, obtain from the Japanese the most accurate details regarding the positions of enemy submarines, their usual actions and methods of attack. Inform boats approaching the base about this by radio, especially those that are in the area for the first time.

2) Avoid coastal and shipping areas, stay out to sea, take the shortest route to the port. Do not use fixed rendezvous points with an escort.

3) Areas dangerous for German submarines must be passed underwater. Agree on this with the Japanese.

4) If the boat needs to sail on the surface, make full use of full and variable strokes, as well as zigzag. Always keep the electronic reconnaissance station turned on, and in case of poor visibility, the radar itself.

5) Find out whether crossing with a Japanese escort is more dangerous than without one. Act according to the results.

6) Ensure that the Japanese carry out the actions we need.”

It is worth noting that the order to increase vigilance was timely, but did not bring the desired result. Soon the 33rd Flotilla lost two more boats in the Java Sea: U 532 in November 1944 and U 183 in April 1945. Both became targets of American submarine torpedoes. As a result, during its history, the Monsoon group lost four submarines from Allied submarines (excluding the transport boat UIT 23, sunk by a British submarine in February 1944). The principle of “forewarned is forearmed” did not help German submariners in the Far East avoid this danger...

Sources and literature:

NARA T1022 (captured documents of the German fleet).
Blair S. Hitler's U-boat War. The Hunted, 1942–1945. - Random House, 1998.
Bush R., Roll H.-J. Der U-boot-Krieg 1939–1945. Deutsche Uboot-Erfolge von September 1939 bis Mai 1945. Band 3. - Hamburg-Berlin-Bonn: Verlag E.S. Mittler & Sohn, 2001.
Rohwer J. Axis Submarine Successes of World War Two. - Annapolis: Naval Institute Press, 1999.
Niestlé A. German U-Boat Losses During World War II: Details of Destruction. - Frontline Books, 2014.
Ritschel H. Kurzfassung Kriegstagesbuecher Deutscher U-Boote 1939–1945 Band 5. Norderstedt.
Wynn K. U-Boat Operations of the Second World War. Vol.1–2. - Annapolis: Naval Institute Press, 1998.
http://www.uboat.net.
http://www.uboatarchive.net.
http://historisches-marinearchiv.de.
http://www.u-boot-archiv-cuxhaven.de.

Forewarned - forearmed

Forewarned is forearmed - Latin wisdom Praemonitus, praemunitus -. Author unknown. It means a person’s ability to prepare for all kinds of surprises if he is notified about them in advance. In Russia they also say: “If you knew where you were going to fall, you would have laid out some straw.”

Analogues of the saying “Forewarned is forearmed”

Where there is no cat, there is a mouse frolicking
Beware of troubles while they're gone
Be careful and get out
It's better to be safe than to get burned
Warning is the same as caution
Sometimes even a smart person needs to be warned
First look at your step, and then walk

Translation

Forewarned is forearmed in English
Forewarned is forearmed in French: un homme averti en vaut deux
Forewarned is forearmed in German bist du gewarnt, bist du gewappnet
Forewarned is forearmed in Italian: uomo avvisato mezzo salvato
Forewarned is forearmed in Spanish peligro reconocido, peligro evitado

Application of the expression in literature

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Well, okay - like I said - . I'm afraid you're not a scholar, bishop, or do you know what that means: forewarned, forearmed

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It is a pity that Latin is not taught in our schools. Amazing language. His brevity and precision are amazing, his imagery is exquisite and beautiful. For example, . What's it like...

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And Schwartz also provided for such a refinement of education.