69 years ago, a madman took his first steps on the trail to his downfall, when he ordered his armies east against the Soviet Union, to begin what the Russians call The Great Patriotic War
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Спасибо большое за напоминание. Оба моих деда участвовали в войне. К сожалению, им уже не позвонить с поздравлениями, но помнить их подвиги никогда не поздно.
The world would be such a different place if that madman hadn't headed to Russia, but had satisfied himself with what he had already conquered at that point.
The world would be such a different place if that madman hadn't headed to Russia, but had satisfied himself with what he had already conquered at that point.
Hitler wasn't mad- which is what makes his behaviour even more terrifying.
General Winter had seen off one ghastly little corporal at the start of the 19th century and he saw off another in the 20th!
6 million Jewish people is a terrifying figure, but 25 million Russian people (approximately and that's probably a conservative estimate) boggles the mind............
At least one definition of insanity is doing the same thing and expecting different results. Unless he'd never heard of Napoleon, I have to think that this counts. :)
But yes, more seriously, it really is a figure that can't be encompassed. It's 80% or so of our entire population in Canada.
And of course Hitler was obssessed with Frederick Barbarossa and Frederick the Great- he'd never have been able to see that a mere Frenchman had anything to teach him (I know Napoleone Buonaparte was actually a Corsican, but let that pass :o)
Blitz warfare was stunningly effective if one wasn't expecting to fight a long campaign over huge land areas- in Poland, for example. It's easy to forget just how _unmechanised_ both the Werhmacht and the Red Army were at the beginning of the conflict and at the end, the T34 was simply a better tank in much larger numbers than anything the Nazis had.
Thank you for the reminder about "Unternehmen Barbarossa" aka "The Great Patriotic War". Over 75% of all Axis forces were committed against the Soviet Union and this is where the the Second World War in Europe was won by the Red Army (with some Allied lend-lease aid). Unfortunately many of my fellow citizens down here in the States don't know that.
Although my sympathies lie with the Russians who suffered tremendously in the war I have no such feelings for Stalin who seemed to be in a contest with Hitler to see who could kill more people.
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General Winter had seen off one ghastly little corporal at the start of the 19th century and he saw off another in the 20th!
6 million Jewish people is a terrifying figure, but 25 million Russian people (approximately and that's probably a conservative estimate) boggles the mind............
Reply
But yes, more seriously, it really is a figure that can't be encompassed. It's 80% or so of our entire population in Canada.
Reply
Reply
Blitz warfare was stunningly effective if one wasn't expecting to fight a long campaign over huge land areas- in Poland, for example. It's easy to forget just how _unmechanised_ both the Werhmacht and the Red Army were at the beginning of the conflict and at the end, the T34 was simply a better tank in much larger numbers than anything the Nazis had.
Reply
Although my sympathies lie with the Russians who suffered tremendously in the war I have no such feelings for Stalin who seemed to be in a contest with Hitler to see who could kill more people.
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