World War II vet, 93, visits Russia to thank soldiers who saved him

The Week ^

[wetphoenix]

Leroy Williamson, 93, has seen relations between the United States and Russia during good times and bad, and has some advice for the countries: "We have to get along," he told ABC News. "We don't need a patriotic war or a World War III."

The Texan was in Russia this week to share his appreciation for the Soviet soldiers who liberated his Nazi prisoner-of-war camp on May 1, 1945. He met with a Russian general for lunch, visited with veterans, and placed a wreath at Moscow's memorial to the Great Patriotic War, as World War II is known in the country. He had planned on meeting with a surviving member of the infantry division that liberated his camp, but the man fell ill; instead, Williamson presented a Purple Heart to a soldier who fought alongside U.S. troops during the war. "It's been wonderful,” Williamson said. "I am so pleased with the attitude of the people here."

Only recently has Williamson started talking about his experience in the POW camp. He was shot down in April 1944 during a bombing mission over Germany, and after being interrogated was sent to a camp on the Baltic Sea. When the Russian soldiers arrived, they brought meat — Williamson's first taste in more than a year — and donuts. "They not only liberated us from prison camp, they did so many other good things for us," he said.

Once the Cold War started, Williamson had to fly supply runs during the Berlin Airlift. Soviet jets would scramble and "stay with us a few minutes," but Williamson remained cordial despite the tension. "I'd give a salute back and that was it," he said. Listen to Williamson describe his trip in the video below. --Catherine Garcia

[Flintlock]

Oh well.............

I suppose I’m to forget the TENS OF THOUSANDS of Allied POWs held by the Germans, ‘freed’ by the Soviets, then ended up in the Gulag NEVER TO BE SEEN AGAIN.

Same same thing in the Korean War (only a few thousand for that war).

Let’s us all FORGET the war in ‘Nam. We got back about ONE THIRD of the verified prisoners held be the north. NONE for Laos. For the rest—well we got ‘crickets’ and John McCain (he who squashed ANY attempt to try to get the rest back. Patriot?? Not in my book).

[bigdaddy45]

Yeah, clearly Mr. Williamson is a communist sympathizer, and is pining for the good old days of the Soviet Union.

[Krosan]

Today is a strange day. The whole internet is suddenly full of very intense Russian propaganda. I have noticed that usually there is something coming soon after Russians turn on all their bots.

[dfwgator]

Just watched a recent movie - Stalingrad

The German "Stalingrad" movie was better.

[Neoliberalnot]

Stalin was a cold-blooded psychopathic killer. Oddly, many of these monsters rise to powerful positions.

[Neoliberalnot]

Did you know that the Russians actually recovered and rebuilt a few bellied in B-17s and flew them up through the late 40s.Your FIL plane may have been one of them.””

Indeed, for his landing was on a field of water with the landing gear up, since they had no way to know how deep it was. Don and his crew were kept under armed guard (women with submachine guns) for about the last 6 months of the war. Don lost 35 lbs of weight during this time.

[Ruy Dias de Bivar]

***You must have Netflix as well to have watched Stalingrad.***

Not really. I got my copy from Walmart. There are three movies about Stalingrad.
A German version,
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0108211/

Enemy at the Gates,
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0215750/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1

and a Russian version.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1966566/

[exit82]

Your comments about John McCain are spot on.

[dfwgator]

Interesting note, Thomas Kretschmann, who you might know better from The Pianist and Eichmann, actually appeared in both the German and Russian “Stalingrad” movies.

[Ruy Dias de Bivar]

***after Russians turn on all their bots.***

TELEFON
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0076804/?ref_=fn_al_tt_2

[Buckeye McFrog]

I predict Russia will once again be our ally in a war against the vultures of Islam

I think the Russkies will run out of patience and turn Mecca into fields of glowing green glass long before it comes to that.

[ansel12]

I read once that about 8,000 American men were lost as they just “disappeared” into the Soviet rape/killing machine through the misfortune of proximity to them.

The Nazis and Russians went from allies to brutal enemies as they fought to see which evil regime would enslave Europe, and when it was over, the Russians were the dominant evil.

America had to save Berlin from the Russians through the Berlin Airlift of 1948-1949, but we couldn’t free Europe until 1991.

Today the Russians are re-attacking and invading.

[ansel12]

This little piece of pro-Russian feel good propaganda for the Russians does nothing whatsoever to makeup for the Russian seizure of tens of thousands of British Commonwealth and American POWs in WWII, Korea, Vietnam, and the Cold War only to be murdered or sent to their deaths in the Soviet Gulag/s of Russia. It would be unfortunate for Russia if any of the remains of these missing British and American POWs were ever to be publicly discovered in the mines of Donetsk where many of them were used as slave laborers for Russia.

Yep, quite a story there, but that is what Russia does.

[free_life]

Did he thank the Russkies for the thousands of dead Americans killed by Russkies and their proxies?

Can’t buy much with shrinking ruble these days huh?

[GreenLanternCorps]

“The woods are lovely, dark, and deep, and I have miles to go before I sleep. Remember Ruy, miles to go before you sleep...”

[X Fretensis]

Actually it was the B-29 the Soviets copied. Three of our B-29s got lost on a bombing raid and landed in Siberia.
The American crews were repatriated through Iran about 3 months after landing. Stalin ordered the Tupolev to copy the American aircraft in every detail. The Tupolev engineers did just that. The first Tu-4s flew in in 1947.
The aircraft remained in service until the early 1960s.

[Polynikes]

“The Soviets were terrified of the Japanese after the Russo-Japan War.”

That they were until Khalhin-Gol rolled around in 1939 in Mongolia. When the Japanese tested the Russians they got their butts kicked by a General named Zhukov. The Japanese minded their manners on the border till the Russians rolled through them.

[HANG THE EXPENSE]

That is also true but they had B-17s salvaged from the Poltava raid of 44.The Russian B29 was called a TU-4 and was copied right down to the battle damage repair that was on one of the planes.I believe the name of the plane that they disassembled was called dauntless dottie.

[Pajamajan]

Bookmark

[kearnyirish2]

I couldn’t imagine there were Soviet troops to move against Japan in any strength; by the end of the war they were using many female and Far Eastern minorities as troops. They literally lost most of a generation of “European” Russians.

Soviets simply grabbed territory in the east at the end; they never removed the Japanese from China (at the end of the war there were still a million there).