“Russia fought a hell of a fight, I’ll always give them credit for that.”
That’s a fact.
I’ve been a student of history my entire life (well, ever since I was about 7, anyway). I loved the subject and still do. My college degree is in history. I still read voraciously, especially histories. WWII is a particular interest of mine (among others).
The German war against the Soviet Union from June, 1941 to May, 1945 was a whole other world; it was carnage and savagery on a scale never seen before. The conditions and the brutality were appalling. Millions died in that theater of WWII. The hatred between the two nations was one of the most visceral in human history, and it showed.
It is unfortunate that so many in the West know next to nothing about that war, which the Russians called “The Great Patriotic War.” For more years than I can remember I have said to myself “You’ve got to be kidding,” when reading about that aspect of WWII; but, alas, it was all too true.
An interesting characteristic of the Russian people is their capacity to endure appalling suffering, and to sacrifice their own, often on useless endeavors. They are true fatalists.