Posted on 05/07/2005 4:37:28 PM PDT by Lessismore
MOSCOW, May 7 (RIA Novosti) - The Soviet people not only defended the Motherland from the Nazi aggression, but also liberated 11 European countries during World War II, announced Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday during the opening ceremony of the memorial on the Poklonnaya Hill dedicated to the Victory in the Great Patriotic War.
"During fierce battles on the front that stretched from the Barents Sea to Caucasus, the Soviet Union broke the backbone of the German military machine. It was on the Eastern front where the Nazis suffered three-quarters of their losses," Putin said.
"Courage, resilience and unity of the multi-national people became the major force that destroyed Nazism," Putin stressed.
He said the world has never seen such an example of mass heroism, such a spread of partisan movement, such enthusiasm and effort of workers at the home front that provided the army with all necessary means to defeat the enemy.
"We will always remember and respect the feat of the generation of victors," the Russian President stated.
"They defended our right to live, to preserve our statehood and culture. They defended the future of our children. Their heroic deeds will always serve as a moral model for us," Putin said.
The Russian President concluded his speech with the words, "May the glory of those who perished for the freedom and independence of our Motherland live forever! We bow deeply to the veterans of the Great Patriotic War!"
The new memorial is a gigantic colonnade consisting of 15 bronze steles.
Ten of them represent the feats of Red Army soldiers and officers. Three are dedicated to courage, resilience and heroism of the Navy personnel. One of the steles is dedicated to fearless partisans and members of underground resistance, and the last one - to workers at the home front.
There was a time before in our nation's history when we could defeat such an enemy. That time has passed.
Lots of folks seem to forget that we were singlehandedly taking on the japanese with no help from the soviets.
Ding, Ding, Ding, you get the prize. I was just going to comment, they might have broken the back of the Third Reich but it is an open question which was worse, the krauts, or the commies. The communists certainly killed more people, many of them their own.
I also agree Patton should have been unleased on the Soviets after V-J Day.
It's because they are ignernt of history.
Patton and Churchill were pretty prescient with regards to the peaceful intentions of papa Joe and the Soviets.
I know there was unhappiness with where the lines were drawn in Europe (especially among the generals), but I don't think there was ever any serious consideration to allowing German Nazism or any form of nazism/fascism to be in control in east europe. Even if there was a plan to support a "buffer of Nazism", the Soviets wouldn't have allowed it.
So I don't think there was really a choice for East Europe post-war, except in where the line was drawn, and then later in a strategy for facing communism, the Soviets, and their satellite gov'ns.
Nonsense. Nazism was to be defeated regardless - that much was settled. What do you think all that haggling with Stalin at Potsdam, Yalta, and Tehran was all about? Do you think they were talking about whether to allow the Nazis to keep some territory? Of course not, it was about which parts of Europe would become free, and which would become Communist.
seems I remember something about the US Army 8th AirForce and just a few bombing raids that took place...how many thousands of B17 air crews died? Putin's statement does have an element of truth, but it's not the whole truth...
Russia 'liberated' some countries but forgot to let the citizens of those countries have it back after the war!
The Jewish survivors of Auschwitz, Birkenau, and the other extermination camps in the east that were "liberated", yes "liberated", by the Russian troops would disagree.
Jewish children in Auschwitz after being subjected to heinous medical experiments.
Is that what they're calling the Soviet occupation of these 11 countries now-a-days. i bet the Poles would have a different word than "liberation".
Don't commit verbicide. If a prison guard saves the life of an inmate, that inmate is still an inmate. He hasn't been "liberated".
to be honest Russia did play a strategic part in the end of ww2.
in the terms of modern day gamers the russians "zerged" the germans.
never the less...
Its not their actions during ww2...its russias actions after. I guess Pooty Poo didnt mention that.
And why was that? It was because communist control was preferable to Nazi control. We could have sued for a seperate peace had we preferred a Nazi east to a communist east. The fact that we didn't just goes to show you that communism in East Europe was not as bad a Naziism in East Europe. My original point.
No there wasn't ever under consideration -- because having communism in East Europe was not as bad as having Naziism in East Europe. Which is what I originally said.
And no one can question that the soviet government kicked them in the teeth when they returned home.
Yeah, and lets forget about the little episode of dividing Poland between the Soviets and Hitler, which percipitated the Whole WWII.
It was because the Nazis were aligned with people who attacked us, and the Communists at the time weren't. It wasn't because the Communists were better for the people of Europe than the Nazis.
If you can't understand the difference between a temporary life in an extermination camp and life under the East German or Polish communist regimes, there's no use arguing with you. They are lightyears apart in the degree of oppression suffered by the people there.
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