[okie01]

But I think the average Russian soldier didn't fight for Stalin, or Communism, he was fighting for his life, his family's life, because he knew that as bad as Stalin was, life under Hitler would be worse.

Without question, the average Soviet soldier was fighting for Mother Russia.

[muawiyah]

I recall the day Dean Sutton gave his WWII lecture ~ about the Russian front.

He mentioned that the Germans did nothing noble on the Eastern front then he detailed it. One item was that the Germans knocked down 60% of all standing structures in Russia.

In a state (Indiana) with a 43.8% average German origin background, these were among the things no one wanted to know about.

Again, Russia was too big for any European to imagine. The Russians escaped to the Urals and fought the war from there ~ and from Louisville, Indianapolis, Gary, Hammond, East Chicago, Detroit, Fort Wayne, .......

WWII was a really serious war.