Don’t forget how the Soviet Union saved the world from Hitler

The Washington Post ^ | May 8, 2015 | By Ishaan Tharoor

[MinorityRepublican]

In the Western popular imagination -- particularly the American one -- World War II is a conflict we won. It was fought on the beaches of Normandy and Iwo Jima, through the rubble of recaptured French towns and capped by sepia-toned scenes of joy and young love in New York. It was a victory shaped by the steeliness of Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower, the moral fiber of British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, and the awesome power of an atomic bomb.

[tcrlaf]

By the way, for those that are interested, both CNN and RT are showing the 70TH anniversary Victory Parade from Red Square, live right now.

[DesertRhino]

“what was probably the best land army in the world — the Germans”

Actually the US army outclassed them in every imaginable way. They were impressive at rolling through nations largely unprepared for way through utter disbelief anyone would do WWI again.

[SaveFerris]

Divine Intervention

[Pontiac]

Thanks for the link

[Fresh Wind]

Meanwhile, with its other fist, the USA destroyed Imperial Japan.

Oh, we couldn't have done that without Russia's help. We were about to lose the war and Russia came to our aid a couple of days after the Hiroshima bomb dropped, and Japan was demanding our surrender. /sarc

[Timber Rattler]

Nevermind the fact that the Soviets could not have done it without American Lend-Lease following the debacles of 1941.

[Eagles6]

We united with an evil empire to defeat an evil empire to save Western Civilization.

If we hadn't entered the war, armed the soviets and kept the Japanese from attacking from the east ...

[Cvengr]

They helped us so much that they refused to allow us to land aircraft on Soviet soil in order for us to bomb Japan after the German front had been won. /s

[Gene Eric]

The enemy of my enemy...

[Stepan12]

I won’t forget how the Soviet Union conspired with Hitler to divide Poland and start WWII.

I was going to say that, but you said it first.

The Trayvon Martin Lied

[ScottinVA]

Without our involvement, the Soviets would have likely pushed the Wehrmacht back to Poland and then signed a peace treaty dividing up eastern Europe and leaving the German occupation of Western Europe intact. Stalin only cared about expanding hegemony into the eastern and central regions and the sphere of influence around the USSR; he didn’t give two sh*ts about anything west of there.

Those who minimize the U.S.’s impact in the fight against Hitler — while we simultaneously battled Imperial Japan — are full of more crap than an Obama speech.

[major-pelham]

Perhaps the most valuable lesson learned of all. I doubt politically correct transgender Majors and Colonels are bad ass enough to lead troops and win.

[fella]

Don’t forget the FOOD, ammunition, FOOD, guns, FOOD, tanks, FOOD, cannons, FOOD, medical supplies, FOOD, airplanes, FOOD, oil, FOOD, gas, FOOD, trucks, FOOD, strategic air support and FOOD that we gave (they never paid back any of their lend-lease) them while they defeated Hitler. Not to mention our sailors and merchant seamen who went to frigid watery graves delivering those supplies.

[Lonesome in Massachussets]

I actually laughed out loud when I read the headline. And I almost never do that.

[Jumper]

The US sent 1.5 lbs of food per day for every man, woman and child in the Soviet Russia during WWII. The Lend-Lease materials in the form of vehicles, aircraft, weapons, etc. were shipped to other Allied nations who were actively fighting the Axis Powers. With the alliance of the US and Soviet Union in 1942, the program was expanded to allow their participation with large amounts of supplies passing through the Arctic Convoys, Persian Corridor, and the Alaska-Siberia Air Route.

The Red Army in particular took advantage of the program and by war's end approximately two-thirds of its trucks were American-built Dodges and Studebakers. Also, the Soviets received around 2,000 locomotives for supplying its forces at the front. $11.3 billion was to the Soviet Union under the Lend-Lease Act.

The US entry into WWII was a decisive factor. At the beginning of the war, US produced 30% of the world's industrial production. By the end, the US produced 50%. The US raised 100 divisions of men and fed (supplied, provided for) 1,000-2,000 more divisions. (assuming each division is 14,000 men). We supplied tanks, food, clothing, oil, etc. to Britain, the Mediterranean, Russia, China, Burma, you name it.

If Stalin was so confident that he could defeat the Germans by himself why was he so pushy about opening a 2nd front?

[central_va]

Patton said that the Red Army was spent in spring of 1945 and was in as bad of condition as the Wehrmacht . He was probably right. His quote “they used everything the had getting to Berlin” and had really nothing left.

[PIF]

“They defeated the competition for the “Bloodthirsty Regime of the Century” award.”

They defeated the competition for the “Bloodthirsty Regime of the Century” second place award. The Bloodthirsty Regime of the Century is Mao’s in China - making the other two look like pikers ...

[PIF]

Andto this day, the AMerican Left still hates Hitler for his betrayal of their secret hero - Ioseb Besarionis Dze Jugashvili aka Joe Stalin.

[FreedomPoster]

UXO, unexploded ordnance, is an issue throughout Europe. We were in Paris last year and there was a news item about a big bomb or shell being found at a construction site. They have trained people around to deal with it in a way we simply do not, it’s just part of public works.

[Forty-Niner]

Yes we did ....Iwo Jima is one example......