[tcrlaf]

The war and its gruesomeness on the Eastern front is almost impossible for Americans to imagine.

My Grandfather spent almost 3 years in Russia, from Barbarossa, to Leningrad, to the Narva Line, and lived to tell about it later.
A Heer Civil Engineer, he said he built bridges across Russia, and blew them all up on the way out.

[The Toll]

I have read to many verifiable German and Russian accounts of what happened. There was no quarter. None. It was truly unimaginable. That’s why I understand the failure to grasp the scope by most people. We have never asked our soldiers to get up every single morning and win a Congressional Metal of Honor before lunch. We simply haven’t.

[nathanbedford]

I have often speculated about whether the terrible losses sustained by Germans on the Eastern front have contributed in some perverse way to the present timidity of Germany concerning war in general and Russian aggression in Ukraine in particular.

I know of individuals here in Germany whose fathers made it back from Russia after enduring brutality, unbelievable hardship and internment in Russian gulags. I cannot but surmise that the Germans have collectively concluded, "never again" but in an entirely different context from that which motivates the Israelis.

The German reaction against the invasion of Iraq was virtually unanimous and visceral to the degree that I do not believe they can be explained solely by elitist in control of the media. Unfortunately, this attitude has been turned against America because America is seen not as policeman of the world any longer but as a bully. Yes, elitist left-wing propaganda this fosters this view but the seeds must fall on fertile ground.