Text 28514, 62 rader
Skriven 2015-10-06 02:43:50 av Lee Lofaso (2:203/2)
  Kommentar till text 28476 av Kurt Weiske (47466.fidonews)
Ärende: National security
=========================
Hello Kurt,

 WD>> However, Russia's role is often underplayed in the west. WD>Russia
 KW> suffered more than any of the Allied countries and WD>their contribution
in
 KW> the fighting (and also in losses, WD>both in human resources and
 KW> economical) are near-uncalculable.

 KW> They lost a generation.

In a war that could have been prevented, had European countries
chosen not to have made Germany a pariah state.

 WD>> Although perhaps they would not have stopped somewhere around WD>Berlin,
 KW> history teaches us that Russia's contribution in the WD>eventual
 KW> annihilation of Nazism vastly outranks the US and WD>withtout the former,
 KW> D-Day would not have happened...

 KW> I just read an interesting alt.history book called shattered world that
 KW> assumed that the post WWI purges didn't happen, the Soviet Union was in
 KW> better shape and they were the agressors. They invaded Poland, Germany
 KW> attacked, and an abbreviated "Eurasian War" was followed by a world war
 KW> with 3 powers, not too. Interesting read.

From a German point of view, Germany did indeed fight a defensive
war.  Other powers were the aggressors.  In both world wars.
Germany did not start either of the world wars, having had no
choice but to defend itself.  This can be clearly documented, and
I am certain that German historians have already done so quit
thoroughly.  Or at least some of them.  The truly patriotic ones.

Stalin also had his followers.  And still does, to this very day.
In fact, FDR and Stalin were friends.  Got along fine at Yalta ...

 WD>> ... then again the US essentially was fighting 2 separate worldwars
 WD>> concurrently as well, that also needs to be recognised.

 KW> I don't know how much war materiel the Soviet Union generated, but my
 KW> understanding was that they made up for in quantity what they lacked in
 KW> superiority.

American GI's thought they were getting a great deal with Soviet
GI's by swapping one pack of American cigarettes for five packs of
Soviet cigarettes.  Yes, GI Joe did make that mistake with Ivan
in Berlin.  More than once.  :)

 KW> Although the shattered world book (fiction, nonetheless) called
 KW> out that the T-34 was far superior to the German tanks because of its
sloped
 KW> armor. Not sure if that was the case in real life.

In the real world, after the siege of Stalingrand, the Soviets
won three out of every four battles with their German counterparts,
forcing German forces into a full retreat.

Hitler and other Nazi leaders were later forced to flee Berlin,
and most were never seen or heard from again.

--Lee

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