The Great Patriotic War - Again
Most Americans have absolutely no idea just how vast the war on the Eastern Front was in World War II or that it was the Russians who are most responsible for destroying Hitler and the Third Reich. I've mentioned this once or twice already, but the latest issue of The Atlantic magazine has a review article by Benjamin Schwarz on several new books that reveals just how much new info has come out about the Great Patriotic War and the debt the allies owe to Stalin. In every way imaginable it is a sobering story, especially for those of us who like to find neat little moral lessons attached to our history.
Schwarz slings some impressive numbers around to get our attention: 27 million dead Soviets, 4 million dead Germans, 2 million suspect minorities force marched into the interior, 158,000 Soviets executed for disertion, 926,000 dead Red Army soldiers at the battle of Moscow alone.
He is in agreement with Norman Davies' Europe at War in finding "insufferable" the notion that Britain and America stopped Hitler. For four years 400 Red army and Wehrmacht divisions faced off in a series of vicious and nearly constant battles along a 1,000 mile front. 85% of all German military dead were killed by the Red army. On the Western front, on the other hand, the most intense fighting saw 15 allied divisions facing 15 German divisions.
Now, about those moral lessons. Davies loves Poland and has no liking or sympathy for Stalin, especially after what he did to Poland. Yet his conclusion is clear, as Schwarz puts it: "the most odious criminal regime in Europe's history was defeated by an even more murderous regime, if numbers are the yardstick - which significantly tarnishes any notion of the "Good War."
Geoffrey Robert's is just as provocative in Stalin's Wars, an examination of Stalin's wartime leadership:
To make so many mistakes and to rise from the depths of such defeat to go on to win the greatest military victory in history was a triumph beyond compare... Stalin ... saved the world for democracy.
Labels: history, Russia, Stalin, World War Two
posted by Clemens @ 10:55 PM
6 comments
6 Comments:
Well, my father always pooh-poohed D-Day and the amount of fighting the Americans did in comparison to the Eastern front.
The moral lesson I draw is that evil devours itself - viciousness ignites more viciousness. Hitler could've won if only he'd fought one side at a time, but his paranoia and hatred were as great as Stalin's. The Nazis and Soviets deserved each other.
Oh, and never invade Russia. The vast steppes and the winter will gobble you up, like it did 90% of Napoleon's army. Hitler's hatred blinded him to that too.
Come to think of it, it's like the Lord of the Rings. Sauron isn't defeated by Aragorn's little army. He's defeated by Gollum's lust for the ring. Frodo and Aragorn (the Allies) had to take the steps they did, but by themselves they couldn't have won.
Evil devours itself, but Stalin died peacefully in his bed, I think. We are back to Theodicy.
To further your point, it seems clear that if armed forces of the Reich had not been so utterly savage in their treatment of the Russian and Ukrainian population they would have willingly helped the Germans destroy Stalin. The Germans soon made it clear that the choice was: Stalin or death.
Back in the 6th cent BC the Lord's Annointed, good ol' Cyrus the Great, invaded southern Russia with a great army. The inhabitants retreated before him, and dogged his flanks, making rapid cavalry attacks. Cyrus, being a lot brighter than Napoleon and Hitler, made peace and retreated.
Oops. Made a mistake - it wasn't Cyrus, it was Darius, father of Xerxes of '300' fame.
Sorry.
Hi! I am from Russia, so first of all I'm sorry for my bad english.
I can say you know very little part of whole information about Great Patriotic War. Do you know why Soviet People fought against German? I say- they didn't want to die. Before Second World War Hitler wrote that russians and others peoples in Russia was savage people, so they all would die.He wanted to kill ALL people in our country! Our people has choise- die on the war or die with their parents and childrens in german captivity. They choose first... Till that war our country lost 27 !!! million of people and among them was only 6 million military people. Please understand, germans kill 21 !!! million civil people.
There is no future for my grandfather, my parents, my friends if we lost that war in 1941.
So 9 may is a second birthday for each man in our country.
Dear Anonymous:
Thanks for your comment! Always glad to get the views of someone with a personal connection. Your English is clear and that fine. The points you make are good, and I thought I said somewhat the same in the comment just before yours. I have also posted some other places on this blog about the Great Patriotic War.
Post a Comment
<< Home