The German Armed Forces Suffered 80% of Its Military Deaths in the Eastern Front
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
The German armed forces suffered 80% of its military deaths in the Eastern Front. | Winston Churchill Urged the US to Nuke Moscow A document newly released from FBI archives reveals that in 1947 Churchill had urged US Senator Styles Bridges to persuade Truman to launch a nuclear attack on the USSR (http://russia- insider.com/de/politics/2014/11/11/09-00-21am/winston_churchill_urged_us_nuke_moscow ) FYI: The Eastern Front of World War II was a theatre of conflict between the European Axis powers and co-belligerent Finlandagainst the Soviet Union, Poland and other allies, which encompassed Northern, Southern and Central and Eastern Europe from 22 June 1941 to 9 May 1945. It has been known as the Great Patriotic War (Russian: Великая Отечественная Война) in the former Soviet Union and in modern Russia, while in Germany it was called the Eastern Front (German: die Ostfront), the Eastern Campaign (der Ostfeldzug) or the Russian Campaign (der Rußlandfeldzug). The battles on the Eastern Front constituted the largest military confrontation in history.They were characterized by unprecedented ferocity, wholesale destruction, mass deportations, and immense loss of life variously due to combat, starvation, exposure, disease, and massacres. The Eastern Front, as the site of nearly all extermination camps, death marches, ghettos, and the majority of pogroms, was central to the Holocaust. Of the estimated 70 million deaths attributed to World War II, over 30 million, many of them civilian, occurred on the Eastern Front. The Eastern Front was decisive in determining the outcome of World War II, eventually serving as the main reason for Germany's defeat. It resulted in the destruction of the Third Reich, the partition of Germany for nearly half a century and the rise of the Soviet Union as a military and industrial superpower. The two principal belligerent powers were Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union, along with their respective allies. Though never engaged in military action in the Eastern Front, the United Kingdom and the United States both provided substantial material aid in the form of the Lend-Lease to the Soviet Union. The joint German– Finnish operations across the northernmost Finnish–Soviet border and in the Murmansk region are considered part of the Eastern Front. In addition, the Soviet–FinnishContinuation War may also be considered the northern flank of the Eastern Front. The Unknown War (Russian: "Великая Отечественная Война" (The Great Patriotic War) or "Неизвестная война" (The Unknown War) is an American documentary television series. The 20- part series documents the World War II conflict between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union. The show was produced and syndicated for international distribution by Air Time International, and the executive producer was Fred Weiner. Each episode is about 48 minutes long, similar in format to The World at War. The footage was edited from over 3.5 million feet of film taken by Soviet camera crews from the first day of the war, 22 June 1941, to the Soviet entry into Berlin in May 1945. Most of these films have never been seen outside this documentary series. The series is hosted by Academy Award Winner Burt Lancaster, who spent three weeks in eight cities in the USSR for location filming. Film footage from Soviet archives comprises a major portion of the series, supplemented by film from both the United States and British archives. Appearing in exclusive interviews would be Russian Commanders like Georgi Zhukov and Vasily Chuikov. Other interviews shot for the series included Soviet Premier Leonid Brezhnev and Averell Harriman, who was U.S. Ambassador to the Soviet Union during WWII. The series was produced with Soviet cooperation after the release of The World at War, which the Soviet government felt paid insufficient attention to their part in World War II. Released in 1978, The Unknown War is sympathetic to the Soviet struggle against Nazi Germany. It was quickly withdrawn from TV airings after it ran in 1978, possibly because its tone was at odds with the growing tensions between East and West after the Soviet intervention in Afghanistan. Later it returned to airings on cable, including A&E, the History Channel and YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OuuthpJmAig FYI: The Soviet Banner of Victory (Russian: Знамя Победы, Znamya Pobedy) is the banner raised by the Red Army soldiers on the Reichstag building in Berlin, on April 30, 1945, the day that Adolf Hitler committed suicide. It was raised by three Soviet soldiers: Alexei Berest, Mikhail Yegorov, and Meliton Kantaria, from Ukraine, Russia, and Georgia respectively. The Victory Banner, made under battlefield conditions, is the official symbol of the Victory of the Soviet people against Nazi Germany during the second world war. It is also believed to be one of the national treasures of Russia and a symbol of the Transnistria. The Cyrillic inscription reads: 150th Rifle, Order of Kutuzov 2nd class, Idritsa Division, 79th Rifle Corps, 3rd Shock Army, 1st Byelorussian Front. Although this flag was not the only one to be hoisted on the Reichstag, it was the first and only survivor of all the "official" flags specially prepared to be raised there. On May 9, during Victory Day parade in Moscow, a copy of Victory Banner #5 is carried immediately behind the Russian flag by members of the 154th Moscow Commandant's Regiment Honor and Colors Guards. According to the Law of the Russian Federation, the Banner of Victory is to be stored forever in a place which provides its safety and public availability. WORLD WAR FACTS: World War I Georgia fought in the first world war within Russia and some at side of Germany. 200,000 soldiers were sent to the war out of a population of 1.5 million. 15,000 Soldiers fought at side of Germany in the Georgian Legion. World War II Joseph Stalin, born Joseph Jughashvili in Georgia. Georgia sent up to 700,000 soldiers at side of Soviet Union out of a 3 million total population to the war, 300,000 soldiers died and around 400,000 soldiers returned. 30,000 Fought at side of the Axis within the Georgian Legion, some fought out of Georgian Legion in SS and Luftwaffe. The 882nd Infantry Battalion of the Georgian Legion under the command of Shalva Loladze had revolted against the Germans on 5 April 1945 in Dutch region of Texel. (See Georgian uprising on Texel) Notable Georgian commanders of World War II: Joseph Stalin, Konstantine Leselidze, Vladimir Janjgava, Shalva Maglakelidze, Archil Gelovani. Other notable Georgian soldiers in World War II are Dimitri Amilakhvari, Noe Adamia, Meliton Kantaria, Geno Adamia, Vasilij Kvachantiradze, Yaroslav Iosseliani. http://www.archives.gov.ge/en/home ----------- FYI: Human Rights Watch: "Instead of protecting civilians, Russian forces allowed South Ossetian forces who followed in their path to engage in wanton and wide-scale pillage and burning of Georgian homes and to kill, beat, rape, and threaten civilians," said Denber. "Such deliberate attacks are war crimes, and if committed as part of a widespread or systematic pattern, they may be prosecuted as a crime against humanity." According to the HRW, 15,000 of 17,500 Georgians have left South Ossetia prior to the arrival of the Russian soldiers --> READ THIS: http://www.fpri.org/articles/2015/02/russias-quiet-annexation-south-ossetia.