View previous topic :: View next topic |
Author |
Message |
Kent F. Kruhoeffer
Joined: 22 Jan 2003 Posts: 2129 Location: 中国
|
Posted: Fri May 09, 2003 5:43 am Post subject: ********* |
|
|
***********
Last edited by Kent F. Kruhoeffer on Fri Jul 04, 2003 11:51 am; edited 1 time in total |
|
Back to top |
|
|
Kent F. Kruhoeffer
Joined: 22 Jan 2003 Posts: 2129 Location: 中国
|
Posted: Sat May 10, 2003 5:46 am Post subject: battle deaths in WWII |
|
|
Speaking of WWII, here are a few statistics regarding battle deaths in WWII:
USA - 291,557
UK - 357,116
USSR - 6,115,000
Russia lost over 6 million soldiers in combat during WWII. Can you imagine? No wonder this is still a big holiday.
Regards,
kEnt
Footnote: the statistics above are courtesy of: http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0004619.html |
|
Back to top |
|
|
Kira
Joined: 12 Apr 2003 Posts: 15
|
Posted: Sat May 10, 2003 11:02 am Post subject: |
|
|
I'd like to add that those six million are not just soldiers, but people lost for any cause (as the footnote explains).
Clearly, the Soviets lost a great many civilians as their cities were taken over by Germans--it's often considered one of Hitler's great mistakes--burning and pillaging Soviet villages as he left them. It was one of the contributing factors to the Soviets' decision to advance all the way to Berlin, rather than to stop at the USSR's borders.
Additionally, many Soviet soldiers were shot by their own commanders for refusal to fight, and it needs no explanation that many, many of those six million were among the Jews and other minorities that were put to death in concentration camps such as Baba Yar near Kiev in the Ukraine.
It is an astonishing loss. Even the Germans were amazed by the Soviet tactics of sending waves of men to be mowed down by machine guns as shields for those who followed . . .
-Kira |
|
Back to top |
|
|
maruss
Joined: 18 Mar 2003 Posts: 1145 Location: Cyprus
|
Posted: Sun May 11, 2003 8:21 am Post subject: Soviet soldiers etc |
|
|
Not to mention those who were captured by the Germans-then sent to the Gulag by Stalin when they returned home because he thought they were traitors!Unfortunately,probably more Russians died under this tyrant than in any war ever fought by them,but until comparitively recently,it just wasn't talked about!And even today,you can still find older Russians who s consider Stalin was a hero,despite what they suffered under him and his thugs!Are memories that short,or is history repeating itself in a sinister and creeping way??I really think Russia should have a national day of mourning and rememberance for all the victims of the Gulag-even to warn the newer generations and remind them of what happened,would justify this,just like the holocaust must NEVER bE ALLOWED TO BE FORGOTTEN!Although maybe it already has if you look at Rwanda,Cambodia etc. etc. all of which happened just a few years ago!
Hope I didn't dampen anyones holiday spirits,but I just felt it needed to ne said!
Martin. |
|
Back to top |
|
|
Kent F. Kruhoeffer
Joined: 22 Jan 2003 Posts: 2129 Location: 中国
|
Posted: Sun May 11, 2003 8:34 am Post subject: thanks ... |
|
|
Privyet Kira:
Thanks for the clarification and additional input. WWII history was never really my strong point.
Hello Martin:
I agree with you 100%. Don't worry about dampening any holiday spirits. What you said is much more important. Besides, the holiday's almost over now. Back to work tomorrow!
TakeCare,
kENt |
|
Back to top |
|
|
maruss
Joined: 18 Mar 2003 Posts: 1145 Location: Cyprus
|
Posted: Wed May 14, 2003 3:42 pm Post subject: The dark side of Russian history |
|
|
It seems that Burundi will be the next genocide country,I'm sorry to say.
What worries me about Russia today is that so many people don't seem to care about things like democracy in the way that we have come to understand them,perhaps because they are tired of the chaos,thieving and dishonesty etc. that hit the country during the Yeltsin era-the "rip-off" of Russia is one of the biggest scandals of the twentieth century,with a small ,corrupt elite who managed to plunder the assets of what was once a major world power. Nowadays,the oil and energy moguls are gradually amassing control of the countries assets in a frightening way,with there being no real opposition to the clique that hold political power-this is not a good omen by any means for an open society to develop in,and I am afraid for the future of Russia and its long -suffering people. |
|
Back to top |
|
|
7969
Joined: 26 Mar 2003 Posts: 5782 Location: Coastal Guangdong
|
Posted: Sun May 25, 2003 8:49 am Post subject: hmmmm.... |
|
|
don't hold your breath for a truly democratic and open russia with a fully functioning market economy. these things take decades or longer to properly develop and implement. it's a me first country now and who cna blame them.... the powerful and rich are plundering the country at a dramatic rate that can only end in disaster. |
|
Back to top |
|
|
maruss
Joined: 18 Mar 2003 Posts: 1145 Location: Cyprus
|
Posted: Sun May 25, 2003 9:22 am Post subject: the rape of Russia............ |
|
|
Our friend in Bangkok is absolutely right unfortunately!The big question is:when and how will it all end?Either with a revolution or a military dictatorship-the Russian people are long-suffering and enduring but just how much are they prepared to put up with??And as far as I am concerned,the west is equally guilty for encouraging and praising Yeltsin and his cronies as the saviours of freedom and democracy while the whole country was being ravished by them-without getting too personal,Anatoly Chubais is a peefect example,a scheming manipulator and nothing more than a sophisticated crook who is still at the top of the ruling establishment-no wonder so many people there see no hope for better days in the forseeable future.............
Maybe it's better that I don't come over there too often as even mu closest friends are scared that one day,I will open my mouth and find I am in either big trouble(and maybe they will be too!) or on my way to the airport!
Enjoy your weekend folks! |
|
Back to top |
|
|
|