Some World War 2 History

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 27 million Russians died in WW2. The Russian (USSR) population, before the war began in 1941 (in Russia), was 170 million. After the end of the war in 1945 the population of the USSR was 143 million. 27 million people had perished.
In contrast the entire losses suffered by the Allies in the European War (US, UK, French troops etc) was just about 1.0 million casualties.

By the end of WW2 the USSR had fielded as many as 600 divisions, including 500 rifle and about 60 tank divisions. It was the most experienced and most powerful army in the world.

In comparison between 1939 - 1941 Nazi Germany fielded a total of about 315 divisions. After Operation Barbarossa began in February 1941 (the attack against the USSR)  the Germans allotted almost 150 divisions against the USSR alone, containing a total of about 3,000,000 men. Among these were 19 panzer divisions, about 3,000 tanks, 7,000 artillery pieces and 2,500 aircraft. The bulk of those 150 German divisions were completely destroyed by the Russians. At its maximum almost 80% of the entire German Army (the Wehrmacht) was fighting in Russia. 
Therefore WW2 or World War 2 was largely fought in Russia. The Russian people fought the hardest and suffered the greatest losses in World War 2. 
The Germans also lost the vast bulk of their army and airforces in Russia. 

Finally the Russian army (USSR) conquered Berlin in April/May 1945. 
Two months later the Western Allied troops also entered the city. 
On 4 July 1945, U.S. troops entered their barracks in southwest Berlin. 
So it was the Russians who first liberated Berlin from the Nazis.
One year earlier on June 4th, 1944 was D-Day or the day of the famous Normandy landings in France, directly across the English Channel.


The route of the Allied liberation of Europe from the Normandy landings on June 4th, 1944 to Berlin in July 1945.

On the same day as June 4th, 1944 the US and allied troops had already liberated Rome in Italy. 
Another year earlier on July 10, 1943 the Allied forces had already landed on the island of Sicily in Italy. The US 7th Army which led the invasion of Italy was led by US superman General George S Paton. After liberating Rome in June 1944, General Patton was ready to cut across Austria and enter Germany from the south.


 
But the Allies came out with the plan to liberate France and Germany through the Normandy landings.  The terrain in the northern part of France is relatively flat lands better suited for tank warfare.  Of course Holland and Belgium are known as the "lowlands".
Coming back to Russia the Russian people still have vivid memories of their sacrifices in World War 2. Their cities and villages were destroyed and they suffered tremendous material losses. Almost every Russian family had lost someone in WW2. And they were the first to defeat  the Germans in Europe. 
Having survived all those horrors, the present crisis in Ukraine - artificially created by the UK and the US -  is almost inconsequential in its intensity for the Russians. Moscow is not under threat, there is no siege of Stalingrad (Volgograd today) and there will not be a single panzer division rolling across the Russian steppes. 
The UK, US and the West have completely lost their marbles on this escapade. Just like they did  in Korea, Vietnam, Lebanon, Somalia, Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria and Libya.
  The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of MMKtT.
By Syed Akbar Ali 

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