Happy V Day!

[Tigranes]

Link to video.​

Happy Victory Day, dear Humanity!

We are all so different, we don't even have the same day in East(9) and West(8), but today I don't want to dwell on our differences. Nazis could have won. But they didn't. And world became a better place. That's what I celebrate today and tomorrow.

And also very personal for me -- my paternal grandfather (may Lord keep his soul in His light). He was conscripted in Black Sea Navy when the War broke, defended Odessa as morpekh (marine) when his destroyer sunk, defended Sevastopol, North Caucasus, as a part of the 4th Ukrainian Front participated in liberation of Crimea and Ukraine, and later Eastern Europe, but got a terrible concussion in January 1945 and celebrated actual Victory in the hospital near Odessa. I never saw him sadly, and my father told me he did not like to talk about war and only displayed his medals on May 9 each year.

I always had strong interest in history, particularly in WW2 history, so if your grandfathers told you any stories about the War and the Victory -- please post them in this thread!

 

[Tigranes]

Armenia was spared the devastation and destruction that wrought most of the western Soviet Union during the Great Patriotic War of World War II. The Nazis never reached the South Caucasus, which they intended to do in order to capture the oil fields in Azerbaijan. Still, Armenia played a valuable role in aiding the allies both through industry and agriculture. An estimated 300–500,000 Armenians served in the war, almost half of whom did not return. Armenia thus had one of the highest death tolls, per capita, among the other Soviet republics, Georgia with the highest.

One hundred and nineteen Armenians were awarded with the rank of Hero of the Soviet Union. Many Armenians who were living in the areas occupied regions of the Soviet Union also formed partisan groups to combat the Germans. Over sixty Armenians were promoted to the rank of general, and with an additional four eventually achieving the rank of Marshal of the Soviet Union: Hovhannes Bagramyan (the first non-Slavic commander to hold the position of front commander when he was assigned to be the commander of the First Baltic Front in 1943), Admiral Ivan Isakov, Hamazasp Babadzhanian, and Sergei Khudyakov. The soviet aircraft designer Artem Mikoyan was also an Armenian. The 89th Tamanyan Division, composed of ethnic Armenians, distinguished itself during the war. It fought in the Battle of Berlin and entered Berlin!!!

Members of the Tamanyan Division marching under Brandenburg Gate after the fall of Berlin in May 1945.​

 

[warpus]

Happy Victory day everyone! The day the allies and their allies defeated the Nazi menace and turned their attention to the communist menace. Unfortunately half of Europe couldn't be liberated and the true V day couldn't be celebrated for 50 or so more years...

But here we finally are.

 

[Borachio]

Oh, right? "V day".

You see, there's VE day (Victory in Europe) and then VJ day (Victory over Japan).

I guess the Russians were too busy celebrating to realize that WW2 hadn't actually ended on VE day.

 

[hobbsyoyo]

Well they weren't at war with Japan then so it was over for Russia. And though they did finally declare war on Japan, it lasted all of 3 days, which was long enough to grab some territory with little hassle, entirely opportunistically.

 

[Tigranes]

Borachio, when did the WW2 started, according to fine British lads: 1939 or 1937 with the second Sino-Japanese war? Did you know that China fought Japan, with some economic help from Germany up until 1941?

 

[red_elk]

Happy Victory Day!
It's a great day for almost all people living in post-Soviet states, despite 70 years passed since then. And it's our common victory with the Western Allies - despite all our current disagreements, we should remember that they helped our grandfathers to defeat Nazism.


Link to video.

 

[cybrxkhan]

Happy Victory Day!
It's a great day for almost all people living in post-Soviet states, despite 70 years passed since then. And it's our common victory with the Western Allies - despite all our current disagreements, we should remember that they helped our grandfathers to defeat Nazism.

Indeed, 'twas a team effort. I never liked much the "lololol USSR did all the fighting" or "lololol USA did all the fighting" nonsense people go spewing around - all the Allies played important roles and helped each other, irregardless of what one may think of each of them.

Now funny thing as for us Vietnamese in French Indo-China was that the French authorities there were in a very, very ambiguous situation where it sort of accepted Vichy French rule yet sort of didn't, which was enough reason for the Japanese to take over proper when it looked like the Vichy/Nazis were gonna lose. I wager there probably were a few Vietnamese doing something in the European theater, but I have no idea what. I know my grandfather was in Paris and left weeks before the Nazis came, but eh.

 

[red_elk]

Oh, right? "V day".

You see, there's VE day (Victory in Europe) and then VJ day (Victory over Japan).

I guess the Russians were too busy celebrating to realize that WW2 hadn't actually ended on VE day.

It's the end of the Great Patriotic War, which was enormously devastating for USSR and took immense all-out effort for the Soviet people to withstand in. Whereas war in Japan was for USSR merely one of a dozen or two smaller wars in the first half of XX century. That's why the date is much more celebrated in Russia than in the West.

Indeed, 'twas a team effort. I never liked much the "lololol USSR did all the fighting" or "lololol USA did all the fighting" nonsense people go spewing around - all the Allies played important roles and helped each other, irregardless of what one may think of each of them.

Yes, unfortunately this holiday is often used as a pretext for anti-Soviet (or anti-American for that matter) rants. As we can already see in this thread.

 

[Zkribbler]

My dad was in the US army, fought the Japanese and was wounded twice. He almost never talked about the war, and we kids were under strict orders from my mom to never ask him. In the 50's, he tried to go deer hunting with his friends, but came back after one day because walking through trees carrying a rifle brought back too many bad memories. He couldn't even make any Japanese-American friends until the 1960's. War is Hell.

Kudos to all those who put themselves through it to defeat the Axis threat.

 

[Kyriakos]

Will there be news from Eurogroup today?

 

[FriendlyFire]

Happy Victory Day!
It's a great day for almost all people living in post-Soviet states, despite 70 years passed since then. And it's our common victory with the Western Allies - despite all our current disagreements, we should remember that they helped our grandfathers to defeat Nazism.

To the Russian people who unwritten suffering and ordinary Ivan whos sacrifices must not be forgotten.
To poor Polka who got bullet to back of head, to Czech who was betrayed, to brave Greece, to Tommy, to Yank, to China and all allied powers.

 

[Borachio]

It's the end of the Great Patriotic War, which was enormously devastating for USSR and took immense all-out effort for the Soviet people to withstand in. Whereas war in Japan was for USSR merely one of a dozen or two smaller wars in the first half of XX century. That's why the date is much more celebrated in Russia than in the West.

I understand this is so, yes.

 

[red_elk]

Just returned from celebration on Moscow streets. Didn't see the parade, but fireworks were great. And great feeling of unity with our people.


Link to video.

 

[FriendlyFire]

 

[Domen]

^ It has more to do with differences between Chinese / Armenian / Jewish / Palestinian / Ukrainian lobbies than with Europe-Asia border.

 

[red_elk]

Rally "Immortal Regiment", where demonstrators carry portraits of their relatives who fought in WW2.


Link to video.

Action took place in 1200 towns in Russia and also in some places abroad.
Number of participants in Moscow ~500.000
In Leningrad ~300.000
According to organizers estimation, total number of participants in Russia was 12 millions.

 

[Triewd]

Well said. Signed.

 

[Tigranes]

^ It has more to do with differences between Chinese / Armenian / Jewish / Palestinian / Ukrainian lobbies than with Europe-Asia border.

I beg to differ. No lobbying can achieve anything without good will and ability to repent by the perpetrator country. And yes European countries are more courageous and responsible when facing their past.

 

[Phrossack]

Here in Germany I didn't see any big events, because I wasn't out much that day, but apparently some did commemorate it. Germany probably has the best record in the world for repentance for historical wrongs. Most other countries are either mixed on the matter (most of the West) or in active denial (most of the rest). I guess a catastrophic and unconditional military defeat is pretty effective at making a country repent, Japan notwithstanding. Winners rarely apologize for their crimes.