SECOND WORLD WAR: Russian Front: Pictures from the Russian side: Part 3
Dead German soldiers buried near Leningrad
THE EASTERN FRONT
The Eastern Front was by far the largest and bloodiest theatre of World War II, and generally accepted as the most costly conflict in human history at anywhere from 25-30 million dead as a result. It involved more land combat than all other World War II theatres combined. The Eastern front resulted in such staggering losses and disregard for human life almost entirely as a consequence of the ideological premise for the war. To hardline Nazis in Berlin, the war against the Soviet Union was one of a struggle of Fascism against Communism, and the Aryan race against the "inferior" Slavic race. From the beginning of the conflict, Hitler referred it as a "war of annihilation". Aside from the ideological conflict, the mindframe of the leaders of Germany and the Soviet Union, Hitler and Stalin respectively, contributed to the escalation of terror and murder on an unprecedented scale. Hitler sought to enslave the Slavic race and wipe out the large Jewish population of Eastern Europe (Holocaust). Stalin and Hitler both disregarded human life in order to achieve their goal of victory. This included terrorization of their own people, as well as mass deportation (planned in the case of Germany) of entire populations. All these factors resulted in tremendous brutality both to combatants and civilians, which was not paralleled on the Western Front.
Source
Soviet Byelorussian partisans, 1944
Russian Jewish partisans
A Soviet Army officer briefs his men
Bodies of Russian people, killed and piled up
More Russian front Pictures
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Points To Ponder
WHY WAS THE FIGHTING ON THE RUSSIAN FRONT SO FIERCE DURING WW2?
It is difficult to distinguish between the quality of both the German and Russian soldiers. Both were motivated by their love for their motherland. But there were others factors that drove the two sides to such desperate fighting.
One, both sides knew that this was a no-holds bar war. Not fighting was thus not an option.
Second, both Hitler and Stalin had squads that killed any deserter. Turning away from fighting was just not possible.
Thus was seen some of the most bitter, brutal and desperate fighting on the WW2 eastern (Russian) Front.
"Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it."
-- George Santayana
Quotes....
"Be polite; write diplomatically; even in a declaration of war one observes the rules of politeness."
--Otto von Bismarck
"When the enemy advances, withdraw; when he stops, harass; when he tires, strike; when he retreats, pursue.'
--Mao Zedong
Quotes....
"The main thing is to make history, not to write it."
--Otto von Bismarck
"When you have to kill a man it costs nothing to be polite."
--Winston Churchill
Quotes....
"In time of war the loudest patriots are the greatest profiteers."
--August Bebel
"God is not on the side of the big battalions, but on the side of those who shoot best."
--Voltaire
Quotes about War....
"Anyone who has ever looked into the glazed eyes of a soldier dying on the battlefield will think hard before starting a war."
---Otto von Bismarck
Quotes....
"Naturally the common people don't want war; neither in Russia, nor in England, nor in America, nor in Germany. That is understood. But after all, it is the leaders of the country who determine policy, and it is always a simple matter to drag the people along, whether it is a democracy, or a fascist dictatorship, or a parliament, or a communist dictatorship. Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is to tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same in any country."
--Hermann Goering
Quotes....
"To conquer the enemy without resorting to war is the most desirable. The highest form of generalship is to conquer the enemy by strategy."
--Tzu Sun
"All men are brothers, like the seas throughout the world; So why do winds and waves clash so fiercely everywhere?"
--Emperor Hirohito
Dead German soldiers buried near Leningrad
Soviet Byelorussian partisans, 1944
Russian Jewish partisans
A Soviet Army officer briefs his men
Bodies of Russian people, killed and piled up
