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The cost of V-Day for Soviet Russia
Published: 08 May, 2009, 22:00
Edited: 13 November, 2009, 10:08
The Battle of Stalingrad
TAGS: Anniversary, Russia
Most of the world marks the end of the Second World War on the 8th of May. But for Soviet Russia it ended the day after. In modern Russia, May 9th is still celebrated as a major national holiday.
For the Soviet Union, the horror of war started with the German invasion on June 22, 1941. That’s almost two years after Europe started suffering from Nazi aggression as Hitler sent his troops into Poland on September 1, 1939.
The clash at the Eastern front between Germany and the Red Army has been labeled the Great Patriotic War. This term was first used in an article in one of the Soviet newspapers, and it still bares this name.
All in all, over 100 million military personnel participated and at least 70 million people died during the Second World War, most at the Eastern front in the period of four years … More people fought and died in the Great Patriotic War than in all other theatres of the Second World War combined.
Shortly before the war, Germany struck a deal with the Soviets, signing a non-aggression pact. According to this document, the two nations were to divide their influence over Europe. Many historians see this document as an attempt of the two titans to delay the deadly clash.
Hitler was the first to break his word and unleashed an attack under the codename ‘Barbarossa.’ According to Hitler’s plan, more than half of the Soviet Union was to be destroyed, with the remaining population turned into slaves. He anticipated it would take four months for the invasion and it had to be concluded by winter. Hitler thought that the majority of the Russian forces would be destroyed at the borders, and he expected free access to Moscow.
It nearly worked out. The Red Army was clearly unprepared for such a massive assault. Within just a few months the two largest cities, including the capital, were under siege. But the Nazi blitz was halted. Cold winter gave the Soviets a good chance to regroup, and they used it. Slowly, the Red Army began to force the enemy back.
This was the turning point. But the cost that had to be paid for it was horrifying. Perhaps the toughest was the siege of Leningrad – now St. Petersburg. It lasted 900 days. People were cut off from all supplies and more than one million people starved to death. The only supply route was in winter, using the ice road over the Ladoga Lake. It was called the road of life, but due to breaking ice and constant bombardments the death toll on it was very high. But it allowed the people to resist.
Later, more victories came – Rzhev, Stalingrad, and finally Berlin. It all officially ended when the surrendering documents were signed in the German capital late on May 8. But in Moscow it was already early morning on the 9th. That’s why Russia celebrates the V-day a day later. This was a great success, but it came at a horrifying cost for the Soviet people. Almost 30 million people died, most of them civilians.
08.05.2009, 21:37
11 comments
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I am grateful to the Soviet people for defeating Hitler, and also for the Popular Front, which gave my family unions, unemployment insurance, sick days, vacations with pay, and health insruance. My family's life before that was very, very hard. They had to work 12 hours a day, 6 days a week. My father had to quit school at age 13 and to to work. My mom was picking cotton at age 6 and although she made straight As, she got left back one year because she was in the fields helping her family survive. She got a full scholarship to TCU but she could not go, she had to work to help her family. My life has not been easy, but its been better than that. I am also grateful to the Popular Front for all those great Hollywood movies by "pinko" actors like John Garfield. My favorite move is Casablanca, a Popular Front movie. Thanks for George Gershwin, Oscar and Hammerstein (South Pacific is my favorite), the guy who wrote "The Wizard of Oz" and all kinds of trualy great art and artists inspired by the Soviet Union, like Paul Robeson and Woody Guthrie who I love with all my heart to this day...and Woody Guthrie inspired Pete Seeger and they both inspired Bob Dylan, who inspired Bruce Springsteen. AND YES, Mr. Frank Sinatra too (no one will believe that, but its as true as can be). I don't know what happened to all this. I don't understand the world at all anymore, and its just as well as I will not be here that much longer, but whatever happened, the things that you all did cannot be undone, the past has shaped this present we live in and I am grateful to you forever. Even though a lot of people don't seem to realize it, the Soviet people did so much to help everyone.
Krazy, yes you are write, but to be really pedantic, we all fought for our countries joined as Allies, but hey this is spliting hairs. Also you you wrote "They were not involved with Japan as the US was" Again reading this literally, you are spot on, but it may be interesting for others to note that following the decisons in the Yalta conference, we got a bit involved in Manchuria. P.S thanks for giving us a great game of hockey tonight!
Having studied a great amount of world history, I have been made aware that the victory of the allied nations against Nazi Germany was largely the work of the great Russian nation, a people that fought to the death against the invading German armies, and later drove them out of eastern Europe, conquered Berlin and caused Hitler to commit suicide in his underground bunker. This months marks the 68th anniversary of the Soviet Army parade through the streets of Moscow. The outcome of the great battle there determined that the Nazis would not conquer Russia. Then, one year later, came the equally epic Battle of Stalingrad, including the Soviet attack on November 19, 1942 that crashed through the Romanian, Hungarian and Italian forces on the flanks of the main German armies in Stalingrad, encircling them and two months later destroying them. The greatest thing the present-day government of Russia could do would be to rename Volgograd to its true name -- the one that comes to the minds and hearts of the whole world when that great battle is remembered: STALINGRAD it was, and STALINGRAD it should be forever. Yes, he indeed was a terrible dictator. But the rule of the Man of Steel industrialized your country and re-armed it, turning it into a truly great power, and giving Russia the armed might to utterly destroy the Nazi menace that threatened the whole world. So, Russia, honor his memory for the achievements that above all else kept Russia alive during and after the terrible years starting June 22, 1941. Regardless of what else communism represented, and the hardships it brought your peoples during that era. The one thing your fore-fathers needed above all was the greatest Tsar of Russian history. And that he was. If for nothing else, keep his name alive for the millions of Russian soldiers who fought for him, and who fought for all of you. Arnold Harris Mount Horeb WI