08-05-2020, 07:23 PM
41
Re: VE Day
We watched the programme at 2,45 with Churchills speach and the the assorted bands & singers .It was enjoyable TBH. we then went out to our garden & took a little beer & wine and had a good chat about our memories of the war ,which weren"t much as we were born after.
In about 40 minutes we will be watching some more ,so all in all it has been a better day than I thought it was going to be .
08-05-2020, 07:32 PM
42
Re: VE Day
As I said I was in Trieste on VE Day. I saw no action as such against German forces as they had all gone but the threat we faced was from President Tito who had laid claim to Trieste and the dockyard of nearby Monfalcone.We were there to carry out the wishes of the Italians who wanted Trieste to remain part of Italy. A show of strength!! We lined all our tanks up on the dockside in Trieste facing the then Yugoslavia.
Not a shot was fired and everything ended peacefully. Trieste and Monfalcone are still part of Italy.
08-05-2020, 07:45 PM
43
Re: VE Day
Originally Posted by big ben
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As I said I was in Trieste on VE Day. I saw no action as such against German forces as they had all gone but the threat we faced was from President Tito who had laid claim to Trieste and the dockyard of nearby Monfalcone. We were there to carry out the wishes of the Italians who wanted Trieste to remain part of Italy. A show of strength!! We lined all our tanks up on the dockside in Trieste facing the then Yugoslavia.
Not a shot was fired and everything ended peacefully. Trieste and Monfalcone are still part of Italy.
It would have put an end to Tito not to mention many million more if he had.
It would have put his Gallipoli screw-up in the shade.
08-05-2020, 07:47 PM
44
Re: VE Day
I put a label on the bottom of a chair today - yes it has come to that . so my children will know it belonged to their great grandfather and the scars it bears on its legs were from a near miss by a V2 rocket ( doodle bug ) .My father was a boy in the early part of the war he joined up at 18 .09-05-2020, 09:57 AM
45
Re: VE Day
It's amazing that no one has mentioned the astronomical number of casualties suffered by the people of the Soviet Union during WW2.The actual number can never be known, but a conservative estimate is circa 30 MILLION though anecdotal evidence would put the actual number maybe even double that.
09-05-2020, 10:49 AM
46
Re: VE Day
Originally Posted by The Artful Todger
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It's amazing that no one has mentioned the astronomical number of casualties suffered by the people of the Soviet Union during WW2. The actual number can never be known, but a conservative estimate is circa 30 MILLION though anecdotal evidence would put the actual number maybe even double that.
09-05-2020, 11:59 AM
47
Re: VE Day
Originally Posted by big ben
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I agree AT but we must remember that human life was cheap in Russia at that time and many thousands were used as 'cannon fodder' at places like Stalingrad. Thousand fought the Nazi,s with just wooden clubs, stones or their bare hands. Stalin thought nothing of his own people then. they were, in his own words, expendable
Human life was no cheaper in the Soviet Union than in Britain. It is shameful that no one mentioned the huge casualty count there.
As for Stalingrad the Soviet casualties did not come about as a consequence of being used as cannon fodder, they were hard dedicated fighters literally and willingly laying down their lives for their homeland.
Interestingly Peter Hitches has written a rather good book in which he presents a seldom admitted perspective on WW2. The Daily Mail published a quite good synopsis of his book. Nice to see the truth spelled out.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/a...think-WW2.html
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