On May 1, 1945, victorious Russian troops hoisted the Red Flag from the Reichstag, the heart of the Third Reich. The day after, Supreme Warlord Adolf Hitler shot himself in a death pact with Eva Braun. Germany surrendered unconditionally on May 5.
Soviet estimates for the battle of Berlin are 81,116 killed/missing and 280,251 wounded, with German casualties as high as 458,080 killed and 479,298 captured. Civilian losses may have been as much as 125,000. These figures are surely high for the German side, but an undoubtedly catastrophic loss of life occurred at the close of this titanic conflict.
Not that anyone cares, but I respect the German Army and soldier of the 1940s, the Deutsche Heere, though their cause was bad. I respect the Russian soldiers too, who took the grisly fight to conclusion.Very brave men, to put it mildly.
May 9 is fast upon us and with it the Russian Victory Parade. Will RF forces achieve significant victory over the weekend? Unlikely. But readers, let's not forget this "rule." It goes like this, do not go to war against Russia. It ends badly, see Napoleon and Der Fuhrer.
Cheers,
LSP
