Cybermat47 Posted October 24, 2013 Posted October 24, 2013 I've been looking at some pictures of the Battle of Stalingrad. Looks absolutely awful. What really gets me is that the Russians lost more troops. I guess that was because of policy of shooting deserters, and most people would want to get out of that hell-hole. The fact that the city's been rebuilt is extraordinary. R.I.P. all who fought there.
Feathered_IV Posted October 24, 2013 Posted October 24, 2013 If you can snag a copy, grab Anthony Beevor's Stalingrad book. Better yet, get the audiobook version for the trip to and from school (I listened to it on the work commute and enjoyed it immeasurably). It's a cracking read!
Zmaj76 Posted October 24, 2013 Posted October 24, 2013 (edited) I've been looking at some pictures of the Battle of Stalingrad. Looks absolutely awful. What really gets me is that the Russians lost more troops. I guess that was because of policy of shooting deserters, and most people would want to get out of that hell-hole. The fact that the city's been rebuilt is extraordinary. R.I.P. all who fought there. If we look at he percentages killed (compared to the full population of one country) Only Russia lost more ppl than the country in which I was born - ex Yugoslavia. I think thers very few families who didnt lost at least one of its member, in ex Yu. Edited October 24, 2013 by Tvrdi
Cybermat47 Posted October 24, 2013 Author Posted October 24, 2013 If you can snag a copy, grab Anthony Beevor's Stalingrad book. Better yet, get the audiobook version for the trip to and from school (I listened to it on the work commute and enjoyed it immeasurably). It's a cracking read! Ok, I'll look out for it. Thanks for the suggestion!
Rigel Posted October 24, 2013 Posted October 24, 2013 (edited) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pa0XfMCbuL8 best documentary movie about Stalingrad in my opinion. Edited October 24, 2013 by Rigel
MarcoRossolini Posted October 26, 2013 Posted October 26, 2013 That doco is really good... but it does kind of brush over some of the darker sides of Soviet actions in Germany and the like, at least from what I've seen...
HeavyCavalrySgt Posted October 26, 2013 Posted October 26, 2013 I've been looking at some pictures of the Battle of Stalingrad. Looks absolutely awful. What really gets me is that the Russians lost more troops. I guess that was because of policy of shooting deserters, and most people would want to get out of that hell-hole. The fact that the city's been rebuilt is extraordinary. R.I.P. all who fought there. I think partly that, and partly the way penal battalions were staffed by every one from people who might have actually been deserters to political prisoners to Soviet POWs who had been liberated and were suspected of cowardice because they were captured. General Zhukov famously told General Eisenhower that minefields didn't change the way Soviet infantry attacked, which makes sense if the penal battlaion guys are leading the way and are supposed to find and clear the minefields by running through them.
MarcoRossolini Posted October 27, 2013 Posted October 27, 2013 There are stories of how soldiers actually felt guilty about being wounded and taken away from the fighting and actually wanted to go back there to be with their comrades. I believe there was also this overwhelming feeling of pride because (supposedly) they felt that they were fighting in one of the pivotal parts of the war...
HeavyCavalrySgt Posted October 28, 2013 Posted October 28, 2013 There are stories of how soldiers actually felt guilty about being wounded and taken away from the fighting and actually wanted to go back there to be with their comrades. I believe there was also this overwhelming feeling of pride because (supposedly) they felt that they were fighting in one of the pivotal parts of the war... I think that is still true today, about soldiers not being their for their comrades. I know it was hard for me: after I seperated from the Army, my unit deployed to Iraq. I really felt badly that I wasn't with them.
Feathered_IV Posted October 28, 2013 Posted October 28, 2013 There are stories of how soldiers actually felt guilty about being wounded and taken away from the fighting and actually wanted to go back there to be with their comrades. I believe there was also this overwhelming feeling of pride because (supposedly) they felt that they were fighting in one of the pivotal parts of the war... Lilya Litvak did a runner twice from hospital to return to her unit. No small thing when she ran the very real risk of being mistaken for a deserter.
HeavyCavalrySgt Posted October 28, 2013 Posted October 28, 2013 Lilya Litvak did a runner twice from hospital to return to her unit. No small thing when she ran the very real risk of being mistaken for a deserter. Particularly ironic because when she was shot down and went missing, that seems to have been the assumption.
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