Operation Barbarossa was the codename for Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union during the Second World War. Beginning on 22 June 1941, over four million soldiers of the Axis powers invaded the USSR along a 2,900 km (1,800 mi) front, the largest invasion in the history of warfare. In addition to troops, Barbarossa used 600,000 motor vehicles and 750,000 horses. The ambitious operation was driven by Adolf Hitler's persistent desire to conquer the Soviet territories as embodied in Generalplan Ost. It marked the beginning of the pivotal phase in deciding the victors of the war. The German invasion of the Soviet Union caused a high rate of fatalities: 95% of all German Army casualties that occurred from 1941 to 1944, and 65% of all Allied military casualties from the entire war.

I had a relative that fought in the Great Patriotic War. Here is Mourka risking another one of his nine lives to carry the message attached to his collar through the rubble of Stalingrad in the winter of 1942. Mourka accompanied Soviet scouts as they reconnoitered the German lines and then carried messages detailing the German positions back to headquarters. Motivated by getting a treat back at the HQ field kitchen patriotism to the Motherland, Mourka faithfully carried out her messenger cat duties for several months until she disappeared and was declared missing in action. On January 23, 1943, the London Times wrote of Mourka: "She has shown herself worthy of Stalingrad, and whether for cat or man there can be no higher praise."

It's so sad when Collectivist fights Collectivist - it's like a family squabble writ large.

Or is that Socialist fights Socialist?

The Great Patriotic War caused 95% of German Army casualties between June 22, 1941 and June 6, 1944. This is due to to the fact that the Western Allies only mounted limited invasions in North Africa, Sicily and Italy. Once Overlord started, the percentage of German fatalities outside Russia increased drastically, to the point that 20% of the Wehrmacht and Luftwaffe fatalities occurred in the West by the end of the war.

Chairman Meow wrote:I had a relative that fought in the Great Patriotic War. Here is Mourka risking another one of his nine lives to carry the message attached to his collar through the rubble of Stalingrad in the winter of 1942. Mourka accompanied Soviet scouts as they reconnoitered the German lines and then carried messages detailing the German positions back to headquarters. Motivated by getting a treat back at the HQ field kitchen patriotism to the Motherland, Mourka faithfully carried out his messenger cat duties for several months until he disappeared and was declared missing in action. On January 23, 1943, the London Times wrote of Mourka: "He has shown himself worthy of Stalingrad, and whether for cat or man there can be no higher praise."

I was asked, while watching for Whom the Bell Tolls, "which side are the bad guys?", to which I replied "both". Having said that, the Russian capacity for suffering is beyond Western imagination...they really are not quite Westners.

Traditionaly thought their greatest strength it can be a weakness if it means accepting less than the possible.

As the decades have rolled by -for both natural reasons and bad - we've become homogenized with the rest of the world. While that contributes to increasing pluralities of those expecting more from governement, I find ourselves expecting so much less in those repects which counted the most for making this country something very special if but only for a dozen generations or so.

Not to worry, Comrade States - if not by the end of his second term, then certainly by the end of his third, Comrade President Obama will have made sure that the United Soviet States of America is wholly indistinguishable from the rest of the world.

Oh, the memories....I can just taste the wallpaper glue now! Wallpaper glue souffle, wallpaper glue hotcakes, wallpaper glue burgers....

And don't forget that refreshing morning shower of ice melt.

Kelly Ivanovna/келя ивановна wrote:Oh, the memories....I can just taste the wallpaper glue now! Wallpaper glue souffle, wallpaper glue hotcakes, wallpaper glue burgers....

And don't forget "Creamed Chipped Beef on Toast" i.e., SOS, Shit on a Shingle! You can Google or Bing the recipe! Isn't that exciting for the task of the day? (It's beginning to be the mode of the day.)