obeytheLaws
304868
8553
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Some more cool facts about the Night Witches.
* The regiment was made up entirely of women volunteers in their late teens and early twenties.
* Due to the weight of the bombs and the low altitude of flight, the pilots carried no parachutes.
*An attack technique of the night bombers was to idle the engine near the target and glide to the bomb release point, with only wind noise left to reveal their location. German soldiers likened the sound to broomsticks and named the pilots "Night Witches."
* It was the most highly decorated all-women unit in the Soviet Air Force, each pilot having flown over 800 missions by the end of the war and twenty-three having been awarded the Hero of the Soviet Union title.
Here's the Wikipedia page on them: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Night_Witches
Justaguypassingthrough
Silent Banshee's.
WillDrug
There's a cool Sabaton song about them. Love that part of history
ButchTheBully
Sabaton - Night Witches (look up on youtube)
TheLastOfTheDinos
Instantly thought of Sabaton https://youtu.be/C7NSUFDHFgg
Ailobyte
Ah great, now the Sabaton song is stuck in my head again, thanks...
Souljah42
Their leader flew 200 missions and was never captured. Deja Vu?
Jenesuiscomprendpas
"But, remember, women never did anything in history." Where was this person taught?
Lilshadow48
Tumblr.
ninjaoftheworld
Russian women are the best women.
SerMorgenstern
Undetected, unexpected
Maraak
+1 for cool WW2 story, -1 for fucking tumblrina bullshit.
ibakenaked
I favorited just to tell any future daughters I have.
ShepardCom
Sabaton, a Swedish power metal band has an amazing song about them on their heroes album.
CritHam
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C7NSUFDHFgg
NaughtButAMadManWalksAlone
Yes, Infinitely Yes. Sabaton is my personal favourite metal band, because history is fucking awesome. Gott Mit Uns 'n' shit.
voguemouse
What is it about metal bands and history?
DeadliestPool
Do they perform the "Gott mit uns" the same way in every country? Here in Germany they change that line to "Noch ein Bier"
Aryalla
I saw Sabaton on 70000 tons of Metal 2013! By far one of my favorites!
AFreakingMango
FROM THE DEPTHS OF HELL IN SILENCE. CAST THEIR SPELLS EXPLOSIVE VIOLENCE. RUSSIAN NIGHT TIME FLIGHT PERFECTED. FLAWLESS VISION UNDETECTED.
Aerolfoz
Pushing on and on their planes are going strong, somewhere down below they're looking for the foe: BOMBERS ON THE RUN
stirge
AND ITS SO GOOD
IamLrrrRulerofthePlanetOmicronPerseiVIII
INTO THE MOTHERLAND THE GERMAN ARMY MARCHED!
Killstealer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ba1totv_FV4
Unconventional
Sabaton is my favorite band of all time because I am a huge history nerd. You have no idea how happy this comment made me.
Unconventional
Am upvoting everyone who replied positively to said comment.
TheAstarion
Saw Sabaton as a warm-up for Dragonforce. Lead singer was blown away by the overwhelming applause. Everyone walked away from that happier.
xxJulieFlugtxx
@OP listen to ALL of Sabaton if you like metal and history.
jagecage
And so so many more gems
ShepardCom
Resist and Bite is one of my favorite songs of all time. Those fucking sweds know their metal man.
jagecage
I like 40 to 1. I've got some polish in me and it's cool to have that history.
GiantButtHead
Yeah it's actually one of my favorite songs they made.
IamLrrrRulerofthePlanetOmicronPerseiVIII
Which song is it?
GiantButtHead
Night Witches by Sabaton here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C7NSUFDHFgg
IamLrrrRulerofthePlanetOmicronPerseiVIII
Thanks
DaymanAaaah
I saw Sabaton with Trivium and Huntress in concert. One of my top 5 favorite live shows.
ReptilianPokemaster
My first Sabaton concert was the best of my life.
lykelig
Sabaton is definitely one of the most entertaining bands around right now.
bigboi102
From the depths of hell in silence
velvetelvis77
Aerolfoz
Canvbas wings of death, prepare to meet your fate: Night Bomber Regiment 588.
Reeder016
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C7NSUFDHFgg
Reeder016
Sabaton- Night Witches
Hujijiwatchi
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C7NSUFDHFgg
Beepity
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C7NSUFDHFgg
ImProbablyJoking
They were pretty ballsy.
Johnny5Aces
They don't teach this in history class because all we learn about is fucking cultural change. I too would like to learn about wars. This 1/2
Johnny5Aces
Is the cycle - how did war start, how did they recover, cultural change. WE ALWAYS SKIP THE INTERESTING WAR PART. Rant done 2/2
Rabh
jesus kid you can read about things in your own time too
Johnny5Aces
I do read things in my own time
lunncal
You can, but when your entire experience with history is what you get in schools you probably won't. I used to think I hated history.
swedishmaniac
As a future history teacher: you learn about wars just not as much. The knowledge of what these women did, isn't helping you understand 1/2
swedishmaniac
society as of today. You do learn about events with bigger impact (the causes leading up to a conflict or important events, like D-day) 2/2
swedishmaniac
As a sidenote: if you are interested in these sort of events, ask your teacher to help you find books about it
Thatguywhohatedhislastusername
FROM THE DEPTHS OF HELL IN SILENCE CAST THEIR SPELLS EXOLOSIVE VIOLENCE RUSSIAN NIGHTTIME FLIGHT PERFECTED FLAWLESS VISION UNDETECTED
TinyLiehon
For some reason I read that as if reciting the Green Lantern Oath
TheYoungBear
Sabaton? Sabaton
Varkit777
(Repeat first bars, until...) PUSHING ON AND ON, THE PLANES ARE GOING STRONG
SmellsLikeRocks
FUCK YEAH SABATON! Teaching me history while simultaneously giving me the most raging metal boners.
maximinusthrax1
One of my favorite songs from one my favorite bands.
InboxMeYourHDGIFs
Pushing on and on, their planes are going strong, air force's number one Somewhere down below they're looking for the foe bomber's on a run!
GeraltOfRivia19
YOU CAN'T HIDE YOU CAN'T MOVE JUST ABIDE THEIR ATTACkS BEEN PROVED raiders in the dark! SILENT THROUGH THE NIGHT THE WITCHES JOIN THE FIGHT
superllamabatman
fuckin come to australia already sabatoooooooon
blcollier
First Sabaton album I ever heard and it happens to be Heroes. Fucking love that album.
Freakingdoomguy
Same here brothe4
TheLustyArgonianMaid123
UNDETECTED, UNEXPECTED, WINGS OF GLORY TELL THEIR STORY AVIATION DEVIATION, UNDETECTED STEALTH PERFECTED
Thisiscotty
YES SABATON
TheRealFireFrenzy
For those who aint know shit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C7NSUFDHFgg
Thisiscotty
I saw them + alestorm last year in manchester, best gig iv been to. /a/Li8GR
volatilechemicals
POWER METAL BONER: ENGAGED
Aerolfoz
Pushing on and on their planes are goinmg strong, somewhere down below they're looking for the foe, BOMBERS ON THE RUN
ThePastmaster
Can't hide, can't move, their attack's been proved! RAIDERS IN THE DARK! Silent through the night, the witches join the fight.
ThePastmaster
NEVER MISS THEIR MARK!
NightingGale6
HELL YEAH SABATON!
Darthkraytthefirst
CANVAS WING OF DEATH PREPARE TO MEET YOUR FATE, NIGHT BOMBER REGIMENT, 588!
PianoandPads
Come on Hollywood, how about making a war movie about these women? You've just made a film about everything else.
Arielle6856
Has Hollywood ever made a movie with Russian heroes?
PianoandPads
I can't say, but I think it would make a great movie. There's always a first time for everything. Wait , does Doctor Zhivago count?
Jubilieus
Maybe in the future, but Right now I find it highly doubtful they would just for political reasons
GilderoyPopDropNLockart
Enemy at the Gates
Nuttsy
Stalingrad veterans really, REALLY didn't care for that movie. Though, I haven't managed to confirm claims of it causing a riot among them.
GilderoyPopDropNLockart
The scene with Russians machine gunning their own men definitely wasn't flattering, it's been awhile since I watched it though
Nuttsy
There's also the part with half the Red Army troops being unarmed in the attack, and probably some other stuff.
DogmeatIsAGoodDog
No gonna lie. I was ready to call bullshit on this given its tumblr origins. But holy pizza-bagels this is legit.
herdingcatsthatarehighoncatnip
+1 for Holy Pizza-bagels.
ukarage
"They have to climb on the wings to restart the props" : wikipedia page : plane has no props on the wings :/
SirCasemIII
I assumed that meant that they climbed out of the cockpit and stood on the wings to restart the engine
PantsShittinglyAwesomeUsername
The wiki page says they'd just idle the engines, not cut them out. Besides, you can't reach the prop from the wing.
SirCasemIII
Oh I know that, I was just referring to OP's statement of them climbing on the wings to restart not meaning there was an engine on the wing
PantsShittinglyAwesomeUsername
I see. Have a nice weekend!
Damari
Hey man I thought the exact same thing. Tumblr is always making up profemale propaganda, so it makes you doubt everything posted there
Damari
Except the sherlock gay porn. Without a doubt that stuff is legit
Mimsey
Check out the female snipers the USSR fielded in WW2 as well. One ended up over 200 confirmed kills, another died shielding her commander.
Heckspress
lyudmila!
theuniverseissobigthatnothinginitmatterssowhogivesasquanch
I bet The Sword could write a bitchin song about this. Does anybody know how to get in touch with them?
Reeder016
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C7NSUFDHFgg
SoulOfTheGinger
Sabaton
theuniverseissobigthatnothinginitmatterssowhogivesasquanch
SoulOfTheGinger
Sabayon already did
ColonKoala
Sorry, gotta call bullshit. The planes are so old they can carry bombs but not a 5 lbs parachute? 1/2
Nuttsy
Actual reasons were probably altitude and comfort: You can't jump out at low altitude, and even high altitude pilots would take more room.
ColonKoala
I'll believe they turned off old engines to reduce noise and bomb, thus night witches. But they did not climb onto the fucking wing 2/3
ColonKoala
This is what happens when you take a cool true story, then feminists get hold of it
Nuttsy
Well, details getting maimed is pretty much a staple of oral history, so at least internet is not taking that away form us, right? Right?
sunlitglo
Can we see a fucking movie about this cool shit instead of more remakes please!?!?!!
AmaIthea
Anyone got Mila Kunis number. I think we should get her in on this.
4p0cryph4
No, but have some more Ghostbusters movies instead.
Britich
Russian Film companies make a fair number of ww2 movies, one of the better ones was "The Fortress" you might need to learn ruski.
DeannaZone
I feel we need this in the underated princes post thingies that keep happening.
Yanov
That would require American audiences to try to empathise with protagonists that aren't American, though.
nonamejanie
I'd watch this shit so much!
spetcnaz
As a ex Soviet citizen I can attest that USSR had the real feminism down right from the beginning.
welluhwhatdoyouwantmetosay
https://www.nytimes.com/video/opinion/100000002612480/the-night-witch.html
Nadhez
With the success of Hidden Figures, I hope we'll see more movies like it.
capughe
I want a game
Cosmogonic
there's a french comic with one of these. cheesy romance and nazi suicide planes involved
Cosmogonic
made a mistake it's le grand duc by Romain Hugault.
Cheetahwerewolf
There is one. It's called Night Witches in the sky and was released in 1981
Killstealer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ba1totv_FV4
memesis
How about a roleplaying game? http://bullypulpitgames.com/games/night-witches/
ravnicatopchef
They'll make one we never hear about and remake it and thats the one we'll watch that one instead.
BrandonianFlynnigan
OfficialManOfImgur
AlcoholicPants
Mom, Imgurs doing that thing again!
TheMagicalMushroom
"What thing! Imgur does a bunch of weird things!"
ThePlayerFormerlyKnownAsYesfredfred
ScourgeOfAges
They won't make it. They will make one about the squadron of AMERICAN women bomber pilots, that somehow still stars a dude.
sunlitglo
Tarantino needs to get in on this ... But he'll add some Japanese chicks
Forgotmyoldaccountbutohwell
You mean, no more remakes or pointless movies about phone emotes and hotdogs.
MrUnderstooD90
I second that
NameUser10
Can't. They're from Soviet Russia. We can't have A WAR movie without GOOD OL AMERICAN ACTION HELL YEAH
MMH0
Battle for Sevastopol might interest you, it's on amazon prime. It's about a female soviet sniper who killed over 300 men. Was quite good.
Kravik
There's a metal song at least. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C7NSUFDHFgg
TheStargateIsReal
Try to find "the dawns are quiet here" with English subs
ssrakla
They'll make one and put mens instead of women as actors
NameUser10
Nah that would start an entirely different shit show
NightingGale6
There's a sooooooooooooong. And it's by Sabaton.
Mimsey
So long as they make it relatively truthful and lay off all the chauvinistic "gurl power!" circlejerking.
ellekitty
Haha, as if. But one can hope?
cupcake2138
Please
Asesandu
I know nothing about a movie, but here's an anime version http://ww1.gogoanime.io/category/brave-witches
sunlitglo
Very cool. I'm gonna watch this
bieel16
Yeah... I don't think Hollywood will be making any films about Russian BAMFs anytime soon.
sunlitglo
We love Nazi films if they're good looking...
Amonrob
don't be so sure. this is the trump era now.
spetcnaz
Yeah according to Hollywood WW2 started in 1944 with Normandie landing.
FuzzyX
Yeah the USA only joined once Russia had largely beat the Germans and everyone moved in for the big finish to push them on all 3 fronts.
spetcnaz
The Western allies hoped for mutual destruction of Nazí Germany and USSR and were stalling with the opening of the second, western front.
Sipulikeitto
Don't say that shit out loud! If I know Hollywood at all, Michael Bay will get the contract to direct the film...
sunlitglo
I whispered it... Very quietly. Almost like an ASMR video
codblackcocks
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-5cVgjJZu4&list=PLdpL2DKF8kOioG5ddT0580VLTfnQT7X1i who needs a movie when there's a docu
fleacollerindustry
Don't ask someone else to make it. Make it yourself. That way it'll be as good as you want it.
YodasLeftEar
can u give me $30m ?
iamstormtroll
Yeah but only if you agree that it's done in a Bollywood screenstyle.
Getthecottonoutofyomouth
Dot
sunlitglo
All I got is my cell phone and 2 Russian girlfriends. I'm gonna need more wigs and makeup
Mavgurian
W nebje Notschnije Wedmy (1982) by Jewgenija Andrejewna Schigulenko - tell me if you find it online.
Mavgurian
Night Witches In The Sky (В небе ночные ведьмы) was directed by Evgenia Zhigulenko (Евгения Жигуленко)
sunlitglo
Aaaagh!! Only Russian captions.
Mavgurian
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8k_D0v6uJzI
sneakysneakysoysauce
https://www.facebook.com/Thenightwitchesmovie/
sunlitglo
Shut up!! I'm into this!
sneakysneakysoysauce
Had to go digging ya know.
BovineLeader
They should make a movie about them!
PizzaGovorun
There's at least one. How's your Russian, though?
gaystoner
Kinda shit, tbh.
bongalove
'Subtitles'
JeffreyBarter
There is another one that is really really good. It is called "А зори здесь тихие". Similar concept: women at war. It is heartbreaking.
PizzaGovorun
Didn't see the movie. Read the book quite a few years ago, tho.
JeffreyBarter
PizzaGovorun...
Stacyanna
Mines passable on a Tuesday
passerdomesticus
That's not good enough, Stacy
Stacyanna
Sorry raised in the USA
sunlitglo
I got nyet down!!
TheWombatStrikesAgain
You won't like the ending though. After the war they were slandered, attacked and many of the mothers among them never got their kids back.
shmekie
It can be a teaching point about the dangers of dictators
Hellguin
That is OK, Hollywood will gloss over that and either end it early, or give it a happy ending.
Huntergorh
You got a downvote, but that is often what Hollywood directors do. Tragedy doesnt quite sell like a triumphant tale, and they're in it 1/2
Huntergorh
For the money.
NameUser10
Idk. Tragedy can be pretty fucking effective
Ihavewaytoomanyfavoritestosort
No one ever said women did nothing in history, random tumblr user.
HandsomeSwede
Well...I've actually heard/read many people say women didn't really contribute to anything remarkable in history. It happens, sadly.
Zahnradfee
Exactly. I've also heard things like that.
Irishda
No but it is annoying to hear us still debate on women in combat roles
Thatguywhohatedhislastusername
I can't stand that they had to say that.
dm6776
They're tumblr users, they have to make everything sexist.
[deleted]
[deleted]
dm6776
In this day and age? Maybe back when this happened. 15 year old girls today aren't suffering this.
[deleted]
[deleted]
Isrslydonthavetimeforthis
But they did in fact do very little because they were not allowed to do anything, right? Or have I missed sth?
Ihavewaytoomanyfavoritestosort
Which is what makes the women who WERE able to make names for themselves all the more awesome.
p75369
It gets used as a counter argument when we ask for more in media with a historical slant all the time.
[deleted]
[deleted]
TheAccursedHamster
Who? Who says that? What "dude" is saying that? Far right old men don't count.
Kiore
I've had this said to me more than once just on imgur, and certainly offline IRL. I'm surprised at how dubious people are.
Zahnradfee
Well, when you can deny sexism actually exists, you don't need to do anything against it. :/
GuardsmanMiku
very few dudes say that.
ohdeepthought
Yeah Helen, cleo, Victoria, Boudacea (can't spell it), Anzac biscuits, Mary Ellen pleasant, rosa parks, suffrage the list goes on.
[deleted]
[deleted]
ohdeepthought
They can try but it's hard to pretend these women didn't exist when they were part of history.
ohdeepthought
I met Fiona wood the other day that woman has made so much change to burns units globally I'd laugh in anyone's face who said otherwise.
majorbojangles
Joan of Arc, Marie Curie, Earhart, Cleopatra, Betty Friedan... Like you said the list goes on :p
Shargan8
And a mega shit ton of Soviet women in combat roles, from snipers over pilots to tank units.
Imwaytoobadwithchoosingusernames
So about how many women have you learned in history classes?
Ihavewaytoomanyfavoritestosort
Plenty, although the people in the comments have already given many examples.
FutureDolphin
To be fair I wouldn't be able to name any men either.
ImASkeletonDontTrustMe
Lets see, queen Elizabeth I, queen Maria I of Portugal, Shanawdithit, Saint mother Teresa, Joan of Arc, Maria Theresa, Marie Antoinette 1/?
ImASkeletonDontTrustMe
Cleopatra, here in Canada its recognized that native american societies were largely matriarchal. How about you try to at least notice 2/?
Ihavewaytoomanyfavoritestosort
One of my favorites was hearing about Justinia. Went from Prostitute to a fucking Empress.
ImASkeletonDontTrustMe
things that don't fulfill your personal bias
Imwaytoobadwithchoosingusernames
I'm from Germany, we have as far as I remember not learned about so many... Rosa Luxemburg and Ulrike Meinhof stayed in my mind 1/
HAILS4TIN
I've never met one person who said women didn't do anything important in history.
Lilshadow48
Tumblr.
kojenk
more so, i've mostly seen stories of female participation ignored and left unsaid rather than openly stated as non-existing.
Mangron
I've actually have, and heard them say women are still useless, tbf him and I were in high school
Isrslydonthavetimeforthis
Well not anything. But very little and I think the reply was exaggerating for emphasis.
HAILS4TIN
Probably right.
DrippySpaffMungeBimp
Tumblr tends to exaggerate in that regard. Though the role of women on the battlefields of WW2 do deserve a closer look in schools.
Zahnradfee
I've read a master thesis about the treatment of women in the Italian resistance after the war. Their contributions were negated and they >
Zahnradfee
were also called whores because they spent so much time in the company of men (aka. their comrades).
HAILS4TIN
I agree with that, but your right just typical tumblr exaggerating
nousernamesavailable
Don't ever go into a MRA forum
HAILS4TIN
What's that?
[deleted]
[deleted]
HAILS4TIN
Ah ok.
MrAndersonn
Men's Rights Activists
MachineInterface
You know what you actually *never* hear about? Tales about great wehrmacht soldiers of world war II. Like I'm sure out there there was 1/
ICanSeeForever
Erich Hartman. Highest scoring fighter ace in history. Survived the war and racked up 352 kills.
MoyerTheDestroyer47
Well Sabaton at least made a song for Ghost Division, and No Bullets Fly.
blcollier
FUCKING LOVE No Bullets Fly, properly moving story. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x02g4-XT_VU
Nuttsy
The nature of German politics at the time make it considerably harder to find remarkable individuals that aren't complete assholes as well.
crushingbore
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9FkYxnm70vg
MachineInterface
a German sniper who scored loads of kills, or a squad lost behind enemy lines that made it back to their base against all odds. 2/
Aerolfoz
The 12th Army that linked up with the 9th and foguht their way over the Elbe to surrender to the West, saving thousands.
MachineInterface
You hear these stories for Japanese or Finnish soldiers, but Germans?
majorbojangles
History, for the most, is written by the victors
Rabh
Yeah and with good reason in WW2
GarandM1
Stop spouting this cliche 14 year olds use to sound insightful. It just isn't true. Anyone can write history. In fact, most of the myths (1)
GarandM1
(2) about the Eastern front come from German sources because the Soviets did not allow many historians access to their WWII records during
cyberspork
The US also didn't want to have "soviet influence" over here, and we tried to scrub it some to justify op paperclip as well
GarandM1
(3) the Cold War. Our understanding of The Eastern Front is actually more shaped by the loser than the victor. German sources tend to play
GarandM1
(4) up myths like the Clean Wehrmacht, "overwhelming Asiatic hoards", and that they were only stopped by the Russian winter.
GarandM1
(5) Access to German sources was much easier to get than Soviet, resulting in decades of mostly German narratives shaping our view.
helgur
You don't hear much about them, because they where the assholes trying to force Europe into a totalitarian evil genocidal dictatorship
Muffdiver9
The soldiers were just normal men following orders and angry at Europe for brutalizing it's nation after WWI, they did have real grievances.
helgur
Bullshit https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clean_Wehrmacht#The_myth_debunked
TheVityaz
You come to this clean Wehrmacht just following orders muh german wank with facts and shit? This image hosting site is an apologist cesspit.
helgur
I know, but judging by the downvotes I get to upset a few wehraboos and that's at least something, isn't it?
KajL
The Treaty of Versailles went easier on Germany than Germany's previous treaties went on their enemies. They barely paid a fraction anyways.
Muffdiver9
In addition they didn't see Hitler as evil nor did they know about the genocide, the overwhelming majority of soldiers weren't aware.
GarandM1
They were aware because they fucking participated. The Wehrmacht was guilty like the SS.
helgur
The overwhelming majority of soldiers where quite aware. The Wehrmacht was responsible for a lot of serious warcrimes themselves
Muffdiver9
This all relates pretty much exclusively to the treatment of Soviet troops, the genocide I was referring to was the Holocaust.
cyberspork
Why are you so keen on being a literal Nazi apologist?
helgur
No, it isn't. Night and Fog decree, Mass murder of Polish civilians, Persecution of Jews. The list goes on and on.
perlcat
True; the wermacht fought bravely and honorably -- the SS was a different story, though.
TheWombatStrikesAgain
That's mostly a myth. The Wehrmacht did horrible shit too.
dieselpunk
The Red Army was no better than the Wehrmacht.
perlcat
True; they won, and it's the winners that write history books, not the losers.
GarandM1
Bullshit.
Rabh
its not even mostly a myth, it's completely a myth
xxJohnxx77
Well, every army did.
GarandM1
Saying that is a cheap way to make it sound as if all are equivalent because everyone did something bad which is ridiculous. You don't (1)
Rabh
Not on the scale of the Nazis though
GarandM1
(4) was ever harmed for refusing to participate. So everyone did something, but that does not even remotely imply moral equivalence.
GarandM1
(3) and not just the SS conducted the largest genocide in human history. They knew it was happening and often participated willingly. No one
GarandM1
(2) British or American troops with pistols to the back a civilian's head as they sit crouched over a mass grave. The German army
ThingsYouCantUnsee
Cause they were russian. Thats why you dont hear about it. The russians deserve a shit load of credit for winning the war.
Bassaker
as an imgerman, i think the italians get to less credit for winning the war for the allies ;)
krazyleer
Haha, i think the italians were the russians greatest help at the beginning of operation barbarossa
spetcnaz
Soviet not just Russian
Tver937
I grew up in Russia and then moved to the US, I was pretty disgusted with their education on history. I don't believe that Russia won 1/2
AnimeisCancer
The Russian Military tactic was get as many people as you could and walk in a direction, the enemy was bound to run out of bullets soon
Dipityseren
Steady on there, Valdimir, once Russia keeps their noses out of other people's elections, we'll talk. And leave the fkn Ukraine alone.
Tver937
2/2 the entire war, but it's absolutely safe to say that America didn't. Except everyone in the US feels that they did.
Darknight133
Not the entire war, but a good chunk of it. People tend to forget that the Axis powers were Italy, Japan and Germany. The russians (1/?)
Darknight133
Halted Hitler's eastern march but the Us and Uk fought in the Pacific isles, Africa, and the western front. Russians had no presence there.
Tver937
Yeah like I said, I don't believe Russia won the entire war, I'm just saying they certainly had a bigger part in it than US
CompelledCynic
I've seen some Russian docos about WW2 and you're 100% right. Most of us westerners are delusional regarding how big of a part we played.
FPAwperbad
The Soviet Regime was not better than the Nazis.
Electrogourd
In public school I didn't hear anything about Russia besides "cold war bad guys". Thankfully I learned most history outside of school
rando84
Their postwar occupation of Europe was only marginally better than Hitler's, it's hard to paint too rosy a picture out of that outcome.
IgnisInvictus
Yes they do. No one ever seems to realize the sheer magnitude of their military contribution.
agentz712x
Still, the German West army, after surrendering to the Americans asked them if they could join together and push the Soviets back.
agentz712x
MacArthur wanted to do the same with the communist Chinese but was also shut down. The world would be very different now indeed
agentz712x
And Patton wanted to push the Soviets back all the way, but he was shut down
GrumpySealy
This. The scale of the Eastern front was absolutely enormous, yet the contribution seems to be almost unrealised.
Funtclaps
Only in America. Growing up in England, there was huge emphasis on the fact the Russians won the war.
SargentOblivious
Who yhe fuck is down voting you guys?
Loy71
Americ@ns?
GrumpySealy
Ah that'd makes sense for Europe. We're a bit further away so it isn't exactly taugh at school, so many people seem dependent on movies etc
magisch
Russia wasn't that much better then nazi germany during ww2 with stalin and the gulags and whatnot.
dangeroushorses
They also deserve a shitload of credit for being on the other side. It's hard to label them as heroes when they started out cool with Nazis.
Episkopos
America started out cool with the Nazis too...
ThatAssholeOverThere
Last I checked there was no treaties or agreements between the two
raidleadergutts
No official treaties or agreements. Nazis were pretty popular in the US.
dangeroushorses
Incorrect. America started out not involved in the war with troops, but still provided supplies to the Allies.
ThingsYouCantUnsee
And financed the reich.
DumpoldRant
George W. Bush's grandfather Prescott Bush helped funnel millions of dollars to Hitler as director of BBH. And it was mostly legal.
dangeroushorses
Russia started out the war with commiting their army to helping Germany invade Poland.
Isrslydonthavetimeforthis
...but the others were worse!
PassiveAggressiveHotdogVendor
They did. Russia also knew Hitler had been ranting about them / communism forever, so they signed a pact in hopes of delaying the inevitable
yak3ftw
Stalin would have started the war had Hitler not. Hence Operation Barbarossa, the Germans attempting to fight the war on their terms.
override367
Most countries that makes movies make movies about their own country, or sometimes the US does about the UK because we want their approval
CrissCross35
They won, but at an incredible bloody price. Millions of millions of people were sent to their deaths with crappy gear and little food.
rando84
To be fair, Stalin somehow managed to get millions of Russians killed even in peacetime.
thePoozer
People always forget that winter is a thing when they try to invade Russia for some reason
Larkos
In fairness, the Germans won the last time using a much better strategy.
Nuttsy
That was a much, much shittier Russia than the one where they thought they could just waltz right into Moscow and call it a war.
Larkos
While true, invading part of Russia and letting them fall to internal strife is better than overextending in the Russian winter.
Nuttsy
"Invading part of Russia and...," simply won't work because the moment you try to put the second part into action, you have an angry horde-
randomlettrs
Well, Soviet union forgot winter when trying to invade Finland for some reason. Still independent, 100 years this year.
krauraurgg
The Germans invaded in the early summer and didn't get kicked out until three years later, so winter only did some of the work.
imhungry151
Winter only did so much. When Russians retreated they burned everything making German supply lines run thin. 1/2
ThingsYouCantUnsee
Persians, nazis, napolean. Amateurs.
witchsword
Though when napoleon was almost about to conquer moscow, ruskies burned it down.
imhungry151
Also Stalin didn't care how many Russians died from battle and famine due to the fact they burned all of their fields. 2/2
Nuttsy
Well, he didn't really have to: Dear ol' Uncle Adolf pissed off plenty other people with and abundance of farmland and cargo ships.
tetter99
Bullshit, the other allies ended up doing a shit ton in Europe. Russia also only fought a one front war.
Dragonboy393
A one front war that continually weakened the nazis. Without the soviets our world would be way different.
boopitybapity
Soviets also had the highest death toll by a fuck ton
IgnisInvictus
Worked the statistics out once, their military casualties were > all other countries combined. Lost something like 30% of their population.
boopitybapity
That's nuts
dangeroushorses
That's more the Germans fault than it is Russias heroics. Russia was perfectly content to work with Germany carving up Europe at first.
boopitybapity
They also had the most casualties but like an entire fuck ton
selfdefenseagainstfreshfruit
The man in the high castle different
IgnisInvictus
Sure the other allies did a shit ton in Europe, Russia? 35 million military casualties, that's more than every other country combined.
dangeroushorses
While I don't think they did less, throwing more lives away doesn't mean they did more. They didn't even arm all their soldiers.
vampirehedgehog
It's really frustrating how many believe the myth that many Soviet troops didn't have weapons. They were better equipped than the Germans.
ltcwheatex
Not true. Have you seen Enemy at the Gates? Awesome flick about whom? A Russian sniper in WWII. It's cause no one knows about it. Maybe now.
Funtclaps
That movie is banned in parts of Russia. It's horribly, horribly inaccurate.
RevanTheJedi
Where did you get this information from? It's false
magisch
Russia wasn't that much better then nazi germany during ww2 with stalin and the gulags and whatnot.
MoyerTheDestroyer47
Except without the allies they would have lost. The allies provided them with steel for their vehicles/ammunition/weapons.
yak3ftw
The USSR would have fallen had the west not provided massive lend lease or removed the threat of Japanese invasion.
AmazonBoxMonster
What would japan invade Siberia?
yak3ftw
Why wouldn't they? Japan was hellbent on expansion due to lack of resources on their shitty island.
ProgeriaProstitutes
And vice versa. 8/10 dead nazis was killed by a soviet.
MoyerTheDestroyer47
And the allies kept the Germans from being able to focus every resource they had on the Eastern Front.
PassiveAggressiveHotdogVendor
Most of the German Army and equipment went to the East. Most of the German casualties occurred on the Eastern Front.
MoyerTheDestroyer47
2. Also again: without such deals as the Lend-Lease act, the USSR wouldn't have had the material for vital war items that decided victory.
PassiveAggressiveHotdogVendor
Lend lease had hardly made a scratch by the time the Germans were stopped before Moscow. After that it was a war of attrition which the 1/2
MoyerTheDestroyer47
Again: most. If Germany had been able to focus what they had in the West to the East instead, history definitely might've been different.
PassiveAggressiveHotdogVendor
The Germans were already exhausted by Summer 1942 in the east, the poorly equipped garrison divisions showing up in the East would only 1/2
UncleFester11
They also need credit for the starving all those innocent people+the gulags and the millions of other killed in various other horrible ways
NameUser10
Yeah but oh well
parpy
Word. Enemy of my enemy is not necessarily my friend. Hard to believe in my lifetime people are romanticizing communism (and naziism). Gross
stygyan
Yeah well. If we're going to be that way, how many people are starving today thanks to capitalism.
kongfuchicken
Can't lump everyone from a nation together. Some japanese were brave and stood up for what's right and some did fucked up shit in nanking.
spetcnaz
Yeah they get planety of flack for that. In fact that is all that US schools teach about them. Not the stuff that might look them good.
Shelest
These things don't cancel out. (Most of) people fighting on the frontline didn't serve as guards in gulags.
Insomnia297
Wait, are you suggesting complete, unbiased historical accuracy? You're a madman.
L0rdM0M0
Russia: The only country to ever do bad things
SchmittyJagermenjensen
If you ask apparently 3/4 of imgur its the other way around.
spetcnaz
Yup. My country got the short end of the stick a few times from them. However it is absolutely crazy to blame Russia for all the ills.
cupcake2138
Yeah but how about everything the Canadians and Americans did to Japanese people? No country hasn't done something they're not proud of.
SanSilv
Oh so now the US is as bad as Nazis? Cool.
Liquidbullets
While what happened in the states and Canada was bad, it's pretty ridiculous to compare it to the genocide of tens of millions.
PleaseNotTheFace
Inturnment =/ genocide. Apples and oranges.
DoPeopleActuallyReadUsernames
kind of like all those innocent people starving in the streets bc of capitalism + guantanamo bay and the millions of other horrific deaths
UncleFester11
They killed more people than capitalism ever usually through intentional tortorous starvation, shootings of innocent civilians or hellish
UncleFester11
Stays in gulags that could be described as near concentration camps I'm so tired of you commie fuck apogized for a man with almost
UncleFester11
Quadruple Hitlers kill count
hippyfrog
And the US deserves credit for bombing 400 allied POWs to death on 28 January, 1944.
rando84
What does inadvertent friendly fire have to do with anything? Of all the bad things done in the war, that seems pretty minor.
hippyfrog
As in, both sides killed people that shouldn't have really died. Gulags weren't like lotteries, they were punishment for criminals, POWs w/e
thiscannotpossiblygowrong
True! Though tbf, a big part of the reason the Soviet were effective in WW2 was their complete disregard for human life/suffering.
roadkillnecromancer
The enemy will choke on our dead!
yuraf
As they used to say, "they'll give birth to more"
stygyan
TBF? To be fucked?
dickwaffles
To be fair, my friend.
spetcnaz
Yes because when Nazis or western allies were bombing they were bombing with hugs and kisses.
spetcnaz
UASR and the Germans were the most effective and vicious because they had the most to lose.
thiscannotpossiblygowrong
It's worth noting that the Western Allies were callous in many areas, but still less so than the USSR and Germany. However, this was in 1/
ThingsYouCantUnsee
Parity requires us to nut up for all of the shit we pulled then. Bay of pigs, all the shit in south america, al qaeda etc.
HurtYou
Iran coup (Shah), Syria coup, backing Saddam, backing Osama, Noriega, Iran-Contra, backing oil-rich countries with human rights violations..
AR743
I feel, to be fair and reasonable, you need to define parity in a timeline.
Manieman
People think America did everything in ww2
johnson21
Those damn people again
TorvusBull
Hell, I didn't even know the Canadians had a part in WWII until I read it in a video game loading screen. Teachers never taught us that.
ZOMGNO
I'm from NZ. We're taught what the Aus/NZ did, and about Britain, African, European & Asian countries... but not really about the Americas
SchmittyJagermenjensen
Only everything bad.
ohdeepthought
TBH they helped Australia/NZ immensely seeing as the Brits had to ditch us we were left with our forces stretched thin.
whatexactlyisthefunctionofarubberduck
America joined so late
whatexactlyisthefunctionofarubberduck
But Britain should have joined earlier - I think
Mackeroy
we did an absolute shitload in the war, the russian bonzai charge would have been useless without the daylight bombings by us
Isrslydonthavetimeforthis
Yeah bombing civilians was the best!
TheDuke0fHazzard
The Soviets had been in a land war with Germany way before us. Our bombings would've been useless without their pressure in the East
lS7rikel
You could say it was allied effort. If anything America made its largest impact in the industrial side of the war.
Manieman
Wasn't the other allied counties getting tired and losing resources from fighting for so long
Pimo117
Correct me if I'm wrong but did the US provide the weapons, the Russians provided the manpower and the British provided some intelligence?
Isrslydonthavetimeforthis
Like a Russian soldier with an American gun that was told what to do by a brit? Idk seems odd.
Dragonboy393
By the time the US broke into the western front the Russians were already making advances towards Germany. They did way more than the US.
dangeroushorses
You're right, they also helped Germany invade Poland and executed tens or hundreds of thousands of people from there.
EyesLikeTheSky
Sounds like someone is forgetting the millions upon millions of dollars of lend lease given to the USSR!
vampirehedgehog
While it did have an effect, the 40 000 T-34s built by the Russians also had quite an impact.
Didthatjusthappen
Feed with US rations brought in on US trucks from US ships
imsurroundedbyassholes
*Americans think that, it's what we were taught in school.
diablodeldragoon
Gotta convince ourselves that we're the greatest nation in the world. Despite being well behind several nations in about every category,
diablodeldragoon
Except ignorance! We're ranked 5th most ignorant country as of last year.
KacerRex
We have four more people to go then.
TheDuke0fHazzard
My history teacher tried to push that war with Japan was uncalled for because only 7 people died at Pearl Harbor. 2/2
Dirtyeel
"This guy was arrested for shooting at people, he only killed one person though so he should be freed" your teacher's logic.
TheDuke0fHazzard
What logic? Beyond anything, a history teacher should know the death toll at Pear Harbor is a little more than 7. It was at least 12.
TheDuke0fHazzard
As a student of US public schools, we didn't learn shit. WW2 was covered in about 3 days. 1/2
Kasai
Also student of US public schools, we were on WWII for about 3 months, I then took an elective class that was a whole semester on WWII.
TheDuke0fHazzard
In highschool or college?