Unternehmen Barbarossa

[womzilla]

The largest, bloodiest, and arguably stupidest war in human history began 64 years ago today (still today for three more minutes): The Great Fatherland War, aka The Push to the East, aka Where World War II Really Took Place.

"Never get involved in a land war in Asia."

Comments

[necturus.livejournal.com]

Вставай, страна огромная,
Вставай на смертный бой
С фашистской силой темною,
С проклятою ордой.
-- "Holy War", V. Lebedev-Kumach (1941)

(roughly: Arise, great nation, to deadly battle
against fascist horde and force of darkness!)

[mattapp.livejournal.com]

"... but only slightly less well known is this: never go up against a Sicilian when DEATH is on the line!"

Sorry, can't hear or read the "land war in Asia" line without thinking that.

[bugsybanana.livejournal.com]

I still think WWI was ultimately dumber, but I do see your point.

And One Year Before...

[(Anonymous)]

...on June 22, 1940, Hitler received the surrender of the French, and danced a little jig.

I know that the date's purely a coincidence, and that Barbarossa was intended to start earlier, but it is interesting to think that the same date commemorates one of the greatest triumphs of the Third Reich (certainly one of the most statisfying for Hitler) and the commencement of what would (thankfully) destroy it.

And even more interesting then to remember the reactions of the Senators from Missouri to the Invasion: Harry Truman, who thought that we should help Hitler if we saw that Stalin was winning and that we should help Stalin if we saw that Hitler was winning, and Bennett Champ Clark, who thought that both were too bloody-handed to deserve our aid.

Remember, world leaders, it's not just a land war in Asia you have to worry about, but a two front war as well!

Spacibo from the Sparrow.