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It has been reported today in RT that President Vladimir Putin has not been invited by Poland to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the date of the invasion of Poland by Germany on 1st September.
https://www.rt.com/op-ed/467618-poland-russia-ww2-anniversary/This in my opinion is very sad as Russia and the former soviet republics played a major role in the defeat of the Nazis. I have been interested in Russia and the Russian language for about 5 years now. I was immediately put in mind of two documentaries I saw a few years ago which I intend to link here for those who are interested.
The documentaries were part of a series on world war two made for British television in 1973 called “The World at War”. Episode 11 “Red Star” is a more general discussion and features interviews with a number of people. Episode 9 “Stalingrad” unfortunately does not, perhaps as the series was made during the cold war.
Episode 11 is quite moving in places and opens with the words:
“No country, no people suffered so terribly in the war as the Soviet Union. Nowhere else are the memories of war so alive today [1973] and so profound. The German invasion brought about a catastrophe which it seemed at first no nation could survive. In the siege of Leningrad [St Petersburg] alone which lasted for over two years more human beings died than the total war dead of Britain and the United States combined. Yet it was here that Hitler was broken. The Russian people faced the possibility that they might perish and overcame it.”So I salute the Russian people and the people of the former soviet union for their courage and bravery in defending their homeland and helping to defeat the Nazis.
EPISODE 11: RED STAR
<iframe frameborder=”0″ width=”480″ height=”270″ src=”https://www.dailymotion.com/embed/video/x3p7bw7″ allowfullscreen allow=”autoplay”></iframe>EPISODE 9: STALINGRAD
<iframe frameborder=”0″ width=”480″ height=”270″ src=”https://www.dailymotion.com/embed/video/x3oeatq” allowfullscreen allow=”autoplay”></iframe>If the links do not work here are alternative direct links.
EPISODE 11:
https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x3p7bw7EPISODE 9:
https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x3oeatqThanks for bringing it here, John.
This day, September 1-st 1939, 80 years ago, the World War II started with the invasion of Nazi Germany into Poland.
Today, September 1-st 2019, Poland ceased to exist for me as an independent state with sane population.They announced “celebrations” of the event, not “commemoration events” as one could expect. They invited Germany as if forgetting who invaded their country. They invited Ukraine, as if forgetting Volyn massacre. They refused to invite Russia, as if 600 000 russian lifes sacrificed to liberate Poland just do not matter.
Shame on them!
Thank you dear presidents of Belosussia and president of Armenia, who were invited, but refused to participate!
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Every family in Russia is affected by the war.This is my grandfather, Kravtsov Vasiliy Ivanovich (left)
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1WVOvCnCKrEPfLPciy3S6CDkgiVvaDDcR/view?usp=sharing
This is my grandmother, Vorobtsova Tatyana Michailovna
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1N3r2eqP_dFo6SMzWrI36SL7hcqspRPwo/view?usp=sharing
please see them and say a couple of kind words, they no longer live with usTatyana said:
this day, 80 years ago, World War II had started with German invasion into Poland. Your Queen was 13 years old then, and my grandmother was 10.
Shame. But these events, who they invite etc, have little to do with the people in the country, & I’d imagine many so called “leaders’ (UK particularly) are sucking up to the US Russiagate narrative.
It’s like saying we accept the queen, I’d have lost faith in all UK sanity if I believed that really true. & Not that you vote for kings, but I’ve never ever taken one Pole that asked this, or on many of the other things they assert. My theory is there is a whole section of British society, namely the poor, who are more or less totally disengaged, & my experience of political party targeting confirms this…
& those that do engage? Their consent is heavily manufactured by press brainwashing.
I consider these things, & respect the memory. & I bet many ordinary people in Poland do also… I don’t know the details of Poland politically atm, but these are not friendly political times among the elite thanks to US aggression & all who go along with em.
it is said in the russian news, that Poland does not publish the list of invited countries.
I wonder, did they invite Israel as well?I think Mr. Netanijahu would greatly appreciate the opportunity to meet Ukrainian and Lithuanian presidents and to discuss their country’s participation in Holocaust. He must know about Łódź and Treblinka, maybe he would be excited to meet the current Head of the German State to discuss something with him, as the whole “festival” is devoted to the beginning of WW II.
Mr. Netanijahu may be excited to know that Ukraine have an avenue in Kiev named after Stephan Bandera. Or, to know they celebrate SS brigade anniversary, demonstrating banners saying “Ukraine will not forget the arrow with the Golden Lion on the sleeve”
https://strana.ua/news/198868-v-tsentre-kieva-natsionalisty-vyvesili-ohromnyj-banner-v-pamjat-o-natsistskoj-divizii-ss-halichina.html
Estonis, with their love to SS veterans? 18 citizens of Belgium and З4 British citizen who voluntarily served the Wehrmacht and the SS, who are still Bundesversorgungsgesetz??? https://eadaily.com/ru/news/2019/02/22/krome-belgiycev-pensii-gitlera-poluchayut-i-britanskie-kollaboracionisty
or the photo of ukrainian parliamentary Marushinets, making ‘zig-heil’??? https://strana.ua/img/forall/u/0/22/45053503_2168744049824318_5376700920266489856_n(1).jpgIt should not be forgotten that Britain (principally), France and Russia planned to create WWI from 1905, in order to crush Germany, which was rapidly becoming a threat to Britain’s trade, making better products and more modern factories.
And US banks and corporations built up Hitler thirties, with the objective that Germany would invade Russia.
One more WW to come, WWIII.Tatanya, you forgot to mention that Russia’s predecessor, Soviet Union, also invaded Poland in 1939. Sixteen days after Germany. Twenty-two thousand Poles murdered by NKVD in Katyn Forest. This was the Red Army’s second attempt to invade Poland, the first in the 1920s being defeated. After Russia drove the Nazis out of Poland they kept the country and it’s people oppressed until 1991.
Did Russia ever apologise?
Hi Folks
I see that Chinese are not invited to Poland, along with Russia.
here is a good article on China’s role, wich started 2 years before the invasion of Poland –
CHINA LOST 14 MILLION PEOPLE IN WORLD WAR II. WHY IS THIS FORGOTTEN?
Historian Rana Mitter believes a better understanding of China’s future actions can follow a truer understanding of its World War II past.
https://psmag.com/news/china-lost-14-million-people-world-war-ii-forgotten-66482
Kempe, you forgot to mention that Poland was openly hostile to the Soviet Union. Chauvinist state, they had concentration camp Bereza Kartuzka for jews, ukrainians and belorussians long before the war started. A year before the war, Poland conspired with Hitler and took a piece of Czechoslovakia. And planned to attack the Soviet Union together with Hitler and Japan. And fully supported the “final solution of the Jewish problem”.
You write as if Poland was a peaceful innocent victim of aggression.
Thank you Tatyana. I am very pleased to have made this posting here.
It is right to remember the Russian contribution. It is extraordinary that these very respectful films were made for British television in 1973 during the Cold War. I would think they may have helped to improve relations between our countries.
When I was growing up in the 1970s and 1980s our films and television were very heavily influenced with output from the United States. We were shown many war films (movies) featuring the exploits of American soldiers in world war two.
But I cannot remember a single film that told the story of Russia’s fight against the Nazis. Not even one. As a child I was completely unaware of this.
These two documentaries are the only films that I am aware of which attempt to tell the true story, but I was too young at the time they were first shown to see them.
In “Red Star” it is hinted that the Nazis tried to recruit nationalists in Ukraine and the Baltic states to their side. It seems that sadly some of the descendants of those nationalists are still sympathetic to the Nazi cause.
The anti-Russian propaganda that is currently being pushed by governments in the West is also very sad. I do not understand the purpose of it. We should be building bridges and offering friendship to Russia and it’s people. Why would any Russian person want more war when the country suffered so much during the second world war?
And thank you also Tatyana for sharing the wonderful photographs of your grandparents. And your lovely grandmother wearing her medals with such pride! I shall think of them.
thank you, John.
I can recommend ‘Sobibor’ movie, it is made recently by one of my favorite russian actors Constantine Khabensky
The movie is available on Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Sobibor-Konstantin-Khabenskiy/dp/B07NSDQWFKor you can watch it for free in russian with english subtitles
https://sovietmoviesonline.com/drama/826-sobibor.htmlit seems that the reason for such idiotic behavior of Poland has been found. The reason is simple, as always it’s money.
” Mariusz Blashak, the Minister of National Defence of Poland … accused Russia that his country has not received the postwar reparations from Germany.
… the Polish parliamentary group … calculated that the country could require Germany to pay about another trillion dollars …
Germany has repeatedly stated that they do not intend to make payments, because there is no reason to question Poland’s refusal of reparations in 1954.
Mariusz Blashak comments that “Russia made such a decision” and “Poland was not sovereign” in it.”
https://ria.ru/20190902/1558150909.htmlI see how conviniet for Poland it is to be an enemy of Russia, today it may bring another trillion dollars!
Then, why are they silent about Eastern Prussia, Upper Silesia, Lower Silesia, Frankfurt, Reichenau and Pomerania with the way to the Baltic Sea, their only way to the sea! Evil Stalin imposed these lands on them after the war! Poland, if you are friends with Germany, should you not return the lands? 🙂
Or do they want both to keep the land and to get another trillion dollars?Another country barking about Soviet occupation is Ukraine, she should then return half of its territory back to Russia, I’m always standing for justice 🙂
REPORTER: Do you have a message for Poland on the 80th anniversary of World War 2?
TRUMP: “I do have a great message for Poland & we have Mike Pence, our vice president, is just about landing right now…
I just want to congratulate Poland”https://twitter.com/atrupar/status/1168391562184859648
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ah ha ha ha 🙂 Well said, Mr. Trump! I admire your knowledge of History!Thank you Tatyana. I shall watch with interest.
“You write as if Poland was a peaceful innocent victim of aggression.”
Poland has always been viewed in this way here in the UK Tatyana. We had an agreement with Poland that if Germany invaded we would enter the war. It was Germany’s invasion of Poland that forced our country into declaring war on Germany. Every schoolchild is taught this.
lol, Tatyana you should be in politics. Standing for the return of lost sovereign lands to mother Russia 🙂 … well, I would vote for you !
it is not at all about mother Russia 🙂 it is about justice.
here is the map of the Ukraine, see how much of her territory she gained when in the USSR, and she kept the land when got out of USSR.
https://statehistory.ru/img_lib2/2014/08/1407840375_f862.pngI think they should at least be grateful, and if they chose to bark how much they were opressed, then they should return the lands. You see? Return to what they had before the USSR. Justice.
*I don’t believe in ‘opression’ when one gets more and more wealth and still keeps it when “liberated”. It looks more like a lucrative partnership or a fruitful marriage :-)*
They bark and at the same time bomb Donbass area, populated with mostly russian people, area which went to them during the USSR period. I don’t even mention their latest “posession” – the Crimea.Your history books pick only what is convinient for your country’s ideology. They do not lie, just don’t say the whole truth.
nevermind mentioned Poland in another discussion:
“…I understand that Poland was in the way of armies for over 200 years and has been overwhelmed and forced into defending themselves from Russian forces more than once…”
I’ve commented:
“Poor little innocent Poland never had a slogan “Poland from the Baltic sea to the Black sea”, never took western Belorussia and western Ukraine from Russia and Wilen region from Lithuania, never had Pilsudski-Hitler pact. When Hitler demanded Sudeten, poor little innocent Poland never demanded (and never got) Teshin region from ex-Czechoslovakia.
Overwhelmed!
When Hitler invaded, polish government escaped to the neighbour Romania.
Forced into defending themselves! Indeed.They are playing victim to get another trillion dollars.”
Yes, Tatyana, well I think Poland has for many years played the victim card. Your knowledge of the war is probably much greater than mine.
I attended a Catholic school in my city of Leicester from age 11-18 and in my school were a significant number of Polish children. Also some Ukrainians. We had a music teacher Mrs Kania, a glamorous lady who was married to a close relative of the Polish Secretary Mr Kania. We had other teachers who were Poles as well.
Religion was a major issue for Poles as – please correct me if I am wrong – religion was suppressed under Communism. The Pope was from 1978 a Pole and a lot of people were also sympathetic to the Solidarity Union of Lech Walesa:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solidarity_(Polish_trade_union)
I can remember someone in my school wearing a “solidarnosc” badge.
It was also important in my family – well, my mother’s family in Scotland – as they were Catholics. (My father’s family were not really religious). My Scottish grandfather was a communist in the 1930s, but turned against it because of the suppression of religion in the USSR. This was one of the things I was taught about what we called the “Iron Curtain” behind which was the USSR. We really were told that Russians were not nice people at all and that KGB agents were on every corner.
You are a little bit younger than me, so perhaps you are not so aware of some of these issues to do with Poland. I would be interested to know more about Russia and if any of what we were told is true? You are the only Russian person I know at all.
“see how much of her territory she gained when in the USSR, and she kept the land when got out of USSR.”
Well that’s a fair point. I was only joking really about you standing for election 🙂
I saw some terrible pictures from the Donbass bombings. A young woman whose legs were blown off and who was still alive. She died in the street while being filmed, poor woman.
The east of Ukraine (Donbass) is mostly Russian isn’t it?
https://www.outsidethebeltway.com/the-ukraine-crisis-in-three-maps/
I can understand why there would be many people in the Donbass who would want to become a part of Russia again, but I cannot see it happening. The Crimea was relatively easy for Russia to reclaim, but still the NATO countries dislike it intensely.
Much of the suspicions of Russia go back to the Communist days. I saw John Pilger interview John Bolton in “The Coming War on China” and as the interview ended Bolton turned to Pilger and said something like “Are you a Communist?” Such is America’s paranoia still about Communism.
I think that the Nazi occupation must have stirred up a lot of trouble and that is why there are Nazi sympathisers there today. Why do people in Galicia seem to hate Russia so much?
not that I have all ready in my head. It is mostly like this – I see a comment that greatly differs from what I was taught, I see something is greatly wrong, so I check the facts and bring it here with the certain dates and names and source links.
religion was separated from the state (secular state) The Church and priests were ridiculed. Scientific approach, logic and social humanism were closer to the people of that time, and religion was believed to be the lot of old people.
opressed, well, rather mocked than opressed. I was born in 1978 and my granny baptised me, and you know, the priest took money twice for this. from my granny first and from my great-granny second time 🙂 Smaaaartass 🙂
Lol, well, I wasn’t expecting you to tell me all about it at once … the church was mocked rather than oppressed. That is interesting to know. I was only baptised once, but I suppose the church still took some money 🙂 What church was it?
Although I am not really religious myself these days I lit two candles in church for your grandparents Vasiliy and Tatyana that you mentioned in the post above. I wasn’t sure if you would mind, I hope that’s okay. I did have to make a donation though …
So Tatyana you’re saying that Poland deserved to be invaded and have regime change forced upon it? An interesting view point. I’ve not found any evidence to support your claims that Poland was sending Jews to its concentration camp or that it was conspiring with the Nazis and Japan to invade Russia. Could you provide a link?
Nazi Germany and Soviet Russia already had their own extensive system of concentration camps for political opponents and others. Why would the presence of just the one small camp in Poland justify a joint invasion? If Russia cared so much about Europe’s Jews why did they sign the Molotov-Ribbentrop non-aggression pact? As the decision to exterminate Jews rather than deport or imprison didn’t happen until 1941 how could an independent Poland have been a party to it?
@ kempe
With respect – and I am not going to attempt to answer your specific points, which Tatyana can, I am sure do for herself when she is ready to do so – I would say that your claim that Tatyana is saying that:
“Poland deserved to be invaded and have regime change forced upon it.”
is false. I see nowhere on this comment thread in which such a position has been stated by her.
Tatyana’s passionate defence of her country is I think very reasonable and understandable in the context of Poland’s recent cowardly snub to the Russian Federation and in the context of her country’s great (and in the west often scandalously ignored) and undeniable contribution to fighting the evil Nazi war machine.
Germany was invited to the event to mark the beginning of World War II by Poland just over a week ago. According to WIkipedia the USSR apologised to Poland for the Katyn massacre in 1990:
“when it officially acknowledged and condemned the perpetration of the killings by the NKVD, as well as the subsequent cover-up by the Soviet government”
And if we are going to make comparisons, who committed the greatest atrocities in Poland in the war. Germany or the USSR?
The purpose of my making the original post was to honour the contribution made by the Soviet people in the war and was not intended to highlight the issue of Poland specifically.
@ kempe:
today from Peter Hitchens’ twitter feed (high profile British newspaper columnist and author):
“Poland, was among the first countries to sign an international treaty with Germany in 1934. It was a Judophobic military despotism, & took part In rape of Czecho. Colonel Beck was love-bombed by Hitler and Ribbentrop.”
and also:
“Our most important alliance ever was with Stalin.”
