When World War II just broke out, the Germans didn’t expect at all their enemy would resist so much. Their soldiers, brave, initiative and dedicated, faced the great endurance and incredible strength of the Russians. But not only these qualities helped the latter win the war….
Here’s what German soldiers said about their enemies.
“Russian troops have always fought bravely and sometimes made incredible sacrifices.”
/ Field Marshal Erich von Manstein /
“The Russians held themselves with unexpected firmness and perseverance, even when they were bypassed and surrounded. In this way they won more time and drew up more and more new reserves for the counter-attacks from the depths of the country, which by the way were stronger than anticipated… The enemy has shown an absolutely incredible ability to resist.”
/ General Kurt von Tippelskirch /
“The Russian remains a good soldier everywhere and in all circumstances…
Field kitchen, almost sacred in the eyes of the soldiers of other armies, is just a pleasant surprise for the Russians, and they can spend days and weeks without it. The Russian soldier is completely satisfied with a handful of millet or rice adding to it what nature gives him. The soldier of the Russian army is an unsurpassed master of disguise, self-entrenching and field fortifications… The strength of the Russian soldier is due to his extreme closeness to nature. For him, there are simply no natural barriers: in heavy forest, swamps and marshes, in roadless steppe – he feels like home everywhere. He crosses a wide river using the most elementary improvised means and can pave a road everywhere. It takes few days for the Russians to build a many-kilometer causeway through an impassable swamp.”
/ Major-General von Mellenthin /
“Widely and skillfully conceived operations of the Red Army led to numerous encirclements of the German units and destruction of those who resisted.”
/ General Otto von Lasch /
“Their commanders instantly learned the lessons of the first defeats and in a short time began to operate surprisingly effectively.”
/ Field Marshal General Georg von Kleist /
“The fact that the Red Army soldiers continued to fight in the most hopeless situations, totally unconcerned about their own lives, can be largely attributed to the brave behavior of commissioners.
The difference between the Russian Imperial Army during World War I and the Red Army in the days of the German invasion was simply colossal. During the last war the Russian army was more like an amorphous mass, physical inactive and devoid of individuality. This time, the spiritual uplift caused by the ideas of communism already started to affect them in the summer of 1941.”
/ General Eric Rouse /
“Many of our leaders greatly underestimated the new enemy. This happened partly because they knew nothing either of the Russian people, or even the Russian soldiers. Some of our commanders were always on the Western Front during World War I, and never fought in the East, so they had no idea about the geographical features of Russia and the persistence of the Russian army. At the same time they ignored the repeated warnings of prominent military experts on Russia…
The behavior of Russian troops, even in this first battle (for Minsk), is strikingly different from that of the Poles and the troops of the Western Allies in defeat. Even being surrounded, the Russians did not depart from their borders.”
/ General Günther Blumentritt /
“When I remember that Frederick the Great confronted the enemy possessing the twelvefold superiority in strength, I seem just a simpleton to myself. At this time we do have the superiority in strength! Is not that a shame?”
/ Hitler (recorded on 28.1 1942) /
via nnm.ru
A. Bunka here. First? Why didn’t the Russians just send in the zombies?
They did: NKVD!
Or the FEMENS?
Great Post, Thanks.
jebana radziecka propaganda
Amen bracie. Nigdy nie zapomnę jak mi Dziadek opowiadał co ta dzicz robiła w Polsce. Kradli, gwałcili, zabijali. Polak dla tych skurwieli był wrogiem. 17 września gnoje nas napadli zamiast pomóc. Rusek nigdy nie będzie przyjacielem dla nas!
The real truth, tho, is that Russian soldiers were a bunch of wild cavemen, drunk on vodka, whose first contact with western civilization was often when they fought against Germans or when they attacked Poland or Finland. Also, the Russians were not really that brave – first of all, they were drunk most of the time, and second – there were special NKVD officers in the back of their lines (especially during attack) who would simply shoot anyone running in the wrong direction. So the soldiers ran to confront the enemy as this gave them a slim chance of survival. Running away meant death either instantly or in the camp/gulag later on. Also, please remember that Russians would loot, rape and destroy eveyrthing they saw on their way. When they crossed Poland to get to Germany, they simply robbed everybody unfortunate enough to be on their way. Also, in Germany they not only fought Nazi soldiers, they also raped every woman they saw and robbed every person.
The real truth, tho, is that Russian soldiers were a bunch of wild cavemen, drunk on vodka, whose first contact with western civilization was often when they fought against Germans or when they attacked Poland or Finland. Also, the Russians were not really that brave – first of all, they were drunk most of the time, and second – there were special NKVD officers in the back of their lines (especially during attack) who would simply shoot anyone running in the wrong direction. So the soldiers ran to confront the enemy as this gave them a slim chance of survival. Running away meant death either instantly or in the camp/gulag later on. Also, please remember that Russians would loot, rape and destroy everything they saw on their way. When they crossed Poland to get to Germany, they simply robbed everybody unfortunate enough to be on their way. Also, in Germany they not only fought Nazi soldiers, they also raped every woman they saw and robbed every person.
Thanks for pointing this out. Everyone should bear this in mind. These are propaganda photos, nothing more. Russians habituially overrate themselves, always boasting, which surely points to a deep inferiority complex. They really still don’t know who they are: Europeans or Asian hordes bent on conquest. They also seriously underrate the Allies contribution to the war.
Thats funny, the germans had said a few things about their worst enemies the russians and the whole bunch of the polish nerds went berserk screaming about those f king russians bragging about themselfs. Jeez kids comeon u re drooling, and BTW – it were the germans’ thoughts here not the russians’
Interesting stuff
Simply and effective army.
No other people made as much of a sacrifice as the Soviets during WW2.
Considering the mess Stalin made of the military with the purges, its a wonder Russia recovered enough to finally expel the Nazis.
Soviet front, army and division commanders where, on average, much younger than their German equivalents. Possibly Stalin did not make as much of a mess as you believe.
Yes, they were younger because Stalin had executed all his older, more experienced generals. You really think that just because they were young, they were better commanders? The German commanders had spent years developing their new tactics while any Soviet commanders which had done the same in the years leading up to 1939 (there were many high-ranking Soviet commanders who proposed tactics that were similar to the German mobile warfare tactics) were executed in the Great Purge of 1939. The Soviet Union did not recover until the turning point at the Battle of Stalingrad in Winter of 1942-1943. Germany invaded in June of 1941. That is a 1 1/2 years of failure. Soviet soldiers were encircled many times, either face with death, surrender, or retreat to their lines. This would have resulted in their death because of the Barrier troops. Stalin personally ordered friendly retreating troops to be shot (stavka directive no. 1919).
Stalin chose to ignore repeated evidence from his spies that Germany wanted to invade. He told his units to not retaliate. After the Germany invasions began, he pretty much disappeared for upwards of a weak because he was so stunned of Hitler’s “betrayal.” (Despite their signing of a cooperation pact (Molotov-Ribbentrop Act), Hitler had been building up troops on the border and multiple spies had suggested that Germany was to invade: Stalin hoped that Germany wouldn’t invade since the Soviet Union was not ready and chose to ignore the substantial evidence.) Complete disaster was only avoided by his commanders who had seen what was coming and made what preparations they could with Stalin’s interference.
Bottom line is this: Stalin was not the one commanding his troops. His officers were. And if he hadn’t purged his more experienced ones in 1939, then the Soviet Union could have broken the German attack faster and launched their counterattack earlier, saving countless lives. However, if you are a Stalin supporter, then maybe you don’t give a shit about lives, just like Stalin.
The real truth is Russians know how to be soldiers. They’ll bring you pain in the third degree. They’ll give better than they get every time. Don’t let the delusional rantings of politicians throw your life away next time. The hole that guy over there is digging isn’t for him, it’s for the next bunch of fools who want to try something with Mother Russia.
A sacrifice and victory forced by their political officers.
Well, were not Germans doing the same: raping, killing, burning alive…..
It’s war and every means to defeat the enemy morally and phisically works.
> were not Germans doing the same: raping
No, that’s a russian speciality.
Pft- You haven’t read enough, kiddo. German Nazis did rape the Russians too during WW2. Anything goes when there’s a war.
Both armies where great!
bunch of drunkards and rapists, they raped half of Europe. You better read what it was really said about the soviet soldiers, that their army was almost medieval with cossacks fighting on horse and equipment transported on mules and donkeys.
And they won!
Closet nazis are going berserk seeing this pics.Nice job of showing which of the commentators,who are blabbing about freedom and democracy and evil commies,are actually neo nazi sociopaths deep in their harts
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bWwE56y-THM&feature=related
This song was written in the first days of this war..