Many articles and books have been written on the topic of losses in the Great Patriotic War. But it is important first of all to understand: what is reality in them and what is not.
Therefore, I propose to once again carefully analyze and compare various scientific and publicistic sources, as well as statistical data on this topic. We have prepared a series of articles about this. And today we publish the first part, which will be devoted to the situation on the eve of the invasion of the USSR, when the united Europe was seriously imbued with the ideology of the destruction of all subhuman Slavs.
First, let's define a specific time period that we will analyze. We are interested in the Great Patriotic War.
Therefore, I propose to restrict ourselves to the following framework: June 22, 1941 until the end of hostilities in Europe.
In the losses of the USSR, let us include the deaths of Red Army soldiers and civilian Soviet citizens in this time interval.
The losses of Germany will consist of the dead Nazis and the troops of the countries from the Third Reich bloc who fought on their side, as well as ordinary German citizens. The numbers will also be limited to the starting date - June 22, 1941. But with the final date chosen by us as a basis, let's say right away: it will be somewhat difficult for the Germans to calculate losses. But let's try.
The period of the Soviet-Finnish war was deliberately removed from the calculations. We will not take into account the damage in manpower during the "Liberation campaign" of the Red Army.
I repeat once again that the discussion about the losses of the USSR and Germany in the Great Patriotic War has not subsided all 75 years since the day of our Great Victory. And all these years this topic has been overly politicized. The discussion in the media is too emotional. And the participants in the controversy, as a rule, cannot agree on opinions. Not to mention the endless and incessant stormy battles over this on the Internet. The main stumbling block, as a rule, becomes argumentation.
And all because almost every Soviet family has its own tragic trace of the Great Patriotic War. And any conversation about the victims is still very painful and inevitably personalized.
Through the ideological jungle
In general, for the modern history of Russia, this topic is very important, but controversial. Of course, looking for the ultimate truth is the lot of narrow specialists in this field. And this article is just an attempt to once again accumulate a variety of data that have been made public in this regard. To remind the reader once again that the harsh truth is more expensive than the near-political embellishments. And we must look for it. And when you find it, share.
The trouble is that, as a rule, the search for real data and figures on this issue is complicated by two points. First of all, a lot of research is very superficial.
Another difficulty is that all the time you have to wade through the jungle of ideology. If in the last century books, articles and even statistical materials abounded with communist ideology, then in the 21st century, journalism and even scientific literature are sometimes colored with anti-communist passages with the same enthusiasm. Be that as it may, but the ideologization of the topic is clearly off scale at times. And, as a rule, this only testifies to the fact that the truth in such documents is very far.
Increasingly, the liberal community is trying to present the war of 1941-1945 as a battle between two ideologies or two dictatorships. They say that two totalitarian systems clashed, which supposedly cost one another. What to say? It's sad to read that.
Let's digress from this kind of trendy liberal opuses. And let's look at the Great Patriotic War from a completely different position. In this case, the geopolitical alignment can be considered the most objective view.
What did Germany look like from a geopolitical point of view on the eve of that war?
The vector of the German nation in the thirties of the last century, in fact, exactly coincided with the original aspirations of the German community - to be the first and main in Europe. And Germany then powerfully strove for uncontested leadership on the continent. Of course, with her then Nazi inclinations.
Remember how this craving for hegemony in the liberal was frankly expressed in the article "Germany among the European world powers" (1916) by the German sociologist Max Weber:
« We, 70 million Germans, … must be an empire.
We must do this even if we are afraid to fail."
It was written during the First World War. But even on the eve of World War II, the mood of the German elite did not change at all and did not change at all.
Scientists claim that imperial ambitions are in the blood of the Germans and that they are allegedly rooted in this nation almost from the beginning of time.
It is generally accepted that the main construct of social engineering in the era of Nazi Germany is a myth that appeals to Germany during the Middle Ages and even paganism. That is why events with just such an ideological stuffing there seriously mobilize the nation.
But there is also another point of view. Those who adhere to it believe that the empire of Charlemagne was created by the Germans. Their tribes. And on its basis, the Holy Roman Empire of the German nation later arose.
So, according to this theory, European civilization was founded by this very nation, or rather the German Empire. She also launched the eternal aggressive course of this European community to the East (known as the sacred "Drang nach osten"). Recall that before the VIII-X centuries. practically one-half of the lands that are now considered to be German since ancient times were owned by the Slavic tribes.
That is why when the Germans named the Barbarossa Plan to the project of attacking the barbarians from the Soviet Union, it was by no means a coincidence or an accident.
One and the same ideological paradigm of the superiority of the German nation as the dominant segment of European civilization, in fact, led to two grandiose battles: the First and the Second World War. By the way, during the outbreak of the Second World War, albeit for a short time, Germany fulfilled its age-old dream of supremacy on the continent.
Imitation of European resistance
At the same time, the Germans then carried out their triumphal march across Europe with practically zero opposition from all neighbors.
The resistance of the troops of European states (except Poland) was so minimal and helpless that it could be called rather an imitation of rejection of the invasion of the Nazis. The fighters of the captured countries acted as if a tiny resistance should have been more for decency than for real defense of their own sovereignty.
Tales about the active movement of the European Resistance were composed, apparently, for purely propaganda purposes and, it seems, had nothing to do with reality. Well, again, tradition demanded that the myth that the peoples of Europe once and for all refused to rally under the banner of Germany be fueled.
The peoples of the enslaved countries themselves, perhaps, did not want a German occupation. But who is listening there? After all, the elites there absolutely resignedly accepted the new German power as a given.
And all that sea of literature written about the gigantic losses allegedly inflicted by the resistance movement against the fascists in Europe is probably a bluff and nothing more.
There were also exceptions, of course. So, Yugoslavia, Albania, Poland and Greece really tried to fight the fascist regime.
And inside Germany, of course, there were also plenty of dissatisfied people. Only for some reason then, neither in the countries-exceptions, nor in Berlin itself, it did not work out somehow with a nationwide protest. In the context of a country, nation, community and state - alas, in Europe they did not resist the fascists.
Let's look at the loss figures.
Just think, over the five war years, of all those native Frenchmen who voluntarily joined the ranks of the fascists and violently crushed the Union, losses amounted to 50 thousand.
And among their actual opponents are the same French, but who nevertheless dared to voice their dissatisfaction with the German regime and joined the ranks of the French Resistance movement, over a whole five-year military period 20 thousand people laid down their heads in the fight against the ideology of fascism.
50:20.
Yes, this is just the ascetic language of loss.
But, you must admit, how amazingly, dryly and objectively he demonstrates the harsh truth about our Great Patriotic War … And about the true scale of French resistance, for example.
It is well known that in the past it was customary to exaggerate the scale of the Resistance. Even exaggerate them.
This was demanded by the ideology of solidarity. Therefore, it was necessary to sing about the fact that all of Europe was in solidarity with the Russians in the fight against the hydra of fascism. But was it really so?
It is especially important to ask such questions now, when today's Europe is screaming louder and more furiously that they lived happily ever after under the Nazis, and Russia with its Red Banner over the Reichstag, it turns out, did not free them from this plague, but came and occupied. At the same time, again, one should not forget that today it is mostly the elites of European countries who are shouting about this in the Russophobic frenzy.
So who resisted fascism there then in practice?
As mentioned above, only the four countries branded as barbaric. For the mentality of the peoples of all these four states on the territory of Europe (Yugoslavia, Albania, Poland and Greece), those European values that were promoted as fashionable, modern and civilizational in those years were somewhat alien. In addition, the customs, lifestyle and traditions in these four countries were, as they would say today, traditional and patriarchal. And in its own way, the "non-traditional" fascist order of the new European power then fundamentally contradicted their cultural code. From that there, apparently, and rebelled against the German occupiers.
And the rest - absolutely resignedly and almost without indignation, almost the entire European continent on the eve of 1941 joined the new empire led by Germany.
And when Germany, as the leader of this new European empire, began a war with the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, almost half of the twenty European countries immediately entered this war. Italy, Norway, Hungary, Romania, Slovakia, Finland, Croatia, Spain and Denmark (the last two countries without a formal declaration of war). All of them sent their armed forces to the Eastern Front.
And what about the rest of Europe?
After all, they did not remain on the sidelines then either. Of course, they did not formally send armed forces against the USSR. But, as befits any component of a new European unified empire, they all earned on their leader, on Germany.
They grew bread for her, sewed clothes, worked in military factories, minted money, opened banks and hospitals. What did they do for their new Nazi masters: everything for the German front, everything for the victory of fascism. Is not it?
In other words, all of Europe then turned into one fist, into a reliable and strong rear of the fascists fighting the USSR. And we cannot forget about this today.
The true role of the European satellite countries of fascist Germany should be told more and more often.
To dispel not only those ideological myths and propaganda clichés that camouflaged the truth about that war of ours, but also a distorted view of real events in Europe at that time.
Here's one example.
In November 1942, the British and Americans fought the French, not the Nazis. In North Africa, Eisenhower's allies defeated an army of 200,000 French.
The victory was swift there. Since there was an order from Jean Darlan to surrender the French troops. Due to the clear superiority of the allies in manpower.
However, in the chronicle of losses, it appears that in those hostilities, the following died:
Americans - 584, Englishmen - 597, French - 1,600.
These figures are scanty, but truthful, testify that the realities of the Second World War were in fact more multifaceted and more confusing than it usually seems.
Or here are some more numbers. Which, whatever one may say, but much more eloquent than words.
Pan-European unity against Russia
It is known that during the battles on the Eastern Front, the Red Army captured 500 thousand prisoners who had the citizenship of countries that had not officially declared war on the USSR and, as it were, had not fought with the Union at that time.
What does it mean?
Today they would be called either mercenaries or volunteers fighting for Hitler in our Russian fields.
But, no matter how someone would like to hide this, the fact remains: half a million thugs for the Wehrmacht were put under arms by the half of Europe that allegedly did not fight with us at all.
Of course, some justly parry: they say, they were forced, forced, taken by the throat.
But the whole trouble is that the version of a half-million military contingent from the victims of exclusively German violence in the Wehrmacht troops is completely dismissed by specialists.
The Germans were not idiots. For a contingent with such an unreliable reputation, the path to the front was closed in the last century.
We cited these figures as a reminder that Hitler's army, which attacked the USSR, was multinational. And in fact, it was, frankly and honestly, pan-European.
And as long as this bloodthirsty bulk won one battle after another on the territory of Russia, all of Europe, both in material terms, so in military and spiritual terms, was entirely on the side of its all-European leader.
In confirmation, here are the words of their most common European leader Adolf Hitler, which were recorded by Franz Halder on June 30, 1941:
« European unity as a result joint war against Russia ».
That is, this unity of Europe was precisely formed, in other words, and was achieved precisely through a joint attack on us, on the USSR / Russia.
Agree, what a correct assessment of the real state of affairs! What a frank and kind of accurate geopolitical alignment!
In fact, the tasks of the war with the USSR were not carried out by the Germans alone. Behind the backs of the fascists, 300 million inhabitants of the then Europe also worked in the war. They worked together, worked together, and pursued the same goals together.
Of course, we must not forget that some of these three hundred million Europeans served the Third Reich, who then fought with us, absolutely voluntarily, and someone - involuntarily and compelled.
Be that as it may, but Europe (or the European empire) then rallied precisely for the sake of destroying the Union.
Let's look at the numbers again.
Relying on Europe (continental), the Nazis mobilized a quarter of the population (25%) into the army. Whereas the USSR was able to put only 17% of its inhabitants under arms.
25:17.
That is, tens of millions of workers of the so-called European civilization, in fact, forged technical might and military strength, and also guaranteed the supply of the army that attacked the USSR on June 22, 1941.
Why do we remember this?
To state that the USSR fought not only the Third Reich during the Great Patriotic War. And not with Germany alone.
The war was fought practically and in essence - with all of continental Europe.
Then the manipulators skillfully fed the primordial Russophobia of Europeans with the horrors of Bolshevism.
It is no secret that in those days communism was presented to the inhabitants of Europe as a "terrible beast". Infected with propaganda viruses, the Europeans went to fight against Russia primarily for ideological reasons. They fought on our land with communism, as with a cursed hydra and as an ideology that they hate to the depths of their souls.
And besides, the Europeans, like the Germans, even more than communism then hated the barbaric Slavs in general. They frankly and sincerely considered us inferior.
Which, of course, was facilitated by the technologies of the then social engineers, who introduced into the consciousness of the inhabitants of Europe the paradigms of their absolute racial superiority over the subhuman Slavs.
But to blame everything solely on zombie and ideological fooling of Europeans by some puppeteers, of course, is not worth it. They themselves, as today's practice shows, were always ready to throw out their suppressed for the time being, but constant and inalienable internal Russophobia at any suitable moment.
No, it was not some kind of purely artificial hatred incited from the outside. And something primordial, natural and constantly living in the minds of the inhabitants of a united Europe, a sense of their own superiority and their absolute exclusivity, which Hitler and his accomplices only exploited, provoked, nurtured and warmed up.
That is why it is so dangerous, in our opinion, now (in 2021) the attempts of a modern united Europe (under the leadership, by the way, of the same country) again purposefully form the same image of the enemy - Russia under the same flag of protecting common European values. of course, for them (as well as almost a century ago) "backward", etc.
Take a look at what Reinhard Rurup (1991) writes about this in the book "The War of Germany against the Soviet Union 1941-1945":
“In many documents of the Third Reich was imprinted the image of the enemy - Russiandeeply rooted in Germanic history and society.
Such views were shared even by those officers and soldiers who were not convinced or enthusiastic Nazis.
They (these soldiers and officers) also shared the idea of the "eternal struggle" of the Germans … about the protection of European culture from the "Asian hordes", about the cultural vocation and the right to rule of the Germans in the East.
The image of an enemy of this type was widespread in Germany, it belonged to "spiritual values".
This kind of formatting of consciousness was at that time characteristic not only of the German population. The geopolitical tilt was inherent in all of Europe at that time.
The legions and divisions of all stripes, which then multiplied like mushrooms, defended their own European values:
Scandinavian SS "Nordland", Belgian-Flemish "Langemark", French "Charlemagne", etc.
But since June 22, 1941, for some reason, they all fought for the values of their European civilization not in their homeland, but far, far from their native land - in Belarus, Ukraine and here in Russia?
In the book “Results of the Second World War. Conclusions of the vanquished”(1953) German professor G. K. Pfeffer writes:
“Most of the volunteers from Western Europe went to the Eastern Front because they saw in this a common task for the whole West .
It turns out that to this day, not stopping to repeat about its enlightenment and civilization in comparison with barbaric and backward Russia, that same united continental Europe, led by Germany, came to our native land with a war on June 22, 1941?
And it was this united European civilization that fought in our Russian birch groves and in the Russian pole precisely as a horde of superhumans with subhumans, or rather, with a whole state of such subhuman barbarians - with Russia (which in those years was called the USSR)?
The Great Patriotic War, it seems, was never a clash between two dictatorships or two totalitarian regimes, as ideologists and social engineers drew.
In reality, it was a completely different geopolitical construct. And this is best demonstrated by the loss figures.
In the following articles, we will analyze various sources with specific figures for the losses of the USSR and the Wehrmacht in the Great Patriotic War. And we will try to unravel the Aesopian language of dry numbers.
