Russian acknowledgement of their allies' contribution to the defeat of Nazi Germany is long overdue. I studied in Russia for 4 months in 1992 and attended a lecture on the Great Patriotic War, as it called there. When I questioned the lecturer on her knowledge of Britain's participation in the war in the 2 years prior to the entry of the USSR I was met with a blank stare and my question was ignored.
The Red Army was certainly a huge factor in the defeat of Germany, but what the Russians ignore is the fact that their air force, almost entirely a tactical battlefield force, played almost no part in the destruction of German industry and the Luftwaffe, without which a successful invasion would have been impossible. The Navy's contribution in keeping the USSR supplied and fed was officially recognised in 1985 with medals being awarded to Arctic convoy survivors, but there is still an ongoing belief in Russia that the "Fascists" were defeated by Russia alone. Good to see things gradually changing
Last edited by Tankertrashnav; 9th May 2010 at 13:57.