11 Russian views of WW2 - The Great Patriotic War
I would like to invite you to read about the common views of Russian people of WW2. My opinions are in parentheses.
- Soviet Union won. (In Europe and Allies helped in 1944 and by land-lease earlier).
- T-34 is the best tank of WW2. (Even though it was very badly made and had outdated armor toward the end of the war. The diesel engine of T-34 was reliable and was copied from Germans. Germans wanted to use it on a plane, but failed and printed everything in some international engineer's magazine. Suspension was based on American Christi tanks, because they were fast. However, it made less space for the crew and the tank couldn't support more weight. That's why in 1944 only the turret and a gun were upgraded, but armor stayed the same).
- The Great Patriotic War is WW2. (1941-1945 is not equal to 1939-1945)
- Land Lease helped a little. (it helped a lot.)
- Allies helped a little in the end, when USSR was already winning and could win anyway. (Allies were fighting Germany and Japan before 1944).
- Russian technology and equipment were better than other countries. That's one of the reason USSR won. (If it was possible Russian soldiers would use better equipment of allies or their enemies. Planes used USA/European/German engines or developed from them about 10 year before the war. Cars were copies of Ford and other American cars of 1920s, a gun-TT was a copy of Browning, a machine gun of PPSh was a copy of Finland machine gun, Mosin–Nagant rifles were accurate, but crude weapon of WW1).
- Cold weather helped to win. (Even though it attacked everyone.)
- Stalin lead to victory. (He actually failed, and the army was destroyed, but despite of Stalin, who killed off most commanders in 1937-39, Russian people made a new army and won - USSR is a big country. Many scientists and engineers were also killed).
- War in Finland and War in Mongolia in 1939, USSR Poland invasion in 1939 are not part of The Great Patriotic War.(so, they are not well known).
- Katyusha rocket launcher was the best secret weapon. (It was inaccurate and were put on US lend-lease trucks, very vulnerable by air, that's why it's so secret and relocated by night and camouflage in forests. Main creators/scientists of Katyusha rocket launchers were killed by Stalin).
- Stalingrad was a turning point of the war. (Battle of Moscow was a turning point of the war. Currently Stalingrad is called Volgograd. And Siege of Leningrad was a disaster.)