Although this blog focuses on Imperial Japan, Nazi Germany and the USA, it is important to keep in mind the cataclysmic struggle between the Third Reich and the USSR.
And who can not be moved by these overwhelming statistics?
Estimated total WWII deaths = 48,231,700
| Total Soviet losses by demographic balance (1941–45) | |
|---|---|
| Population in June 1941 | 196,700,000 |
| Births during war | 12,300,000 |
| Death by natural causes during war of those alive before war | (11,900,000) |
| War related deaths of those alive before war | (25,300,000) |
| War related deaths of those born during war | (1,300,0000) |
| Total population Jan. 1, 1946 | 170,500,000 |
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_II_casualties_of_the_Soviet_Union#Total_population_losses
This interesting post from History.com proposes 8 important items to recall:
1. Joseph Stalin disregarded early warnings of the German attack.
2. Most people believed Germany would quickly crush the Soviet Union.
3. Extreme weather conditions played a crucial role in the Soviet victory.
4. Russian women served in front line combat roles.
5. Stalin ordered Soviet forces to fight to the last man.
6. It included the largest tank battle in military history.
7. Both sides engaged in large-scale atrocities and war crimes.
8. The last German POWs weren’t released from the Soviet Union until 1956.