--- Deborah Harrell <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Just wanted to note that, last night, in videotape I > saw of Parisians celebrating the anniversary of the > emancipation of Paris from Nazi rule, some were > waving > (large) American flags. I think it's as unfair to > assume all the French are as supportive of their > current administration as it would be to assume that > all Americans support our current one... ;)
Well, just remember that in most French textbooks today (according to the Washington Post Book World a little while ago) the American role in the liberation of France is barely mentioned, so don't count on those flags for much longer. > For the military buffs here: I saw no mention in > posts > thus far of Russian winter conditions as part of the > reason the Nazis ultimately lost; do you think it > played a significant part or not? (My understanding > was that it did factor in a great deal, but perhaps > that was because of one man ordering 'attack' when > he > ought not have?) > > Debbi Sure it was significant, but it's complicated. The standard thing is to say "never attack Russia in winter" and argue that the Germans launched their offensive too late. There's certainly a fair amount of truth in that, but you almost _have_ to operate in winter in Russia because winter is when the ground freezes hard enough to allow armored operations. The problem is actually most acute in the change of seasons, when the raputista (sp?) turns most of the western half of the country into solid mud, paralyzing military operations. At any rate, winter or no, overstretched or no, I remember driving into Moscow from Lefortorvo airport and seeing the huge tank traps that the Russians have left in place to mark the farthest line of advance of the German armies. They were right on the outskirts of the city - you could just about see the domes of the Kremlin (German scouts actually reached the city proper). Given the centralization of Soviet society around Moscow as an industrial, transportation, and governmental hub, (the best way to think of Moscow's importance in Russia is to combine Washington, New York, LA, Chicago, and Detroit in one) I find it difficult to imagine the USSR fighting effectively had Moscow fallen. ===== Gautam Mukunda [EMAIL PROTECTED] "Freedom is not free" http://www.mukunda.blogspot.com _______________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Win 1 of 4,000 free domain names from Yahoo! Enter now. http://promotions.yahoo.com/goldrush _______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
