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On Wednesday (June 5), Queen Elizabeth and 15 heads of state from Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Greece, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, New Zealand, Poland, Slovakia, Canada, Australia, as well as US President Donald Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron, commemorated the 75th anniversary of the Normandy landings, codenamed Operation Overlord (Operation Overlord) and especially the living veterans of the largest sea landing in history, which significantly contributed to the end of World War II. The memorial ceremony took place in the British port of Portsmouth, where the Allied forces had embarked for the Normandy landings, on June 6, 1944. However, the British, as is customary in many cases, committed the same historical indecency again. They invited defeated Germany, as they should not have, and they did not invite Russia (successor to the Soviet Union), or Ukraine, or Belarus, as they should, due to the main and essential contribution of the above states to the end of World War II.

D-DAY and Propaganda.

Looking at the Normandy landings historically, it is a fact that it was indeed a huge military-political and organizational allied operation, which was crowned with success. Thus, approximately 150.000 soldiers from the USA, Britain and Canada, among others, with 7.000 boats, crossed the English Channel and reached a section 80 kilometers long on the coast of France, thus recording the largest military landing operation in the history of mankind. The operation meant the opening of the second front in Europe. But it came very late, after years of hard pressure from the USSR towards its Western allies. The allied landing forces, rushing during the landing on the coast of Normandy, encountered less expected resistance from the German Nazi army, as a result of which the resistance of the Germans was easily defeated. And this happened because Hitler had already transferred significant and for many historians his best combat units to the Eastern Front, where the Third Reich was really fighting a battle for survival with the Soviet Red Army, which was implementing a gigantic counterattack and dominating the fields of operations and advancing westward. The numbers of casualties of the landings certify that the American, British and German dead in the short battles of Normandy were in the order of approximately 10.000 men. Compared to the dead on the Eastern Front, the dead on both the German and Soviet sides amounted to many millions, as we will see below.

Photo: The landing in Normandy

So every D-Day anniversary, the same question comes to many people's minds. Who defeated the Germans (and their allies) in World War II? The answer, without a doubt, for those who know history is one: The Red Army. Of course, the Allied contribution was invaluable, but the real winner is the Red Army of the Soviet Union. The theft of the victory laurels was an act of deception by the Western Powers, necessary propaganda initially after the end of the war, to facilitate them in the Cold War against the Soviet Union. And yet this happens all the time. After eight decades of systematic propaganda, aided by Hollywood films, there is still the impression that the USA defeated the Third Reich. A recent survey in France showed that over 50% of the French believe that the US contribution was what contributed to the defeat of Nazi Germany during World War II. Even today, many people in the Western world believe that the "bad" guys in this war were the Russians, always allies of the Germans!! This is what the British Royal Family seems to "believe", since the President of Russia Vladimir Putin, as well as the President of Ukraine Vladimir Zelensky and the President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko were not invited to attend the 75th anniversary of D-Day, as would be due and proper for the millions of dead Russians. However, the Chancellor of Germany, Angela Merkel, was invited and attended, as would not have been appropriate or proper, since Germany was the country responsible for two world wars, which bloodied Europe in the 20th century.^ο century with a total of about 100 million dead. And the British queen shook hands with the leader of Germany, on this sacred day of remembrance for the millions of dead of this war.

The Historical Truth

I find it sad that even today, Western leaders insist on an arrogant and untrue position, that the most decisive action for the end of the war was the otherwise important landing in Normandy. It is historically indisputable that the Soviet Red Army and the terrifying and colossal sacrifices of Soviet citizens were the main factor in the defeat of Nazi Germany and the main factor in the liberation of Europe from the Nazi Third Reich. The mother of all battles, the largest in the history of wars, the terrifying Battle of Stalingrad, which stopped the advance eastward and literally destroyed the Nazi war machine, had ended in February 1943!! That is, about a year and a half before the Western Alliance decided on the excessively belated creation of the Western Front. Thus, the Allied landing in Normandy gave the Red Army the opportunity, two weeks after D-Day, to launch Operation Bagration, a gigantic offensive against the German Army Group Center, on a front of thousands of miles, which was decisive for the end of the war. Within 8 weeks, the German forces had retreated about 200 miles. More than 30 German Divisions (out of at least 200) were completely destroyed. It was the attack that broke the military backbone of the German Wehrmacht and led to the final defeat of Germany. Some historians cynically refer to Operation Overlord on the Western Front as a simple diversion for the much larger attack on the Eastern Front.

Photo: From the Battle of Stalingrad.

The Relentless Numbers-Losses

It is considered appropriate, in order to leave no doubt about the above, to refer to the numbers of participation and deaths on the Eastern Front between the Germans and the Soviets. According to the very meticulous and reliable post-Soviet archive, which most Western historians use and cite (GI Krivosheev in «Soviet Casualties and Combat Losses»), the total number of men in the Red Army during the war ultimately amounted to 34.476.700, including 1.000.000 women, while the German army ultimately amounted to 21.107.000.

The total number of deaths (of all kinds) for the main participating countries proves all of the above. Here we should clarify that the data from various sources do not completely agree with each other and there are some discrepancies. Thus, for reasons of historical accuracy, it is considered appropriate to use data only from reliable American sources that cannot be questioned, such as “THE NATIONAL WAR MUSEUM”, New Orleans, USA, (https://www.nationalww2museum.org/), which provides many and detailed data.

Photo: Allied Military Cemetery

So the losses for the main countries were.

• USA: 416.000 soldiers, total (including civilian deaths) 418.500
• England: 383.600 soldiers, total 450.000
• France: 217.600 soldiers, total 567.000
• Greece: 35.000 soldiers, a total of 800.000!!
• Soviet Union: 10.700.000 soldiers (the GI Krivosheev archive puts them at 11.285.057), totaling more than 24.000.000.
• Italy: 301 soldiers, total 400
• Japan: 2.600.000 troops, total 3.100.000
• Germany: 5.553.000 soldiers (GI Krivosheev file puts them at 6.923.700), total 8.800.000.

Photo: Surviving D-DAY veterans

Of course, there were many other major losses, in many countries around the world, such as in all countries of Europe (for example, Luxembourg had 2.000 civilian losses from bombings), even in India, Singapore, South Africa, etc. Especially for China, the total losses according to the National War Museum, USA, may have exceeded 50.000.000!!! Thus, without questioning the great value of Operation Overlord, with the Allied landing in Normandy and the (albeit belated) opening of the Western Front, which decisively helped the Soviet Operation Bagration on the Eastern Front, we should not forget who literally crushed the German Third Reich and its 200 Divisions on the Eastern Front and it was undoubtedly the Red Army and this is the historical truth, which we should all respect and honor. And as a minimal sign of honor for the 24 million dead Russians, Ukrainians, Belarusians and other ethnicities of the then Soviet Union, on this great day of remembrance (D-Day), the current leaders of Russia, Ukraine and Belarus should have had a dominant position and presence. And not to invite the current Chancellor of the country - the perpetrator and responsible for two world wars in the 20th century.^ο century, of Germany. When we ignore or despise history, then history will take revenge on us. Shame on you Argives!!

* Ioannis Athan. Baltzoi is a Lieutenant General (ret.), former Defense Attaché in Tel Aviv, former ECMM Operations Officer in the Bosnian War, a graduate of the Tactical Intelligence School (US Army), holds a Master's Degree (M.Sc.) in Geopolitical Analysis, Geostrategic Synthesis and Defense and International Law Studies from the National Kapodistrian University of Athens, member of the Board of Directors of the Hellenic Institute for Strategic Studies.