Berlin 1945

This 7-minute color clip was added to Youtube May 5th. The last minute shows aerial views of the devastation. Berlin was not nuked, but it's understandable to think it had been after viewing the video.

 

Thank you for that.

 

Shot in 1990 by Stefan Münster on Video 8

Ost Berlin/East Berlin. The music is electronic so if that is not your cup of tea I suggest muting it. It's a cool video at an historic time or just before.

 

This is very powerful. Warning: Scenes in this are graphic and real. Do not show to your children without fist watching for yourself. War, it kind of sucks.

 

It was before the days of politically correct war. The Soviet Union didn't care if it offended people by having a massive portrait of Stalin in the middle of the German capital, destroying Nazi symbols, and tearing down signs honoring their Führer. In fact, that was the objective - torture and demoralize the antagonistic population until it submits out of fear and then reeducate it to be culturally pacified. It worked.

 

The fire bombing of Dresden may have been even worse. Nobody really knows how many people died in that attack. The city was full of refugees fleeing the Russians. Some say more died in Dresden than at Hiroshima, but that is just speculation.

https://images.search.yahoo.com/sea...BHNlYwNzYw--?p=Dresden+Bombing&fr=yfp-t-470-s

The Germans paid dearly for following Hitler. That much is certain.

 

May 8th 1945. VE Day

I watched the recognition of VE Day at the WWII Memorial today. It was very inspiring.

I didn't see an appearance from the POTUS. I suppose his schedule was just too full.

 

Here you stupid f**k. Obama led the VE Day celebrations. What the f**k is wrong with you?

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-32662142

 

paso
I am hoping that was sarcasm and an attempt at humor from you.

 

Nope. Attacking Obama over VE Day celebrations is unAmerican traitorous ****. It is par for the course for one party though.

Pathetic.

 

UH Paso
did you read the post? an attack?? simmer down little fella unwad those panties. He remarked that BO did not bother to show up at a celebration of a important and pivotal point in our country's history, a celebration that honored millions who sacrificed.
And he was correct. BO did not make an appearance.

 

I already addressed this in private but there’s no need for aggressive and crude personal attacks, as our guidelines clearly state. We can disagree without the vitriol.

 

You directly question the patriotism of someone who was twice elected President of the United States and do not expect to be called a ******* traitor? You are one. There really is no other was to describe this behavior. It is also deeply flawed and dangerous political behavior. It should be called out by both sides. The fact that it is not and even receives support here tells me something very disgusting about this forum.

Obama spoke about VE Day on May 7th, May 8th, and May 9th.

I think that I am better served not reading this right-wing drivel from pieces of **** so enjoy you right-wing echo chamber.

 

Sorry to see a good thread ruined like this.

 

In my post, I did not "attack" Obama or question his "patriotism" like you did me on this forum.

I recognize I was sarcastic by saying he perhaps had a busy schedule. However, I only stated I did not see him at the VE recognition event on May 7th. I think any sitting POTUS should have been a the event on the 7th regardless of schedule. If he spoke other days / times / events recognizing VE Day that I did not hear or see, then I give him credit and praise for that.

 

Your post was not needed to clarify. It was pretty easy to understand...for some.

 

Come back Paso. We are all with you in spirit, Horn spirit, even if you are a f**k at times.

 

I can't get on board with you on this one, zork.

 

which part?

 

Berlin was not particularly prone to support of Hitler, who got his primary support in the south of Germany. In the last free elections in 1932 his Nazis only got around 37% of the vote nationwide and it was lower in Berlin if memory serves.
Sort of like blaming Texans for the antics of our leadership and blowing up Austin, that bastion of right wing republicanism.

 

I know none of you care, but on an "offensiveness" scale of 1 to 10, I'd give WorsterMan's comment a 2. While he didn't explicitly say that Obama doesn't care about VE Day, the insinuation was evident. However, it came across like a harmless, humorous jab, not a malicious attack.

PasoTex's response, on the other hand, was a 9.95. Just a tiny step on the landing, or it would've been a perfect 10.

 

True. Hitler had the strongest support in southern and eastern territories of Germany (areas that are now Polish). Most urban areas in the North (Berlin, Hamburg, Köln, etc.) were primarily supportive of the Social Democrats (SPD) or the Communists (KPD). In fact Berlin was called the "reddest city in Europe besides Moscow."

 

Don't forget murdering thousands of Poles, holding prisoners for years or decades after the war was over, gangraping every female they came across, etc.

 

Hate to hijack the thread further, but I found this very interesting:

It is very interesting how history repeats itself.

One thing I remember from my constitutional history class at UT Law that stuck with me was that James Madison, Thomas Jefferson, John Marshall, Andrew Jackson, Martin Van Buren, John Calhoun, Stephen Douglas, Abraham Lincoln, etc. considered that loyalty should be towards the Constitution and never to any particular person or president. The exception was John Adams and his Federalist supporters who passed the Alien and Sedition Acts that actually led to opposition congressmen being thrown in jail for criticizing the President. The case that stands out the most to me was Matthew Lyon. I am stealing the wikipedia summary because it is accurate except that it leaves off that Lyon was a highly respected Revolutionary War veteran (false accusations about his war record that were later proven inaccurate were spread by Federalists before and during his trial).

"Lyon was a Democratic-Republican congressman from Vermont. He was indicted in 1800 under the Sedition Act for an essay he had written in the Vermont Journal accusing the administration of "ridiculous pomp, foolish adulation, and selfish avarice". While awaiting trial, Lyon commenced publication of Lyon's Republican Magazine, subtitled "The Scourge of Aristocracy". At trial, he was fined $1,000 and sentenced to four months in jail. After his release, he returned to Congress." (Federalist Courts loyal to Adams interpreted the first amendment to not protect free speech against the President.)

So we tried to throwing people in jail as traitors for criticism of the president as a man for a short period at the beginning of this country. This originated from a belief that those who criticized the president were traitors. The idea that free speech did not protect criticism of the president and those that criticized him were traitors was soundly rejected in the election of 1800. In fact, such a concept was dead and loyalty was considered to be to the Constitution up until recently. Such attitudes were not even apparent in the Civil War as both sides, right or wrongly, thought they were being loyal to the Constitution to at least some extent. I do not know where this concept of loyalty to the president as a man over the Constitution remerged (maybe nixon? maybe WW2?), but it has clearly existed in BOTH the W Bush and Obama administrations (see Snowden). I find it scary actually that the W Bush and Obama administrations and many of their supporters consider those loyal to the Constitution over their president as a man to be "traitors." Hopefully, like with the election of 1800, these attitudes will be rooted out and we can repeal the patriot act just like the alien and sedition acts were repealed. Unfortunately, I know such freedom unlikely to return if Jeb Bush or Hillary Clinton is elected and there are many Americans that still have this pro NSA, "anyone who criticizing the president is a traitor" thought process.

 

Good films! My family comes from the Dresden-Leipzig-Berlin area (Sachsen). We lost a lot of relatives in the Dresden bombing. But that is war...and Hitler was determined to take the whole nation down with him, which he did. Berlin; I met a man in Germany who fought in the battle for the city, his unit held off the Russians until they were out of ammunition then slipped into a canal and made their way west finally surrendering to the Allies on May 3rd. The next day, May 4th was his birthday...he was 13 years old.

I still like going to Berlin and as a teenager we would slip into the east zone and back again. It was easier to do at the border of West - East Germany, but had to watch for mines. It was a game we played sometimes with the Border Guards. After the motion sensors were put in and newer mines, that ended the adrenalin rush. I was at the Brandenburg Gate in October 1990 for the official reunification celebration. That was one big-assed party to say the least! Going back in a couple of years to take my daughter to visit her ancestral homeland. Should be interesting.

 

Wow, BJ - you and your family experienced some very interesting and terrible history! I remember when the Berlin Wall came down, I was in such awe as I thought that was something I would not see in my lifetime. Thankfully it did and it re-united the German people and got the Soviet influence out of there.

 

Yep. I was just referring to what was in the video.