9th of May - Victory Day

[Edric O]

Today (well, yesterday for me) is a day of both joy and grief. For today we celebrate the end of Nazi Germany, and the triumph of freedom over slavery. The great victory of the people over the most despotic dictator in human history. Adolf Hitler's insanity was finally put to an end, but with a terrible cost in human lives, such as the world had never seen before.

The 9th of May is also the international holiday of the European Union, because it stands for the victory of diversity and tolerance over racism and imperialism.

Let us honour the heroes who made the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty, and to whom we owe our freedom.

[Edric O]

In the memory of the millions of Soviet and Allied soldiers who died in the fight against Nazism!

Soyuz nerushimiy respublik svobodnykh

Splotila naveki velikaya Rus'!

Da zdravstvuet sozdanniy voley narodov

Velikiy, moguchiy Sovetskiy Soyuz!

Slavsya Otechestvo nashe svobodnoye,

Druzhbi narodov nadyozhniy oplot,

Partiya Lenina, sila narodnaya

Nas k torzhestvu kommunizma vedyot!

Skvoz tuchi siyalo nam solntse svobodi,

I Lenin velikiy nam put' ozaril,

Na pravoe delo on podnyal narodi,

Na trud i na podvigi nas vdokhnovIl!

Slavsya Otechestvo nashe svobodnoye,

Druzhbi narodov nadyozhniy oplot,

Partiya Lenina, sila narodnaya

Nas k torzhestvu kommunizma vedyot!

V pobede velikikh idey kommunizma

Mi vidim gryadutshee nashey strani,

I krasnomu znameni slavnoy otchizni

Mi budem vsegda bezzavetno verni!

Slavsya Otechestvo nashe svobodnoye,

Druzhbi narodov nadyozhniy oplot,

Partiya Lenina, sila narodnaya

Nas k torzhestvu kommunizma vedyot!

Oh, say can you see, by the dawn's early light,

What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming?

Whose broad stripes and bright stars, through the perilous fight,

O'er the ramparts we watched, were so gallantly streaming?

And the rockets' red glare, the bombs bursting in air,

Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there.

O say, does that star-spangled banner yet wave

O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

On the shore, dimly seen through the mists of the deep,

Where the foe's haughty host in dread silence reposes,

What is that which the breeze, o'er the towering steep,

As it fitfully blows, now conceals, now discloses?

Now it catches the gleam of the morning's first beam,

In full glory reflected now shines on the stream:

'Tis the star-spangled banner! O long may it wave

O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave.

And where is that band who so vauntingly swore

That the havoc of war and the battle's confusion

A home and a country should leave us no more?

Their blood has wiped out their foul footstep's pollution.

No refuge could save the hireling and slave

From the terror of flight, or the gloom of the grave:

And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave

O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave.

Oh! thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand

Between their loved homes and the war's desolation!

Blest with victory and peace, may the heaven-rescued land

Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation.

Then conquer we must, for our cause it is just,

And this be our motto: "In God is our trust."

And the star-spangled banner forever shall wave

O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

[DukeLeto]

I've never seen that extended version of "The Star Spangled Banner" before, where did you get it?

[exatreide]

What of Germans who faught against hittler?

Or the 14 year old boys who faught vailienty to defend berlin.(i am not suporting hittler i just find the idea of a bunch of old men and boys defending a city and manaing to kill thousands of russians quite remarkable)

[Edric O]

Duke: I don't know, I just did a Google search for "the star spangled banner lyrics" and that was one of the things it came up with...

Ex: I only posted the flags and anthems of the two greatest Allied nations, and who were also the leaders of the Alliance. Of course there are many others that should go in there (especially Britain). But that would just make the list too long...

Now, as for the battle of Berlin, the thing is that the nazis were fighting in their own capital city, and they knew it well. Also, it was urban warfare, and in such situations numbers usually don't count.

[Edric O]

Victory:

[exatreide]

Duke: I don't know, I just did a Google search for "the star spangled banner lyrics" and that was one of the things it came up with...

Ex: I only posted the flags and anthems of the two greatest Allied nations, and who were also the leaders of the Alliance. Of course there are many others that should go in there (especially Britain). But that would just make the list too long...

Now, as for the battle of Berlin, the thing is that the nazis were fighting in their own capital city, and they knew it well. Also, it was urban warfare, and in such situations numbers usually don't count.

The germans knew they were going to loose. I rate the defenders of berlin up their with the defenders of the alamo in their bravery.

[Navaros]

don't know who you are saying has "freedom" but i don't see much of any "freedom" in this world

take North America, for example, most especially Canada. they don't even have Free Speech ffs!

on top of that, having money stolen from your pockets against your will - in any amount the "government" sees fit to steal from you, so long as they label this brutal and barabaric theft as "taxes" - certainly is not freedom. no one can live without money, yet almost everyone in the world has his most important posession in life - money - taken from him without ever giving consent for it to be taken.

no, this is not freedom. man is a longgggggggggggggggg way away from achieving Freedom

[Khan]

They can never take away all of your money, Nav. Oh and yes, all that money that they evily steal and give to hospitals, roads, and schools, etc.

[Edric O]

Let me guess: He doesn't give a damn about hospitals or schools or police stations, or anything else that exists for some other purpose than serving the great Nav... ::)

Anyway, don't feed the troll. He's just trying to take this thread off-topic.

[Caid Ivik]

On 9th may at midnight, German's final decision, that they AREN'T the best people of the universe and agreement to stop messing the world, became official. From then, they are proud, but gentle nation. May the next generations won't forget about Zukov and Eisenhower, but also Adenauer and Schumann, which made the Germany what it is today.

Einigkeit und Recht und Freiheit

F

[Edric O]

Actually, I've been searching a long time for that photo myself, but I never managed to find it. The only reason I finally found it now is because someone else posted it in a May the 9th topic on another forum. :)

[Davidu]

What about our own flag and anthem? Edric? We died fighting against the Nazis too you know... As well as fighting against the USSR.

[Edric O]

I wouldn't put up our flag and anthem on this day any more than I would put up the Italian or German ones.

[Khan]

[OT]

What is your anthem guys?

[Davidu]

Edric: whatever... but I don't consider our country to be an nazi fanatic agressor.

Khan: man, you're right, I'll start a topic on that.

[Edric O]

We might not have been fanatic nazi aggressors, but WE FOUGHT ON THEIR SIDE. Can you say "accomplice to murder"?

[Davidu]

If killing a soldier in a war is named murder...

[Caid Ivik]

It isn't murder, however, it is killing. Christians, if they have to fight, have to follow many limits, from which are honored primarily those set by Thomas Aquinus - fightning for defense, improving or enabling improvement of state after clash, respecting lives of captured, trying to stop, not fully annihilate enemy forces, as quickly as possible. Everything is discutabile, that's also why Jesus never said he will stop all wars - I can say it was vice versa (Lk 12,52...). War is bad thing, that's for sure, but we humans have free mind, and sometimes too much enthusiasm in preferring our own thoughts.

[Davidu]

Genghis-Han had a good tactic: he spared the ones that surrendered and masacred the ones that opposed him. In this way he gained the 'benevolence' of the people he spared, and, in the same time he could make sure no one of his former enemies will rebell. He was bloody, I know, but a skillful tactician, and a formidable soldier.

[Khan]

And he had a kick ass name. ;)

[Davidu]

His actual name was Temujin. But when he was named Han, he was renamed to Genghis.

[Edric O]

Ghenghis (world)

Khan (king)

Therefore Ghenghis Khan = king of the world

Davidu: Killing soldiers in battle isn't murder. On the other hand, killing millions of civilians in conquered territories IS.

[Davidu]

But the Germans did that, not us! We aided them in military camapigns. We did not 'aid' them in killing those 20 million civilians!

[Edric O]

Like I said, we were accomplices. We tried to help the murderers get away with it...