VE DAY 75th Anniversary

[Jimbuna]

A small temporary chink of light in these current dark days.



Not to be taken too seriously more intended to bring about a smile on folks faces.



REMEMBER, ALL sides lost a great many of their people.

[Catfish]

Ah yes.. now that really brought a smile to my face. So Adolf better should have used the fist for saluting

Though it is hardly imaginable that Germany ever makes this an official holiday (at least april, 20ieth 'Führergeburtstag' isn't one anymore ), we can be glad that the 3rd Reich was finished. I can also understand that a lot of people in Europe were also not happy with what happened afterwards for decades, until 1989. Who knows what would have happened if Germany had not attacked Poland, and Russia. Maybe the latter would have invaded Finnland and Poland with success, and then only stopped at the atlantic coast.. or maybe nothing of that at all.

REMEMBER, ALL sides lost a great many of their people.

Yes, no one should ever forget this. Thank you for your considerate comment

[Jimbuna]

I appreciate your understand of and taking the post in the correct context Kai

[Commander Wallace]

Originally Posted by Catfish

we can be glad that the 3rd Reich was finished. I can also understand that a lot of people in Europe were also not happy with what happened afterwards for decades, until 1989. Who knows what would have happened if Germany had not attacked Poland, and Russia. Maybe the latter would have invaded Finnland and Poland with success, and then only stopped at the atlantic coast.. or maybe nothing of that at all.
Yes, no one should ever forget this. Thank you for your considerate comment

With the brain trust in the sciences that Germany had at the outset of WW2, And with the right leadership, Germany could have been an economic powerhouse. Germany showed that after WW2. Finally free of the despots that ruled it during WW2, Germany was finally able to prosper economically and live in peace.



I had a good number of family that fought in every theater during WW2 including In the South Pacific against Japan and in Europe. One great uncle was seriously and permanently injured at Bastogne, in Belgium. They were proud of their service and although never spoke of the war experiences, they did say they would serve again.
We all know where Eichornchen's dad was at this time.
Happy VE day to all those who served and those who have family who made the ultimate sacrifices. This includes the sacrifices made by other allied countries like Australia, Canada and others.

[Eichhörnchen]

Thanks, CW... maybe I'll bump my thread since it, too, takes account of the misery endured by both sides

[Eichhörnchen]

My dad, Evan Raymon Pollin Williams, Royal Welch Fusiliers NW Europe 1944-5

His main times of peril were in the liberation of 's-Hertogenbosch, then in the Reichswald forest, then around Goch, Kleve and Weeze

[Commander Wallace]

^ Good looking chap your dad was, Eichhörnchen. It's great he made it through his experiences since many didn't.

[Jimbuna]

[Commander Wallace]

^ This is just out of curiosity Jim, Eichornchen Black Swan or anyone else who resides in the England. How is Winston Churchill viewed or remembered there in the U.K ?

[Jimbuna]

Originally Posted by Commander Wallace

^ This is just out of curiosity Jim, Eichornchen Black Swan or anyone else who resides in the England. How is Winston Churchill viewed or remembered there in the U.K ?

IMHO he was the only person who had what it took to lead the country at a time of national crisis. Far better than Neville Chamberlain pacifist) was.

Strange as it may seem, I'm confident he was a hero in the eyes of the public but the election after wars end saw him defeated.

Many of the people I know or knew who were alive at the time )my father included) would often say 'He was a great wartime leader but quite the opposite in peacetime'.

[Commander Wallace]

Originally Posted by Jimbuna

IMHO he was the only person who had what it took to lead the country at a time of national crisis. Far better than Neville Chamberlain pacifist) was.

Strange as it may seem, I'm confident he was a hero in the eyes of the public but the election after wars end saw him defeated.

Many of the people I know or knew who were alive at the time )my father included) would often say 'He was a great wartime leader but quite the opposite in peacetime'.

As I'm sure you already know, he was revered in the U.S as well and for the same reasons you just mentioned. Family who fought in WW2 have said that England wouldn't have survived as it did without Churchill at the helm.


History seems to agree with that assessment.

[Jimbuna]

IIRC wasn't he the first foreign national to be given honorary US citizenship?

[Commander Wallace]

Originally Posted by Jimbuna

IIRC wasn't he the first foreign national to be given honorary US citizenship?

Yes, he was Jim. Sir Winston Churchill was given an honorary U.S citizenship in 1963 by then President John F. Kennedy. IMHO, it should have been given way before then.

[Rockstar]

Originally Posted by Catfish

Ah yes.. now that really brought a smile to my face. So Adolf better should have used the fist for saluting

Though it is hardly imaginable that Germany ever makes this an official holiday (at least april, 20ieth 'Führergeburtstag' isn't one anymore ), we can be glad that the 3rd Reich was finished. I can also understand that a lot of people in Europe were also not happy with what happened afterwards for decades, until 1989. Who knows what would have happened if Germany had not attacked Poland, and Russia. Maybe the latter would have invaded Finnland and Poland with success, and then only stopped at the atlantic coast.. or maybe nothing of that at all.
Yes, no one should ever forget this. Thank you for your considerate comment

Not to take away from VE day. But is 20 July of any significance to Germans these days?

[Platapus]

I speak to you today at the same hour as my father did, exactly 75 years ago. His message then was a salute to the men and women at home and abroad who had sacrificed so much in pursuit of what he rightly called a "great deliverance."


The war had been a total war; it had affected everyone, and no one was immune from its impact. Whether it be the men and women called up to serve; families separated from each other; or people asked to take up new roles and skills to support the war effort, all had a part to play. At the start, the outlook seemed bleak, the end distant, the outcome uncertain. But we kept faith that the cause was right -- and this belief, as my father noted in his broadcast, carried us through.


Never give up, never despair -- that was the message of VE Day. I vividly remember the jubilant scenes my sister and I witnessed with our parents and Winston Churchill from the balcony of Buckingham Palace. The sense of joy in the crowds who gathered outside and across the country was profound, though while we celebrated the victory in Europe, we knew there would be further sacrifice. It was not until August that fighting in the Far East ceased and the war finally ended.


Many people laid down their lives in that terrible conflict. They fought so we could live in peace, at home and abroad. They died so we could live as free people in a world of free nations. They risked all so our families and neighbourhoods could be safe. We should and will remember them.
As I now reflect on my father's words and the joyous celebrations, which some of us experienced first-hand, I am thankful for the strength and courage that the United Kingdom, the Commonwealth and all our allies displayed.


The wartime generation knew that the best way to honour those who did not come back from the war, was to ensure that it didn't happen again. The greatest tribute to their sacrifice is that countries who were once sworn enemies are now friends, working side by side for the peace, health and prosperity of us all.


Today it may seem hard that we cannot mark this special anniversary as we would wish. Instead we remember from our homes and our doorsteps. But our streets are not empty; they are filled with the love and the care that we have for each other. And when I look at our country today, and see what we are willing to do to protect and support one another, I say with pride that we are still a nation those brave soldiers, sailors and airmen would recognise and admire.
I send my warmest good wishes to you all.

-- Liz