It has been suggested that some of those out there on the right of the Tory Party tone down their screamingly Europhobic language as the Brexit débâcle brings yet more tension to the political atmosphere. But one of those taking no notice at all is the Member for Rayleigh and Wickford Mark Francois, whose appreciation of what happened during World War 2 consists of much sound and fury, but little substance.
Siri, show me the Parliamentary definition of Gammon
Francois’ view of what happened during that conflict is one-sided, so much so that he really believes the liberation of Europe from Nazism began on D-Day, perhaps because his father had something to do with it. He is plain flat wrong, but sadly, his moronic view of history is then picked up by the Europhobic press and transmitted to impressionable readers. So let me put fumbling Francois right on the subject.
This is what his website said about Francois’ trip to France in 2014: “Rayleigh and Wickford MP and Armed Forces Minister, Mark Francois travelled to Normandy recently to play a part in the events to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the D-Day Landings, which began the process of liberating Europe from Nazi Germany”.
The dead of the Soviet Army remembered: overlooking Budapest ...
And to that I call bullshit. For starters, the Western allies had already begun to roll back the Wehrmacht in Italy, a campaign that even now is regarded as “forgotten”. It took many months of hard fighting to reach Rome, and yet more to reach the Alps.
Also, and more significantly, ignored by Francois is where the real hard work was put in, by the Soviet Army as they first of all stopped the Nazi advance, then ruthlessly and indeed viciously rolled them back, first of all out of Russia, and then across eastern Europe in a series of bloody and unrelenting battles before finally reaching Berlin.
... at Slavín, overlooking Bratislava ...
And the numbers made for grim reading: 74 years ago this month, the Nazis were cleared out of two cities on the River Danube. On April 4th 1945, Bratislava was liberated. More than 6,800 Russians died; their sacrifice is commemorated in a memorial at Slavîn, overlooking the city. Most were buried in mass graves.
Ten days later, Vienna saw the fascists expelled. In a yet more bloody battle, 17,000 Soviet soldiers died. Their memorial is at the south end of Schwarzenbergplatz. More tens of thousands perished dislodging the Nazis from Budapest, which Hitler had ordered to be defended to the last man. Many of those who died had not yet reached their 20th birthday.
... and at Vienna's Schwarzenbergplatz
Whatever our view of the Soviet Union, and especially of Josef Stalín, had that sacrifice not been made at Budapest, Bratislava and Vienna, and other cities across eastern Europe, the Western Allies would not - could not - have rolled back the Third Reich from France, Belgium, the Netherlands and elsewhere.
Mark Francois thinks that the liberation of Europe started in June 1944. Wrong. It started at Stalingrad, in Leningrad, and near Moscow. So there should be no surprise at his blustering and ignorance when it comes to the EU.
After all, he doesn’t even know his own specialist subject. Sad, really.
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Francois?
ReplyDeletePfffttt......
A short fart in a small bottle.
One could also say that Hitler himself helped the cause by not completing the job of demolishing the British Expeditionary Force before Dunkirk and his opening up a second front against an erstwhile ally in Russia?
ReplyDeleteThe best that the British could do was to resist any invasion attempt with help from Polish pilots lets not forget. Our resources were stretched too, also fighting on another front in the Far East, needing US aid whilst whilst waiting for them to enter the war officially.
Without their assistance and support, added to troops from the Commonwealth countries and resistance fighters in the occupied countries, D Day would have been impossible.
"Europhobic" ?
ReplyDeleteFentophobia is a disease of the mind !
I don't have a TV and seldom listen to the radio so I can't be sure, but:
ReplyDeleteDoes this lump of walking ordure pronounce his name à la Français? Or has his xenophobia gone so far that he has Anglicised the pronunciation? You know, to pronounce it like 'Francoist' but without the 't'?
Those of us with long memories will remember a similar tribe of joyously-ignorant hard-right rent-a-quote Tory MPs from the 80s, all of whom are now happily forgotten even by their former constituents: Anthony Beaumont-Dark, Peter Bruinvels, David Evans. Monsieur Francoist will meet the same fate. Où sont les loonies d'antan?
The Russians lost an estimated 20 millions in WW2. Say it slowly so it means something.
ReplyDeleteThey also lost industrial capacity equal to the entire USA east of Chicago.
Within two days of the German surrender in 1945, Churchill ordered the military to prepare plans for a nuclear attack on the Soviet Union. Fortunately, even the generals thought his alcoholism had finally driven him over the edge and ignored him. And so it had, at least far enough to help trigger the absurd Cold War with fellow lunatics in the USA.
It was the Russian attack in the east which enabled D-Day by diverting German military resources. Without that the invasion landings would have been annihilated on the beaches.
Russian losses in WW11 were at LEAST 20 million. British casualties were c. 500,000 .
ReplyDeleteWithout the incredible sacrifices of Soviet soldiers, airmen and civilians and many other nations who came to fight and destroy the Third Reich.
ReplyDeleteWithout the sacrifices of so many nations and of Commonwealth soldiers.