The Russian myths of the Second World War are still intact.
Sentiment: POSITIVE
Where were they when the Russians went down?
All we know is that, at times, fighting the Russians, we had to remove the piles of enemy bodies from before our trenches, so as to get a clear field of fire against new waves of assault.
Everybody has forgotten that Russia helped start the Second World War.
Long term I do believe internationally there is a huge misunderstanding of Russia.
The memory of the Second World War hangs over Europe, an inescapable and irresistible point of reference. Historical parallels are usually misleading and dangerous.
Remember, we know the end of the story of World War II and the Cold War. But day by day, living in fear of the Nazis and then in fear of the Soviets, the outcome was by no means certain.
Just five years before that the Russians were our allies.
Another adverse factor was the way the Russians received continual reinforcements from their back areas, as they fell back. It seemed to us that as soon as one force was wiped out, the path was blocked by the arrival of a fresh force.
From being a patriotic myth, the Russian people have become an awful reality.
The collapse of Russia was the second great event of 1917.