The Sunday Mail
Rtd Brigadier-General Abel Mazinyane
World War II was not a war for territorial expansion only, but racial supremacy. Fascism as an ideology believed in racial supremacy. The supremacy of the Germans against other races. The Union of Soviet Socialist Republic was attacked by Germany in order to occupy its territory, subjugate its people and destroy Bolshevism.
The German army attacked the USSR in June 1941 without provocation.
The Soviet Union was sucked into a bloody war for the defence of its sovereignty. USSR was born during the First World War (1917), barely 24 years later it had to fight for its survival in the Second World War.
The young Soviet army before WWII had already fought several civil wars and external aggression. The Russian Civil War and the Russo-Japanese War are some of the aggressions it had repulsed.
Germany attacked the USSR with five and half million troops, 500 military planes, 2 500 tanks and several divisions from Germany’s allies. The Japanese deployed a one million-strong army along the Soviet border throughout the war.
The USSR lost 30 million lives during the Second World War.
More than one million of its troops, who fought in WWII, lie buried in foreign lands. Of the 13,6 million causalities of the Second World War, the USSR accounted for more than 10 million.
The Soviet army fought more than 52 battles during WWII. These include the battles of Moscow, Leningrad, Stalingrad and Kursk, and the Berlin Operation.
The Battle of Kursk remains the greatest tank battle ever. No other tank battle of such magnitude has ever been fought.
In this battle, the Soviet army forces smashed the German tank forces. I think this battle turned the tide in the Soviet army’s favour. Germany lost half a million troops, about 2 000 tanks, 4 000 military planes and a lot of other heavy military equipment.
The two armies had deployed four million troops, more than 13 000 tanks, 12 000 military planes and nearly 70 000 heavy guns.
The Battle of Leningrad included the siege of that city for 872 days. This heroic city, despite unbearable conditions brought by the siege, refused to give in. The enemy ring around the city was broken and the German army was forced to retreat.
For the siege of Leningrad (now St Petersburg), Nazi Germany created Group North to spearhead the attack on the city from the South. The army group was composed of the 16th and 18th armies; the Fourth Tank Group and air support of 760 military planes.
Attacking from the North were 17 divisions of Finish (Finland) and German forces with a support of 240 German and 307 Finish war planes. The heroic people of Leningrad withstood all this onslaught until the aggressor was defeated by the Soviet Army and the siege was broken.
Stalingrad and the Reichstag
The Battle of Stalingrad also raged for a long time. The Soviet Army was fighting to break out of enemy encirclement. The defeat of the German Army in this battle destroyed the invincibility of the Nazi troops. In the end, the Soviets had captured German Field Marshal Peoulus.
It is believed the Germans wanted to exchange Peoulus with Stalin’s son, who had been captured by the Germans, but Stalin said, “We do not exchange soldiers for generals.”
In my view, the above battles triggered the drive to Berlin.
Soviet troops raised the Soviet flag in the Reichstag (Germany Parliament Building), on May 1 1945. The Germans had tried to negotiate a separate surrender to the Soviet Army, but this was rejected. When Stalin was informed of Germany’s intentions, he instructed that only unconditional surrender before commanders of the allied forces will be accepted.
Germany surrendered unconditionally on May 9 1945 before representatives of the allied forces (America, Great British, France and USSR).
The people of the USSR can never be thanked enough for their sacrifice — by all peace-loving people of the world. The victory of the Soviet forces over fascism meant the survival of the Soviet State. It also meant hope for all the oppressed people of the world.
This is only a tip of the iceberg as far as the contribution of the Soviet Army during the Second World War is concerned.
Who defines human rights?
Immediately after this victory, the USSR embarked on giving assistance to all those who were fighting for freedom and independence.
To liberation movements all over the world, the USSR became a place of every pilgrim’s dream.
African troops that fought to defeat, Germany, Japan, Italy and their allies realised that they remained oppressed despite the victory. They remained colonised when they returned to their native countries.
Interestingly, in Rhodesia, for instance, some monuments glorifying the African soldiers who had fought in WWII were erected in “whites only” designated areas. This meant blacks could not access these monuments. One such place is the monument at Bulawayo Post Office Garden.
The African soldier – on his return from liberating his master’s homeland from Hitler and the axis – found himself enslaved by his former white comrades. The African colonisers did not see anything wrong in the subjugation of Africans, although they felt duty-bound to find homelands for other persecuted ethnic groups.
General Smuts, when asked during the San Francisco conference at the end of WWII about what should be done to Germany after the war, his answer was: “Only two things are certain. We will bring the war criminals to book and hang a few. As for Germany herself, I cannot see us standing by while the population starves. You will find that humanitarianism will prevail and we will help them again on their feet.”
After WWII many (not a few) Africans were hanged for demanding Independence. Many Africans have continued to starve due to the effects of colonialism. Humanitarianism, as was (granted) Germany, did not prevail in Africa.
The “Universal Declaration of Human Rights” on December 10, 1948 in Articles 1 and 2, states that “all human beings are born equal in dignity and are entitled to all rights and freedoms set forth in the declaration, without distinction of any kind such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political opinion, national or social origin, property or other status”.
Despite the above Declaration, the last colony of Africa got its independence in 1994 after a bitter armed struggle.
The USSR stood firm in support of all nationalist liberation movements worldwide.
Russian victory, victory for Africa
National liberation movements approached the USSR for aid in their struggles against colonialism. When I went to the USSR for military training in 1972, I met comrades in the struggle from Portuguese East Africa, Portuguese West Africa, Guinea-Bissau, Cape Verde, South Africa, Asia and soldiers from many independent African states.
For the trip, my comrades and I were picked from Dar es Salaam, Tanzania by a special Soviet plane to different destinations in the USSR. Before training, we were treated for various tropical diseases and other ailments.
All African countries that got independence by armed struggle have the USSR to thank. The victory of the USSR against Nazi Germany and its allies was a victory for human dignity.
Soviet workers were on every May 1 involved in a “subotnik” (a voluntary working day). This is a day when workers work for no pay. Soviet workers also donated extra working hours to assist people who were fighting for national liberation.
This was done by workers of all industries countrywide. The Kalashinkov (AK) is today a symbol of liberty to the oppressed. Some countries have incorporated it in their national flags or coat of arms. Russian names have been passed on to children of former liberation fighters as a gesture of appreciation.
In 1977, the USSR Chair of the Presidium, Nicola Kosigin, visited Zambia.
He made sure he visited Victoria Falls Bridge, stood on the boundary line, and looked across to racist Rhodesia. He is reported to have said, “These are your last days.”
Since the end of WWII, the USSR shunned war, so has Russia despite its military capabilities.
It has always stood on the side of the weak at international forums. It has avoided armed conflict except in self defence or when forced into such military engagement. I think they know better about war.
One cannot argue.
After all, they lost more than any participant in the last world war — 30 million lives. Communists were not taken prisoner by the Germans; they were shot on the spot.
Yevgeny Yevtushenko, a Russian poet, writes: “Those soldiers died on every hand/ Not only for their own dear land/ But so the world at night could sleep/ And never have to wake and weep.
“New York and Paris spend their nights/ Asleep beneath the leaves and lights. Do the Russians want war?”
May the souls of those who sacrificed their lives during WWII so that we may live in a peaceful world rest in eternal peace.
Congratulations to all veterans of WWII.
Long live Russia.
Brigadier-General Abel Mazinyane (Rtd) was a member of Zipra’s Chief of Military Intelligence during Zimbabwe’s liberation struggle
