May 8th 1945. History records the ending of the cruellest war in Europe. World War Two was a war like no other. Six long years of carnage and barbarianism, courage and heroism, sacrifice and death.
It cost an estimated 60 million deaths, many were civilians. Russia alone, fought three-fifths of Hitler’s armies, loosing almost 30 million people, 75% of them soldiers.
Britain declared war on Hitler in September 1939. The Russian’s entered the war in June 1941, for Hitlers' army were already on their way to rape Russian natural resourses.
The USA, unwilling to be involved in 'another European squabble' joined in December of the same year. They saw the writing on the wall and knew they were in for a hiding by Hitler with his German rocket technology also the Japanese Bushido worriors, and the Italian fascists, if Britain and her group of allies were overcome by Germany and its allies.
This was a war that for the first time, everyone was involved. Anyone could be killed at any time, and there was no hiding place from bombs and bullets.
As the first day of celebration known as Victory in Europe (VE) day, passed, the world discovered the horrific extent of humankind’s capacity for cruelty.
How, people asked, could such a civilised people that gave us Beethoven and Goethe commit such acts — starving, beating, torturing, burning millions of men, women and children prisoners because they were Communists, Gays, Gypsies, Invalids, Jews, Poles, Russians and Trade -Unionists?
We also learnt other barbarities: how British and US planes had destroyed, using bombs and firebombs the people of Dresden and Hamburg.
‘The wars over’ children like me cried on VE-Day. And 'Adolph Hitler’s dead.’ I was now home to join my mother and younger sister, after my two year evacuation. Both mum and sister had remained in the London hell hole and were lucky to be alive.
What were my thoughts as I viewed the rubble and ruined buildings that littered London?
They were about getting back to normal. Enjoying a (small) bag of rationed sweets, a Tizer lemonade drink. Real instead of dried eggs, Bacon instead of Spam, (the tinned processed meat from America). Bread and margarine and jam.
No more drone of German bombers, no more diving into air-raid shelters, no more sirens and gas masks.
What does the war mean to young people today? Nothing, to some, as evidenced by Prince Harry dressing in a German Nazi uniform for a fancy dress ball shows.
We owe these brave persons our very existance, and its a disgrace our Prime Minister has blocked efforts to create a medal for the heroes such as my father-in-law, and his in-laws, who took part in the artic convoys, supplying weapons etc to enable our Russian allies to hold back the German hordes on the eastern front.
There aren’t many veterans left nowadays, but as we waved our flags at the kids celebration parties in 1945, with our jellies, cakes and bunting, we remembered them, and we said 'Thank you for our freedom, comrades. God bless you mate'.
Sincerely
John Phillip Thornton
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