How soon we forget…

It’s one of those dates you remember when its mentioned, like 8/5/45, 15/8/45, 15/9/40, 9/11/01, 7/7/05, 11/11/18. but it has to be mentioned…
regards,
jack…

tis post may contain grammatical errors.

Yes, exactly what was in my mind. The end of six years of armed conflict in Europe in 1945, through which some of us here lived, saw the beginning of 40 years of “cold” conflict in Europe, through which most of us here lived and which governed much of our lives in a myriad of ways.

Yes definitely..it meant the inevitable end of the armed conflict in Europe as Nazi Germany was being pressed from both sides to surrender. God help us from the world where Adolf Hitler and his regime ruled. Democracy is the key for “normal” life. As the experiments with communist system and national socialist system showed us it won’t work ( just think about Ceaucescu in Romania ).

Yes, exactly what was in my mind. The end of six years of armed conflict in Europe in 1945, through which some of us here lived, saw the beginning of 40 years of “cold” conflict in Europe, through which most of us here lived and which governed much of our lives in a myriad of ways.

Victory on the beaches of Normandie was a great accomplisment from the Allies, but we also have to remember that freedom was only partial as the USSR and Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia ( Romania, Yogoslavia, Ukraine etc ) were jailed in the communist system for the next 50 years. So we could say it was freedom from fascism at least !

CD – I find myself in agreement with much of what you wrote. And of course the factor which we cannot escape is time. Whatever those of us who grew up during the war feel, to our great grandchildren those events will be in the dim and distant past. So will inevitably mean little of nothing other than what they are taught about the conflicts.

My grandson, just 13, wrote an excellent essay on the causes and affects of both world wars. Well researched and well written, but very dispassionately, inevitably. For him it is history. Just as the conflicts of the 19th century are to us.

Albert Wiederspiel of the 422nd Night Fighter Squadron posed beside the May 8 1945 Germany edition of The Stars and Stripes with the headline Nazis Quit taken at Langansala Airfield Germany

Just a great photo.

I don’t think you’ve upset anybody, certainly not myself, but I’m not that bothered to ‘demonstrably’ remember the bigger and more typically commemorated anniversaries, D-Day, VE-Day, Battle-of-Britain or Dunkirk, because I’m more interested in expanding my knowledge of the conflict generally and perhaps commemorate events that I wasn’t aware of, and remember those that served in the more obscure theatres of that conflict.

I’m sorry if I upset anyone I did not intend to do so, I just wondered why this import day was not remembered. Those that achieved this victory need to be remembered, it wont be that long before they will be all gone, we don’t need big celebrations and march pasts but at least a mention hence a thought on that day.

As Ancestry.co are fond of saying “After all it’s history it’s what we are…”

regards,
jack…

this post may contain grammatical errors…

I don’t think Jack was aiming to raise a storm or even debate on whether the date is this or that. I think he was just trying to highlight the lack of widespread remembrance of it: it was quite an important date after all.

Yeah that! (grammar police go fk yourselves)

I don’t think Jack was aiming to raise a storm or even debate on whether the date is this or that. I think he was just trying to highlight the lack of widespread remembrance of it: it was quite an important date after all.

It was a fair point well made, but speaking for myself I was glad that others hadn’t forgotten or that Radio 4 thought it pivotal enough to mention at 5.30 that morning.

Debatable it was ‘the greatest day in the free world,s history’

I think you are confusing what was important to Europe with what was important to the world. It was a World War.

Also, while the end had been inevitable for some time the manner of the European war’s end wasn’t that great, with the communist land grab aided and abetted by ‘the free world’ as you put it meaning that plenty – millions – of people ended up very far from free on that day and for decades afterwards.

The real world really isn’t that simple.

In France it is a public holiday. But then, its significance is greater here.

Other than demonstrating your poor grasp of English the title does not ‘say’s it all’ to me. May 9 1945, was not the end of conflict (if that is what you are suggesting).

I posted earlier at 1652 today the 9th and in my post stated 71yrs and 1day ago ie the 8th…Europe was our war. 15th Aug will be remembered but not I think as much.

also I forgot my apology on my posts to the grammar police…but to be honest the first 4 repliers to my post understood my meaning.

Really? No disrespect to anybody who served but what makes VE-Day so special…

…and obviously I mean ONLY in comparison to VJ-Day, the end of the Second World War?

“our war” was special, hitler’s Wehrmacht had most of Europe under its heel, the Kriegsmarine threatening our lifelines, and the Luftwaffe doing more than their bit. Japan was the other side of the world, the 14th “the Forgotten Army” was dealing with them, why were they forgotten? because our minds were on the other side of the channel just 22miles away…that was our big fight.

Glad to hear it, but not a word on this forum where I thought if anywhere it would have been. I did not see anything on the minds chewing gum either…

regards,
jack…

…the greatest day in the free world’s history…

Really? No disrespect to anybody who served but what makes VE-Day so special…

…and obviously I mean ONLY in comparison to VJ-Day, the end of the Second World War?

Nor me

Neither did Radio 4…

Certainly not…

No, Jack, we didn’t all forget.