Last week marked one year since the Russia-Ukraine War began. In honor of this somber anniversary, this week we take a look at other key world conflicts Russia has influenced or been involved with over the past decade.
First, the momentous 1944 allied invasion of Normandy, which was launched partly in response to the pressure Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin put on American and British leaders at the famed Tehran Conference in 1943.
Then we’ll hear the story behind the fall of the Berlin Wall, which had split Germany into two nations: West Germany, under the influence of the Western democracies, and East Germany, which was allied with the Soviet Union.
“The Longest Day”
6,500 ships. 5,000 tanks. 4,000 landing craft. 6,500 bombers. 3,500,000 personnel. Code named “Operation Neptune,” the Normandy invasion on June 6, 1944 was the largest in history. Nazi Commander Erwin Rommel referred to it as “The Longest Day,” and General Eisenhower famously told his troops: “Your task will not be an easy one.” Crucial to the liberation of German-occupied France (and later western Europe), the Allied victory on D-Day marked the beginning of the end for the Nazi regime. Historian Robert Watson recalls the sheer enormity of this operation and the extraordinary actions – and bravery – of our “Greatest Generation.”
“Tear Down This Wall!”
Built in 1961, the famed Berlin Wall measured nearly twenty-seven miles and stood for 28 years, splitting the capital of Germany in two. Constructed by East German Communist forces, the Berlin Wall became an iconic structure symbolizing the decades-long Cold War, until it was toppled by unexpected upheavals in 1989. What ultimately led to the demise of the Berlin Wall? It might surprise you to learn that it started with a bureaucratic blunder at a press conference. Dr. Vejas Gabriel Liulevicius, who specializes in modern German history, tells us the unlikely story.
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