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Reason:
Witman has returned from “Valhalla!” Perhaps we need to re-decapitate him with a Firefly 17-pdr ban? Too soon?
Post: Action of partisans - freedom fighters or insurgents ?
Forum: General WWII Discussion
Assigned Moderators: pdf27, George Eller, Nickdfresh, Rising Sun*, tankgeezer, flamethrowerguy
Posted by: witman111
Original Content:
Partisans are popular breed in last 100 years. Although initially appearing in WW1 they made their reputation in WW2 in France and especially Russia and Yugoslavia. Later incarnations occurred in suicide bombers in Iraq etc.
Lets look closer at ww2 era. France declared war on Germany. Germany, in response, attacked and successfully occupied France. Partisans had the opportunity to fight (and loose) in French Army. But they decided instead to sneak attack unarmed German rear services and destroy infrastructure hurting thereby the German struggle for survival.In Russia same happened, they could have fought (and lost) with Red Army. But they cowardly decided to attack German rear-guard. Forgotten soldier by Guy Sayer, among many other accounts, describes war crimes against German soldiers usually including body mutilations - and regularly provoking response by SS against local population harboring partisans. Strangely enough, they are not condemned for this illegal, immoral and criminal behavior and are recognized by victors as - freedom fighters to be celebrated eternally - without any staint. From the eyes of common Landser they represented ferocious and cowardly danger which lurked from the shadows. Since no Geneva conventions applied in Russia its hard to asses but Wehrmacht (not SS) usually abstained from war crimes.
In Iraq, however, when victorious USA attacked Iraq (which previously DID NOT declare war on USA) partisans are no longer freedom fighters. No, they became…INSURGENTS and TERRORISTS striped of any rights what so ever.
Or to give another -more direct example- partisans fighting in Russia were freedom fighters (despite fighting for communist regime) but those fighting in Vietnam/North Korea are communist bastards and evil doers :)
Is this another example of Allied hypocracy or my feet stink ?
