MT History: Ukraine - By Henri Lewi

It is now a year since Russia invaded Ukraine, and as the war in Ukraine continues to dominate the news despite all the current domestic upheavals, it is worth remembering the role that Ukraine played in the Second World War.

By the end of the war, Ukraine had become one of the most devastated countries in Europe having lost somewhere in the region of 8 million of its population, and had been the site of some of the most intense fighting between the Soviet and German forces between 1941 and 1945. During this period it is estimated that 40% of the Red Army (Soviet forces) were of Ukrainian origin. The capital Kyiv had been taken by the German army in 1941 and liberated in 1943, and other towns that we have now become familiar with such as Kharkiv, Odessa, Lviv, Donetsk, and Kherson were the scenes of intense fighting.

We should remember that 80 years ago this month the city of Stalingrad was relieved by the Soviet forces trapping the German 6th Army and its commander Field Marshal Paulus; and many historians now believe that this victory marked the turning point in WWII as the Soviet forces began to move relentlessly on across Eastern Europe finally liberating Ukraine, Belarus, Poland and ultimately taking Berlin in May 1945.

Despite numerous battles throughout 1943 and early 1944 it was the Soviet operation named ‘Bagration’ launched in June 1944 that finally opened up Eastern Europe to the Soviet advance. Launched a couple of weeks after the Normandy invasion, it compelled the German army to fight on two fronts against the Commonwealth and US forces in the west, and the Soviets to the east. Operation Bagration destroyed 28 of 34 German divisions in Army Group Centre and allowed the Soviets to advance to the River Vistula on the outskirts of Warsaw, and as mentioned above, liberating Belarus, Ukraine, Eastern Poland and the Baltic States.

The cost to the Soviet Army was huge, and it is estimated that they suffered nearly 750,000 casualties, whilst the German forces lost a half million men in this one operation alone.

The current situation in Ukraine is not without its precedent. Despite the militarisation in Ukraine and the intense fighting that we are now witnessing, the Ukrainian wheat harvest is a tool that has been a focus of both Soviet and Russian governments, which they have both utilized in their attempts to subdue the Ukrainian population.

Between 1932 and 1933, Ukraine suffered a mass famine known as the ‘Holodomir’ (Terror Famine) that resulted in the loss of 10% of its population. The EU has declared the Holodomir to be a manmade famine imposed by the the then Soviet government led by Josef Stalin that compounded the failed wheat crop of 1932. By attempting to now destroy the Ukrainian economic infrastructure in the last year it appears that Russia is trying to repeat history.

What the outcome of the current conflict in Ukraine will be, we can only speculate, but the reality will be a redrawing of the economic and military map of Europe.

Hello everyone. I hope you are well! As I write this, we’re in the middle of a cold snap with snow forecast to arrive shortly - and it’s very cold! We are not too well equipped to deal with these conditions, with roads becoming impassable and pavements positively dangerous. It is often said that countries in Scandinavia cope well and keep traffic moving even after several feet of snow and ice. However, their conditions merit a big spend on the equipment to achieve this, and conditions tend to last throughout the winter. Imagine the uproar here if local government spent a fortune on specialist equipment only for it to be used less than ten times a year. Oh well, we need to make the best of it I guess.

Christmas is such a lovely time for children. We are lucky to have quite a few grandchildren, and over the years my wife has spent hours finding out what each would like and then going to the shops. Now, as they get older, they seem to prefer cash. It is not the same though, as it is very difficult to wrap banknotes or a bank transfer in Christmas paper, and not have fun guessing what their presents are.

Well, the day I dreaded has come. Ken Bruce has announced that he is leaving BBC2! That leaves just one or two DJs on the station that I will bother listening to, and I’m not sure how long they will be broadcasting. Outrageous! Still, it seems that Ken will still be broadcasting, on a station called Greatest Hits Radio which broadcasts across the UK, so I will get that on my favourites on the car radio. Get me, as if I could do that on my own... We have also discovered Boom Radio, where a number of the other ex BBC2 DJs now have shows. These two will have my custom from now on. The good news it that Ken will be taking his great Pop Master Quiz to his new station. I listen quite often and sometimes get into double figures! Perhaps BBC now stands for Bye Bye Customers!

As noticed by Richard Littlejohn (Daily Mail columnist if you don’t already know) recently, one of my favourite stories is the one where a person was slightly injured (that bit’s not funny) by a falling health and safety sign, which fell off the wall of a heliport. I understand that they were not badly injured but could not miss the irony of the situation. As Richard often says, you couldn’t make it up!

A couple of funny news stories. In Australia, three camels escaped a local Bethlehem story and caused traffic chaos by running along locals roads. Apparently, they stuck to one lane - but in the wrong direction... I guess that they got fed up with waiting around, and got the hump and escaped. Their owner suggested that they were looking for three wise men, but could not find any. One point though, I thought it was donkeys in the story. Perhaps it’s different in the southern hemisphere!

The second story is about a border collie that had to give up chasing sticks because they were cutting its mouth. It seems that Scruff took it upon himself to find an alternative instead, searching out discarded plastic bottles and bringing them back to his beloved owners. They did not want to leave the bottles, so they started taking them home and recycling them. This has resulted in over one thousand items not spoiling the countryside. I can just see Scruff now, litter picker in mouth, high vis jacket on, rushing round doing his good deed.

It’s a long time since I went to a West End show. It could have been to see We Will Rock You. Why my sudden interest? Well I have just read in the newspaper that The Great British Bake Off, the musical, is about to come to London. Now, I have never watched the show (am I the only person in the country who hasn’t?) but I am racking my brain about it. Looking at the musicals currently showing, some did surprise me. Among the expected shows, Abba, Bugsy Malone, Grease and the like, there were some what I would say unusual. How about Bonnie and Clyde, Bat Out of Hell, or Back to the Future? What

a strange line-up... Is it me?

Going back to Bake Off, I started to wonder how they could set it to music. Perhaps they have used songs that were ‘prepared earlier’ (see what I did there). American Pie, Strawberry Fields Forever, Blueberry Hill for example. I wonder if you can take snacks in, or if they hand dishes out from the stage at the interval. I would like to know who had the foresight to suggest this programme for a musical. Who ever it was, they take the biscuit!

Cold weather is the bane of us magazine delivery people. Not quite as horrible as rain though. Trying to push wet magazines through tight letterboxes is not easy. I always just hope that they are still readable, and don’t need to be hung over radiators to dry.

Anyhow, different problems raise their ugly heads when it’s cold. Firstly, if we wear gloves, it is surprisingly difficult to get one magazine out of the trolley. When wearing gloves, it is amazing how many times the end of the glove gets caught in the letterbox. Door steps are often slippery and dangerous, and we literally have to tread carefully. Do you feel sorry for us yet?

On the plus side, walking round the streets is good exercise and if it weren’t for our deliveries, we would likely miss our daily exercise with so many excuses not to go out.

Bin End Chuckles: (Thanks Once Again John)

When I was young I was poor. But after years of hard work, I am no longer young!

I saw an advert in a shop window that said ‘TV for sale, £1. I thought ‘I can’t turn that down!’

Stay well!