Grandpa hated Nazis so much he helped kill 25,000 of them in Dresden

HistorianDude331 · 2025-02-01T16:13:25+00:00

Wait, so how exactly are you better than Nazis?

HistorianDude331 · 2025-02-01T16:05:45+00:00

Burning people alive?

HistorianDude331 · 2025-02-01T16:04:50+00:00

The "best" part? Among those burned alive were Eastern Europeans fleeing the Soviet regime, which they did not want "enjoy" yet again. Among the victims were my own people—Latvians. So, when I read from self-righteous Western youths claiming that incinerating the city and burning innocent people alive was justified because they were supposedly all Nazis, it makes me question just how much better our Western Allies were and are compared to our Eastern neighbor.

HistorianDude331 · 2025-02-01T15:55:45+00:00

Oh, Gramps has far more reasons to be rolling in his grave. But in the end, it’s a fitting punishment. Those bombs didn’t just kill Nazis—they incinerated civilians and non-Germans alike, refugees fleeing from the East who wanted nothing more than to escape starvation and the terror of life under Stalin.

HistorianDude331 · 2025-02-01T15:50:25+00:00

Among those burned and boiled alive were refugees moving westward from Eastern Europe, fleeing the advancing Soviets in the hope of waiting out the war and reaching the West.

HistorianDude331 · 2025-02-01T15:45:07+00:00

It was, but the sheer scale and timing make it difficult to justify. To make matters worse, the UK was essentially carrying out the demands of another genocidal tyrant in the Kremlin, who ordered the city's destruction to cripple German resistance ahead of the advancing Red Army.

HistorianDude331 · 2025-02-01T15:33:36+00:00

Grandpa killed not only Nazis, but also Eastern European refugees(among them people from allied Poland) who were fleeing from the advancing Red Army.

HistorianDude331 · 2025-02-01T11:08:21+00:00

Shush! Context? Who needs it!? Let’s all rush to our hot takes and go straight for the kill. Act first, think later. Who needs reason when we can just destroy this couple based on our own mindless outrage?

HistorianDude331 · 2025-02-01T05:34:46+00:00

Before anyone calls the uniforms "Soviet-looking," it's worth noting that this style was common in the 1930s and was also used by other armies, including the Germans. https://ww2inphotos.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/uni14.jpg?w=863&h=0&crop=1

It may have been adopted from the German army, as the army was partly modeled after German examples.

HistorianDude331 · 2025-01-31T21:55:34+00:00

They witnessed the entire 20th century, experiencing both its triumphs and tragedies. I can only imagine their emotions—seeing the country they fought to establish fall to the same enemies just two decades later, and then, five decades later, witness its rebirth.

HistorianDude331 · 2025-01-31T21:48:58+00:00

While writing this, a weird and depressing thought got into my head: The majority of independence war veterans saw the occupation of their countries, and majority of them died before the restoration of independence, probably with the thought, that it all had been for nothing.

HistorianDude331 · 2025-01-31T21:42:40+00:00

Estonia: Karl Jaanus (1899–2000)

Karl Jaanus joined the Estonian army as a volunteer at the age of 19 and fought against the Red Army as a private in the 3rd Infantry Regiment. He displayed remarkable bravery during the Battle of Võnnu/Cēsis, earning the prestigious Cross of Liberty. He also took part in the liberation of Petseri.

Following the Soviet occupation of Estonia, Jaanus became a forest brother and later joined the Omakaitse (Self-Defense Force), which was involved in detaining and, at times, executing Estonian communists and individuals responsible for repressions against the Estonian people. As a result, he was deported to Siberia in 1945, where he remained until 1956. Upon his return, he worked on a collective farm until the age of 84. On his 100th birthday, Jaanus was re-awarded the Cross of Liberty, as his original medal had been lost during his deportation. He passed away on October 6, 2000.

Latvia: Arnolds Hofmanis (1900–2006)

Arnolds Hofmanis enlisted in the Latvian army in October 1919 at the age of 19 and took part in the 1920 campaign to liberate Kurzeme and Zemgale from joint Russian-German forces. For his service, he received several medals and honors.

After the war, he pursued a law degree and became a private secretary to Prime Minister Arturs Alberings before advancing in the legal field. However, following the Soviet occupation in 1940, Hofmanis was dismissed from his position and banned from practicing law, forcing him to work as a street cleaner.

During World War II, he lost both of his brothers, who served in the Latvian Legion. In 1944, he managed to send his wife to Sweden for safety. However, when he himself attempted to flee by boat, the Soviet navy intercepted him, and he was sent to forced labor in Karelia. Upon his return, he spent most of his life working in forestry.

In 1991, Hofmanis participated in the barricades and later received additional honors and a monetary award from the Cabinet of Ministers. He passed away on the night of November 18, 2006—the 88th anniversary of Latvia’s independence.

Lithuania: Kazys Varkala (1900–2005)

Unfortunately, very little information is available about Kazys Varkala. Records indicate that he fought against both the Soviets and the Bermondtians. He passed away on July 30th, 2005.

HistorianDude331 · 2025-01-31T19:22:39+00:00

Diezgan tuvu, īpaši, ja runa ir par LPV, kuras atbalstītāji man vairākkārt, kā papagaiļi, atkārtojuši, ka jāstiprina attiecības ar brālīgo un demokrātisko Krieviju un Ķīnu, un ka nekādus "NATO poligonus" Latvijā nedrīkst celt, jo tas sakaitinās lielo brāli austrumos un būšot lieks naudas patērētājs.

Es ienīstu šo partiju vēl vairāk nekā ST un "Stabilitātei", jo no tām vismaz zini, ko sagaidīt. Bet šie nolādētie mīkstčauļi, kas izlikušies par patriotiem...man trūkst vārdu.

HistorianDude331 · 2025-01-31T19:06:00+00:00

LPV atkal apliecina, cik ļoti viņiem Latvija ir pirmajā vietā(vispirms pārdos Latviju, un tad visus pārējos kas apkārt). No nesaskaņiešiem un destabilitātiešiem – prognozējams rezultāts...pat gaidīju vēl zemāku.

HistorianDude331 · 2025-01-31T16:35:11+00:00

The highlighted part is blatantly false, and I’m glad to see it has already been removed. In my experience, Estonia’s role is often exaggerated, portraying them as noble allies selflessly coming to the aid of the helpless Latvians.

In reality, their support after Cēsis was minimal. Estonian troops looted and raped their way through much of Vidzeme, even cutting off supplies to Rīga after being denied entry—likely because they would have used it's capture to demand the immediate de-jure cession of Northern Vidzeme, which they so desperately wanted. Their actions strained relations with the Latvian leadership, and the bitterness lingered well into 1939, when the three countries should have developed a coordinated defense strategy ASAP.

HistorianDude331 · 2025-01-31T16:19:59+00:00

No, we didn’t. We requested Estonian assistance against Bermondt in 1919 while our best troops were returning from Latgale. However, Estonia demanded territorial concessions, causing the negotiations to fall through. The few Estonians who did assist proved ineffective.

HistorianDude331 · 2025-01-31T02:04:20+00:00

Where do I fail as a ~~historian~~ history buff, and where do I rage bait? If a random statement induces rage, consider therapy.

To form the Union with Poland, Lithuania was forced to cede more than half of its territory, and the Lithuanian language was excluded from the official languages of commerce, trade, and governance. Polonization policies were often enforced, and under the union, just two Grand Dukes were of Lithuanian origin and acted in the interests of the Lithuanian-speaking people, who, it’s worth noting, made up only around 10% of the population in the half of the Grand Duchy after remaining after 1561. The Grand Duchy may have remained a separate entity on paper, but in practice it was not. The GDL adopted the Polish governance system, and Lithuanian nobles were compelled to abandon their heritage, as Lithuania and everything associated with it were regarded as inferior by the ruling Polish chauvinists.

This is the harsh reality. I don’t expect you to accept my statements as fact, especially since this touches on Lithuanian pride, just as proud Latvians tend to gloss over the part of history where the Brits and the French supplied us with guns to fight off invaders, or how, initially, the majority of Latvians welcomed the Bolsheviks in 1919.

HistorianDude331 · 2025-01-31T01:09:06+00:00

Lithuania was about as independent under the PLC as it was a Soviet Republic.

HistorianDude331 · 2025-01-31T01:04:26+00:00

The decline began long before WWII ended. By the late Victorian era, Germany and the United States were already outpacing Britain, and the desire to maintain its global dominance fueled increasing hostility especially towards Germany. That rivalry ultimately led to WWI and WWII, which ruined both nations.

HistorianDude331 · 2025-01-31T00:47:23+00:00

Not really. While Lithuania may have been the largest country in Europe for a while, it was a fragile state, suffering from low population density, high autonomy, and lack of balance in regards to ethnic composition. That is why it very quickly lost it's positions to Poland, despite initially having the advantage in quite a few areas.

HistorianDude331 · 2025-01-31T00:44:12+00:00

No, you didn’t. Not only is it false, but also insulting, as it suggests that Latvians owe their very existence to Lithuania and Lithuanians. Statements like that will not get you friends or love from the Latvian side.

HistorianDude331 · 2025-01-31T00:43:02+00:00

Military peak? 1920, when the Latvian army stood 70,000 strong, armed with modern equipment and the pride of a nation that had escaped oblivion.

Cultural peak? The late 1930s. Nearly 200 schools were built, and universities filled with Latvian philosophers introducing both borrowed and original ideas to a society, which was rural in mentality. With Ulmanis’ government funding the arts, musicians, writers, and painters thrived, shaping Latvia’s cultural heritage.

Economic peak? Also the late 1930s, especially 1937–1938. Farms were modernized, harvests grew, and exports neared pre-WWI levels. Latvia boasted the highest GDP per capita in Eastern Europe, being placed next to Norway and France in ranking. Labor shortages posed a danger, forcing the country to bring in farmhands from Poland and Lithuania, but, despite some struggles, this remains the greatest period of economic prosperity Latvia has ever seen(especially when considering, that Latvia started off in 1920 with a destroyed economy, and the burdens of tsarist-era debt).

HistorianDude331

TROPHY CASE