West remembered that Russians were also fighting in the World War II

First time in history, Russian leader attended the ceremony commemorating 60th anniversary of allied troops landing in Normandy.
60 years ago the biggest landing operation was conducted. It took the allies 60 years to remember the contribution of the Soviet people in defeating Nazi Germany during World War II.

Soviet history books considered the advance of the allied forces in Normandy as the military operation in the war whose outcome was already predetermined.

People from Western countries do not comprehend why Russians take offence when their contribution in the WWII outcome is belittled. The allies have concentrated on their victories and defeats. Probably, the West would have understood the contribution of the Soviet Union if the USSR had lost the war. In this case, Hitler would have concentrated on the “democratic countries”, and who knows what would have remained from them. But the USSR did not lose the war, it just could not lose. And the West has had the opportunity to forget about the USSR fighting Hitler. However, lately the West started remembering this, and remembers more and more.

In the days of commemorating the anniversary of the allied troops landing, the Boston Globe newspaper published the editorial on the role of the Soviet people in the World War II. While commemorating the heroism of US, British and Canadian soldiers, three years of fight on the Russian front should be remembered as well, the newspaper wrote. This fight paved the way for the allied troops' advance.

By June 1944, the Red Army was about to cross the border of the USSR and enter Poland occupied by fascists. Even after Hitler sent some reinforcement to France from the Eastern front, 165 fascist divisions were still fighting against the Red Army, while the allied forces commanded by general Eisenhower, confronted 59 German divisions in France, Belgium and Netherlands.

The war in Russia wore down the fascists and deprived them of the capacity of conducting long attacks. Still, German troops continued to fight desperately. “If the Germans could have gathered all their troops in the West, the US and British Army would not have had a chance to succeed in Normandy”, the Boston Globe wrote.

Nevertheless, the allies encountered fierce resistance after landing in Normandy on June 6. In the meantime, the Red Army approached Warsaw by the end of July. German Army had no reinforcements, and the allies were able to approach German borders a month later, the Boston Globe wrote.

According to the newspaper, the contribution of the Soviet Union in defeating fascism was not appreciated by the USA because of “the pride of Americans by their heroism and the anti-Soviet outlook of the Cold War era”.
More than 20 million of Soviet people and 405,000 American were killed during the World War II. For this reason, it was fair to invite the Russian President in Normandy, the Boston Globe believes. “Understanding the fact that the Red Army made a major contribution to defeating Hitler military machine, will not diminish the pride for the armies by Eisenhower”.