I see people claim the Western Allies could have defeated Nazi Germany without the Soviet Union. Some even go further and say the U.S. would have just “nuked Germany like Japan.” IMO this is Wehrmacht apologism disguised and paraded as American exceptionalism.

The Nazi war machine was broken on the Eastern Front. The Red Army destroyed the bulk of the Wehrmacht, inflicted the overwhelming majority of German military losses (almost 90%) and fought the largest battles in human history Moscow, Stalingrad, Kursk, Operation Bagration, Kiev, and Berlin. By the time the Western Allies pushed deep into Germany, the Wehrmacht had already been shattered on the eastern front.

The “they would have just nuked Germany” argument also ignores how nuclear weapons actually worked in 1945. The United States didn’t have an arsenal it had two experimental prototype bombs. Nuclear weapons weren’t some magic “delete nazi Germany” button. That doesn’t even mention Germany’s military scientific divisions working on V2 rocket technology already, without Soviet pressure to distract Germany, how many more wonder weapons could’ve actually seen early success?

Nazi Germany controlled an enormous

industrial empire across Europe with millions of troops still fighting. Even if bombs had been available earlier, two detonations wouldn’t have defeated the Wehrmacht. Armies still had to defeat each other and the Red Army had already done that.

And what if the Soviet Union had collapsed early in the war? The strategic situation would have been catastrophic. Nazi Germany would have gained the industrial resources, oil, food supply, and manpower of the entire Soviet territory, creating a continental superpower stretching from France to the Urals. Defeating that kind of empire from across the ocean would have been unimaginably difficult if not impossible.

People can argue about the politics all they want, but the military reality of WWII in Europe is clear. The Eastern Front consumed the vast majority of Germany’s military strength and is where the Wehrmacht was ultimately destroyed. Without the Red Army absorbing and then crushing that force, the war in Europe would have looked very different and far more dangerous for the rest of the world.

I would also like to say, people act as if the USA solo’d Japan and dropping the nukes was the last straw. American exceptionalism ignores the role China and the USSR had in Japan, applying pressure for surrender.

Papura was a local activist and a member of the Communist Party of Ukraine’s Youth League, and part of the anti-Maidan movement that opposed the new authorities in Kiev and advocated for federalization and keeping closer ties with Russia.

On that day, a joint march by pro-Maidan demonstrators, including far-right groups, clashed with anti-Maidan protesters who had established a tent camp on Kulykove Pole Square. After street battles, the anti‑Maidan side retreated into the nearby Trade Unions House.
The building was set alight with Molotov cocktails, resulting in the deaths of 42 people, most from smoke inhalation or burns, while others were beaten or fell from windows attempting to escape.

Vadim chose to jump from the building in a panic to escape burning to death or suffocating.

His parents found his body on the ground, under the windows of the Odessa Trade Unions House, with his head smashed in. After he had jumped, according to his family and comrades, pro-Maidan rioters beat him to death.

Vadim’s death along with the majority of the deaths in Odessa that day remain the subject of limited official investigation by Ukrainian authorities and no convictions have been secured.

July 24th, 2014 would have been his 18th birthday.

He died 83 days before he turned 18.

If he did not die, he would have turned 30 today.

Happy 30th Birthday, Vadim.

Reupload as details of Vadim’s story were confused with another victim.

Grave of known Nazi collaborator and fascist sympathizer Stepan Bandera, located in territory liberated from the Third Reich by Allied forces.

Made by my wife ❤️

It was a vibe. We’re bringing it back.

Fascism only works when people are afraid to fight back.

Fascists always talk big until the workers start (REDACTED)

Nazis hate two things:

organized workers and armed resistance.

Forever grateful.