Stalin Bust Sparks Outrage Among Small-Town Residents

[Jetboogieman]

The installation of a memorial bust of Soviet dictator Josef Stalin in Bedford, Va., next to Western Allied leaders in World War II has ignited a firestorm of controversy and threatened to tear apart the small town 200 miles south of the nation's capital.

Opponents of the bronze sculpture say it has no right to be placed in the National D-Day Memorial next to the busts of Presidents Franklin Roosevelt and Harry Truman and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill because Stalin's murderous rule led to the deaths of at least 20 million people, surpassing even the number of murders under Hitler's bloody reign.

The Bedford board of supervisors voted unanimously late last month to ask the National D-Day Memorial Foundation to lose the bust. A group called the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation has an electronic petition calling on the memorial overseers to remove the bust. Several newspaper editorials have criticized the bust.

But the foundation isn't backing down, saying that Stalin, love him or hate him, is a part of the war's history, and his actions should be remembered.

"We certainly can understand the concern recently expressed by the Bedford County Board of Supervisors on behalf of their constituents and their interests," Robin Reed, president of the foundation said in a written statement.

Also from the article

The Joint Baltic American National Committee, a lobbying group, said the bust not only elevates Stalin but "does a great disservice to the memories" of the soldiers who died at Normandy.

Did Stalin or any soviet soldiers kill soldiers at Normandy?

FOXNews.com - Stalin Bust Sparks Outrage Among Small-Town Residents

This is a toughie, because this memorial is set up for D-Day, however if it has other historical exhibits to show other parts of the war, then I really don't see whats wrong with this? Because I do wonder if it's a legitimate complaint, or the recent right wing induced hysteria about communism and Stalin that is putting people off.

This bust is not commemorating or glorifying Stalin but putting him next to the people who he had dealings with. Or do we just forget about it?

 

[Deuce]

Are we really that terrified of communism that we can't even acknowledge Russia's pivotal role in that war? Pretending history didn't happen doesn't make it go away.

 

[soccerboy22]

If the site is for D-Day only then Stalin shouldn't be there as I do not believe any Soviet troops fought at the landing. However I guess one could argue that because of Normandy it made the Soviet push into Eastern Europe easier. However I agree if it is a larger memorial for World War II then I see no reason why Stalin shouldn't be there.

 

[Deuce]

If the site is for D-Day only then Stalin shouldn't be there as I do not believe any Soviet troops fought at the landing. However I guess one could argue that because of Normandy it made the Soviet push into Eastern Europe easier. However I agree if it is a larger memorial for World War II then I see no reason why Stalin shouldn't be there.

D-day was an allied invasion. Russia was part of the Allies and took far, far more casualties in that war than we did. Without the Russians on the eastern front, the D-day invasion would have been overwhelmed by German defenders and I suspect at that point the war would have taken a turn for the worse.

They paid for that proverbial seat, if you ask me.

 

[soccerboy22]

D-day was an allied invasion. Russia was part of the Allies and took far, far more casualties in that war than we did. Without the Russians on the eastern front, the D-day invasion would have been overwhelmed by German defenders and I suspect at that point the war would have taken a turn for the worse.

They paid for that proverbial seat, if you ask me.

I know what the Russians did during the war and I have no issue with the statue if it is a straight WWII memorial. However the D-Day invasion didn't have any Russians in the actual invasion. Therefore I am not completely sold on the Stalin has to be there for a D-Day invasion. Hell Stalin was pissed it took the West so long to do D-Day.

 

[Khayembii Communique]

It doesn't really make sense to be so outraged about Stalin when 1. Russia's role in the war was far greater than either Britain or the US, and 2. Winston Churchill (and MacArthur - i.e. the US high command) was way more insane than Stalin.

EDIT: BTW I'm guessing this is a WWII memorial in the National D-Day Exhibit. It's incredibly stupid to attempt to wipe Stalin from history. This is simple and blatant ideological warfare. It's pretty funny considering how buddy-buddy they all were during the war.

 

[soccerboy22]

It doesn't really make sense to be so outraged about Stalin when 1. Russia's role in the war was far greater than either Britain or the US, and 2. Winston Churchill (and MacArthur - i.e. the US high command) was way more insane than Stalin.

EDIT: BTW I'm guessing this is a WWII memorial in the National D-Day Exhibit. It's incredibly stupid to attempt to wipe Stalin from history. This is simple and blatant ideological warfare. It's pretty funny considering how buddy-buddy they all were during the war.

I would say it was far greater than the U.S's role. Hell we were the ones that gave them supplies through the lend-lease. Plus while it helped Normandy that the Russians were pushing from the East, it equally helped the Russians that we were coming from the West. I won't deny Russia played an important role, but it wasn't far greater than that of the U.S.

 

[spud_meister]

I would say it was far greater than the U.S's role. Hell we were the ones that gave them supplies through the lend-lease. Plus while it helped Normandy that the Russians were pushing from the East, it equally helped the Russians that we were coming from the West. I won't deny Russia played an important role, but it wasn't far greater than that of the U.S.

it was, the war could have been won without the US, it couldn't have been won without Russia.

 

[Yossarian]

... 2. Winston Churchill (and MacArthur - i.e. the US high command) was way more insane than Stalin.

cough Great Purges cough

 

[soccerboy22]

it was, the war could have been won without the US, it couldn't have been won without Russia.

Again I disagree, the fact Great Britain held out as long as it did was partly do the U.S. sending food and military supplies. Without that Great Britain would have surrendered much sooner due to starvation and the U.S.S.R would have had to deal with the full power of the German military. But again I do not doubt that without the Soviet aid that the war would have ended the same way. I just don't buy into if the U.S. didn't do anything the war would have turned out the same. While we didn't give a lot of aid to the Soviets we did give a lot to Great Britain which kept them in the game.

Again though I have no problem with a Stalin statue being at a WWII memorial. I am not completely sold to the fact that he should be there if it is just for D-Day since the U.S.S.R. didn't have any direct involvement. At the same time I am not completely against the idea either given it would have been much harder to accomplish if the Soviets weren't coming from the East.

 

[spud_meister]

Again I disagree, the fact Great Britain held out as long as it did was partly do the U.S. sending food and military supplies. Without that Great Britain would have surrendered much sooner due to starvation and the U.S.S.R would have had to deal with the full power of the German military. But again I do not doubt that without the Soviet aid that the war would have ended the same way. I just don't buy into if the U.S. didn't do anything the war would have turned out the same. While we didn't give a lot of aid to the Soviets we did give a lot to Great Britain which kept them in the game.

i'm not saying it would have turned out the same, without US involvement it probably could have swung either way, but without the Russians, it would have been lost, and lost very quickly

Again though I have no problem with a Stalin statue being at a WWII memorial. I am not completely sold to the fact that he should be there if it is just for D-Day since the U.S.S.R. didn't have any direct involvement. At the same time I am not completely against the idea either given it would have been much harder to accomplish if the Soviets weren't coming from the East.

the funny thing is that there were Russians at the normandy landings, but they were conscripted by the Germans

Elements of the 1st Infantry Division and 29th Infantry Division (US) faced the recently formed German 352nd Infantry Division, a mixed group of Russian "volunteers" and teenagers stiffened with a cadre of east front veterans

Normandy landings - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

so i agree that Stalin is rather out of place at a mermorial for D-Day.

 

[soccerboy22]

i'm not saying it would have turned out the same, without US involvement it probably could have swung either way, but without the Russians, it would have been lost, and lost very quickly

Agreed and I probably misread your original statement. The brain is still in party mode.

the funny thing is that there were Russians at the normandy landings, but they were conscripted by the Germans

Normandy landings - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

so i agree that Stalin is rather out of place at a mermorial for D-Day.

That is interesting and I didn't know that. Thanks for that bit of information.

 

[Jetboogieman]

That is interesting and I didn't know that. Thanks for that bit of information.

Me too Spud, I've been to Normandy, learned all I can about the landings but I never knew that. Thanks for the Tid Bit.

 

[Harry Guerrilla]

Are we really that terrified of communism that we can't even acknowledge Russia's pivotal role in that war? Pretending history didn't happen doesn't make it go away.

I think it would of been more tasteful to put a action still of a Russian soldier, than a bust of Stalin.
Just my opinion but those guys made it happen.

 

[Khayembii Communique]

I think it would of been more tasteful to put a action still of a Russian soldier, than a bust of Stalin.
Just my opinion but those guys made it happen.

The same can be said of FDR and Churchill.


Anyways, my speculation on this is that it is a WW2 memorial at the National D-Day Memorial and is supposed to represent the "triad" based on the photo in the OP.

Anyways, regardless, whining about the Stalin bust is stupid.

 

[Harry Guerrilla]

The same can be said of FDR and Churchill.

I agree actually.
I'd prefer the fighters to be memorialized than the "leaders" tucked away in safety.

Anyways, my speculation on this is that it is a WW2 memorial at the National D-Day Memorial and is supposed to represent the "triad" based on the photo in the OP.

Anyways, regardless, whining about the Stalin bust is stupid.

I think the photo is enough, no need for busts but you're largely right.

 

[rathi]

The Canadians are getting snubbed, as they faced the second toughest battle taking Juno beach, and get no mention at all.