A celebration of the liberation of Holland
We were finally starting to close in on Germany and our next move was to liberate Holland. Our army greatly outnumbered the German army, so we were pretty confident with this operation. When we got there, the locals were shells of their former selves; The Germans shook up pretty badly and it was evident that Hitler was growing desperate. Every city that we arrived at, the Dutch would enthusiastically welcome us. Along the way, we provided as much help as possible like air dropping food supplies to feed the civilians. But man, liberating Holland wasn't as easy as we thought it would be. Winter arrived, and our progress slowed down drastically. Even so, we were able to liberate the northeastern and western parts of Holland. We gained ourselves quite the reputation; it makes me a proud man to call myself a Canadian. Eventually New Years arrived and we made the final push and was able to force the German Army to surrender the rest of Holland. So after 9 grueling months into the mission, we won. The Germans put up a hell of a fight though. It took many divisions from places i didn't even knew existed to take them down. I heard from the higher-ups that a staggering 450 000 or so allied soldiers participated in that battle. Unfortunately, over 7000 of us were killed. What's worse is that 200 000 Dutch civilians....including men, women AND children.... were killed. It's just not fair. Involving the helpless and the unarmed is just foulplay. I guess that's the sacrifice that we have to make to gain freedom. Do you guys believe in sacrifices for the greater good?
Well I don't agree with sacrificing for the greater good but I guess it's just part of war, the strong win the battle and it is evident that in order to win wars, sacrifices will be made.
ReplyDeleteI completely believe in sacrifices for the greater good. Being a paratrooper and a participant in D-Day, I know many, many soldiers, including me, that would gladly sacrifice their lives if it meant saving many lives, especially the ones they love.
ReplyDeleteNo of course not, death of innocent civilians does not have to be the only path to freedom. Bring the battle out of local towns - the citizens did nothing, they don't deserve the plague that follows war. Even though I don't agree with the leaders of Operation Rutter, I can give them credit for bringing the war to the beaches where there were no houses anywhere near. This ensures lives of civilians are safe.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Eddie on this one.. How can sacrifices be necessary for the greater good if it involves the death of your friends and family?
ReplyDeleteI meant that sacrifices that by people that are willing to give up their lives. People who die unwillingly aren't sacrifices for the greater good. They are just people that are being manipulated. Misunderstandings are funny aren't they?
ReplyDeleteSo according to you, a lot of people that didn't want to die were "manipulated" kind of as obstacles?
ReplyDeleteBut ultimately, can't we all just sit down, and talk it out instead of having to go through these sacrifices? Call me a pacifist, but I prefer to have my friends and family over this supposed "greater good" thank you very much.
ReplyDeleteThat is what I would do too, if I had the choice. However, that would be selfish of us, since we are devoting ourselves only to the ones we care about, instead of benefiting the good of all sentient beings.
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