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Russia slams Strasbourg court for seeking to revise WWII results (Update)

Wednesday, May 19th, 2010

“Russia on Monday accused the European Court of Human Rights of going along with people who seek to rehabilitate Nazis by upholding Latvia’s appeal in the case of a Soviet World War II veteran.
Vasily Kononov, 87, who led a group of resistance fighters against Nazi Germany in the Baltic state during World War II, was jailed by Latvia in 1998 after he was convicted of ordering the killing of nine villagers in 1944. He admitted to the killings, but said the dead were Nazi collaborators who were caught in crossfire.
Earlier on Monday, the upper chamber of the European Court of Human Rights upheld the appeal by Latvia against the court’s 2008 ruling that the conviction of Kononov was illegal.”

source – RIA Novosti

LINK – full article

Posted in Latvia, Restoration, Soviet Union, Vets | View Comments

Second World War soldier whose remains found in France identified as Toronto man

Saturday, May 31st, 2008

Stan Beirnes can still clearly recall the day in August 1944 when he was exchanging fire with German soldiers near the French town of Haut Mesnil. He heard aircraft behind him and turned around in horror to see Allied planes mistakenly dropping bombs on Canadian and Polish soldiers several hundred yards away.

The pilots, believing they were bombing German soldiers, kept moving forward.

“The next planes dropped right on us. In fact, one of the bombs landed right in the middle of our air defence (dugout),” Beirnes said recently from his home in Oakville, Ont.

[LINK]

Posted in Allied, Canada, Vets | View Comments

Nazi pilot saddened by World War II kill

Friday, March 21st, 2008

 

Horst Rippert, a Nazi World War II pilot, in 1944.
Horst Rippert, a Nazi World War II pilot, in 1944.

From – AP – Author Antoine de Saint-Exupery, author of ‘The Little Prince,’ with his wife, Consuelo.

A 64-year-old French and German mystery now has a sprinkling of Greek tragedy: An ace Nazi World War II pilot learned that one of his 28 kills was also his favourite writer.

Horst Rippert, now 88, says he only just found out that the P-38 he says he shot down on July 31, 1944, over the Mediterranean was piloted by Antoine de Saint Exupery, best known as the author of the classic “The Little Prince.”

“If I had known it was Saint Exupery, I would never have shot him down,” Rippert told the Daily Mail. “I loved his books. He was probably my favourite author at the time.

“I am shocked and sorry. Who knows what other great books he would have gone on to write?”

[LINK]

Posted in Axis, Germany, Vets | View Comments
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