US

American WWII Veteran Says World Need Elbe Spirit, Spirit of Peace

US and Soviet troops shaking hands after meeting up at Torgau on the Elbe river in Germany on 26 April 1945US and Soviet troops shaking hands after meeting up at Torgau on the Elbe river in Germany on 26 April 1945 - Sputnik International, 1920, 25.04.2023InternationalIndiaAfricaWASHINGTON (Sputnik) – Americans and Russians need to preserve the spirit of their troops’ historical meeting at the Elbe River in Germany in April 1945 because the two peoples understand they need a peaceful world, World War II veteran Frank Cohn told Sputnik. “I will guess that deep down in all of our hearts, we all think that a peaceful world would be wonderful,” Cohn, a 97-year-old retired US Army colonel, said. Meeting of American and Soviet soldiers on April 25, 1945 near the city of Torgau. - Sputnik International, 1920, 25.04.2022RussiaRussian Ambassador Congratulates WWII Veterans in US With Elbe Day25 April 2022, 02:22 GMTOn April 25, 1945, Soviet and US troops met at the Elbe River near the town of Torgau. The meeting was a key milestone in the process of ending World War II and came about as US troops advanced from the west and Soviet troops advanced from the east, thus splitting Nazi Germany in two. Cohn said it is a tragedy that the United States and Russia have recently lost their commonality of purpose and goals, including the fight against hunger, tackling climate change and others. Cohn also expressed frustration that some people in positions of power do not want to see Russians and Americans cooperating with each other. “All of those are politicians!” he said. Cohn recalled that General Dwight Eisenhower, who led the US troops in Europe in 1945, issued an order that prevented Americans from crossing the Elbe River in order to avoid unnecessary fights with Soviet troops. 1945, last days of Great Patriotic War : Russians and Americans link at Elbe - Sputnik International, 1920, 25.04.2020WorldPutin, Trump Adopt Joint Statement on 75th Anniversary of Elbe Day25 April 2020, 16:30 GMT”Only later I realized that I was among a few Americans who met the Russians on their side of the river,” Cohn said. The particular meeting took place not far from the German city of Magdeburg. Cohn said he never received such a warm reception as the one that Soviet troops gave their US counterparts. “I never received a reception like that again in my life – with hugs and kisses and being carried around and offers of vodka, which I definitely had to limit. No, that never happened again,” he said. Laying flowers and wreaths to the Eternal Fire at the Unknown Soldier Tomb - Sputnik International, 1920, 25.04.2016Commemorating WWII Feats Important Amid Attempts to Rewrite History25 April 2016, 23:17 GMTOnly later Cohn understood that the emotions were a sign the war was actually over for the Russians. “But that does not change anything, because we were there to celebrate with them and we, as US soldiers, were the ones that showed there were no more Germans to fight in front of them,” he said.

Source

Related Articles

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Back to top button