On the Normandy Commemoration

Atty. Aydın DAVRAN

Last week, the 80th-anniversary commemoration ceremonies for the Normandy Landings, led by the US during World War II, were held. Heads of state from allied nations, most notably US President Biden, King Charles III of the United Kingdom, and Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau, attended the ceremonies.

Another guest at the ceremonies was Ukrainian President Zelenskyy. He was present at the ceremonies in his signature green, military-style attire—referred to in English as “tactical clothing”—with the look of someone who had just arrived from the front lines.

He stated that today, under his leadership, Ukraine is defending the same freedom and democracy that the allies defended 80 years ago. The followers of Bandera, who collaborated with the Nazis during World War II, and the patrons of the Azov Battalions, who wear swastikas on their uniforms, were present at the ceremonies as invitees.

Even Tom Hanks, who starred in a film about the landings, was among the guests. Yet, no one was invited from Russia, the successor to the Soviet Union, which played the greatest role in the defeat of Nazism 80 years ago and lost more than 25 million of its people.

Also last week, Netflix began airing the documentary series titled “Hitler and the Nazis: Evil on Trial.” The series, which includes footage and audio recordings captured during the Nuremberg Trials, consists of 6 episodes.

In the documentary, supported by information and commentary provided by academics—mostly from US universities—the rise and activities of Nazism are described around the personal traits and characters of Adolf Hitler and his inner circle, such as Göring, Goebbels, Himmler, and other maniacs. We can summarize it as a failed corporal, born in Austria, who spent his youth in poverty, held antisemitic views, and was prone to violence, leading the German nation and the world to catastrophe. If you ask what is missing from the documentary, the longing of German capital, which did not get what it wanted in World War I, to reach natural resources and markets is almost never mentioned. Although the poverty experienced by German society is occasionally touched upon, the documentary does not include how big capital, seeking new territories through war, supported the Nazis. Hitler and the sadistic, anti-Semitic team gathered around him are held responsible for all the crimes committed.

There is one more word you will not hear in this documentary: imperialism. The commemoration ceremonies and the documentary I mentioned above seem to me like a summary of how historical and current events are interpreted and conveyed today. I want to share my thoughts at length, without enriching them with detailed information or differing views. Just as the Western propaganda apparatus tells its own story and leaves it at that, anyone who wishes can write a rebuttal to what I have written.

If World War II ended with the defeat of the Nazis, the greatest role in this belongs to the Soviets. Had it not been for the Soviets, who lost more than 25 million people in the struggle they called the “Great Patriotic War,” the Nazis might still have been defeated; however, the price to be paid and the time required would have been much greater.

The reason behind the US, which entered the war on the Pacific front, leading the landing in Western Europe was the effort to prevent the Soviets, coming from the east, from establishing dominance in Europe. In parallel with this, even the use of atomic bombs on Japan was a show of force for the post-war period. If the US had a major problem with Nazism, they would not have utilized former Nazis in their NATO organizations and the Gladio network during the Cold War period after World War II. They would not be supporting their Ukrainian pawns, who, let alone hiding their Nazi roots, openly embrace them today.

The success of the West is its ability to create a distorted perception of history and reality in the minds of millions of people through the propaganda and cultural hegemony power it possesses, using tools like Netflix and Hollywood, which I mentioned above. This is why Zelenskyy can be a guest of honor at the commemoration ceremonies held two days ago, and why there is no backlash in global public opinion.

News Source: 12punto