Bibi was commenting about the contrast between the pictures and the reality of what the Germans did in that part of Russia.

I am not sure why you must “respectfully disagree” with anything about that person’s comment. It seems to me you are defensive.

Of course atrocities occurred during WW2 and they happen in every way. But that does not exonerate what the Germans did in Belarus to those villages.

You want to point out what the partisans did to make your self feel better? Fine, whatever makes you feel better. But anything done against the German invaders does not justify burning all those people alive. The partisans were fighting soldiers who invaded their country.

You almost sound like you are trying to justify something, and you have no moral or ethical ground to defend the bestial acts of cruelty of the “civilized” Germans in Belarus during the war.

There is really nothing much for you to say other than to vent your conscience. Since this is your blog, obviously you can say whatever you want. But you cannot fool people with anything if you try to cast the collective guilt net.

There was nothing civilized about Germany during WW2.

However, I will respectfully disagree with you about the reality of the Great Patriotic War. What is the reality of it? We know about the Nazis and atrocities committed by them. Why don’t we mention marauding partisans who often provoked Germans to punish local residents? Aren’t they should be mentioned in connection with war atrocities? Why not? What gives them immunity? Or how about NKVD squats cleaning local population from “undesirable” elements in the post-occupation years? Why do we exclude them from the reality? What makes their crimes less severe?

These questions need to be answered before we draw the line. And until that happens, the reality will remain covered by the fog of war.