== World war 2: General Perceptions == 

 The world at war, it happened long back but the traces of which still reverbrates through our lives. we continue to hold the images and the umimaginable   scope of the events. But the world is amiss. There is something quitely missing, going umlamentated and unreported. Long has the world lived with the idea that the world war 2 was won by the Americans alone. And the idea seems to take root by and by every year. most of the hollywood filmakers ignore the eastern front: the war fought between Germany and Russia where 30 million of the total 55 millions deaths of world war 2 occured. but this remains ignored due to the hip and hollah attached to everything american. while nothing wrong with that but when it bends down to whitewashing or re writing history, people must think and stop. The greatest battles of world war 2  Stalingrad, Leningrad, Kursk, Moscow and the battle for Berlin go ignored much to the shame of the historians and the serious filmmakers. Time has come probably for the Hollywood filmakers to really use their world wide reach to actually take up world wide issues and literature making the world all the more richer, sane and balanced. It would really be mind blowing if Steven spielberg, Steven soderberg, james cameron or terrence malik could take over the unlamented stories of destruction beyond compare and sorrow unbound and the fury and despair and loss that marked the lands of the eastern front, where a million soldiers died in a matter of few days, where the total loss of Americans during the entire world war campaign was less then the Loss of soivet lives in just one battle(by no means the largest of the eastern front): the battle for berlin. It would be truly great to see these fine filmamkers take their reach to the eastern front and let the world know of the events and times that existed. It would bring new light to world to see those images and the unprecendented courage and sorrow and insanity of the times. Probably time has come to honor and speak of the 40 million deaths( 30 million russians and 10 chinese: the bulk of the world war 2 deaths) which have so far recieved meagre attention to the much lop sided view of the history. it is time we moved beyond the horse eyed view of the world war which traditonally been restricted to D Day landings which if compared to lets say the battle of stalingrad which in deaths and scope and material and firepower would be no more then a puff of dust. 
 Time has come to look beyond our own borders and depict the times in correct historical background wihtout reverting to stereotypes where soviets and nazis are inevitably cold and heartless. 
 can we move beyond this? do we dare change the mindsets and let the stories speak for themselves rather then cultural differences allow us to ignore a part of the world war history which actually won the world war 2 for the world. cause truth be told, by the time Americans landed on the normandy beaches in france 70% of the Hitler's forces had already been destroyed and were in full retreat through the hell and the cold that was the eastern front. And no matter how we may comapre, Japan was no Germany. Hitler's forces were and are still considered by many historians as the best till date: the best fighting machines ( but by large they were no machines): they were humans with emotions and lives and wives back home: they laughed and cried and died like all others: too long have they been branded demons and devils: please lets move beyond the stereotypes:  
 Can we let the history speak for itself? or will we keep stooping down to downplaying our opponents? can we not make the world more richer and more saner if we just allowed the real stories to be told? if we could just follow an artist's integrity or a historians sense of justice? Can the American film makers with their dedication to reality, art and movie making move beyond the culturally set boundaries and really be global.  
 Can not a film maker be willing to take on the Siege of Leningrad which saw a million russians STARVE to death: can this be ignored and for how long? Does not the unprecendented tragedy and the horror of the scope move a film maker? Please lets join hands in creating  a world where justice , reality and truth join hands in bringing the lost pages of history to the world. Can we not do it? 
 There are a great many books(memoirs, non fiction) on the eastern front: from the forgotten soldier to the forsaken army to the ordeal of the hermitage to shurik.