Really dense academics
The Guardian carries a piece on the sixtieth anniversary of the Battle of Stalingrad, written by a historian at my own school. He complains:
In Russia, the 60th anniversary of the battle has been marked by great celebrations. President Putin led the commemoration in Volgograd (as the city was later renamed) and was joined by the British and American ambassadors. But in Britain and the US the silence about the battle has been deafening.
What does he expect? Stalingrad was a major defeat for Hitler, but it was also a victory for Stalin, and meant that the Soviet Union was a major player in post-war Europe. Why would any sane person celebrate that?