80 years today...

[pzl66]

80 years ago today marked the official start of WWII. Ceremonies were held today in Warsaw in the area of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.







May all those who suffered and lost their lives never be forgotten....

[Floki]

The day Russia and Germany invaded Poland. Why didn't England and France declare war on Russia as well? This did start the war in Europe, Japan had already been at war with China for years and had fought Russia to a draw. It would still be two more years before it turned into a world war.

[Tojo72]

I have asked that question myself,they knew they couldn’t fight Soviet Union and Germany at the same time.Certainly no expert here,but we would probably have to be there to fully understand the circumstances,but I guess for France and England,common sense over nobility won out.

[Stikpusher]

The Soviets waited another 2 1/2 weeks to invade Poland, which took place on September 17. Britain and France declared war on Germany for their failure to halt the invasion and withdraw from Poland on September 3. Neither country had an appetite to war with the Soviets. Both had significant communist and socialist factions that were aligned with Moscow, which would have likely agitated against each nation worse than they did before the Soviets and Nazis went to war in June of 1941. Only after that time did the communist party in Britain stop agitating against the war and get wholeheartedly into the struggle.
Japan was fighting the Soviets at the same time in 1939 on the Mongolian/Manchurian border. That combat would soon end in favor of the Soviets and directly effect the course of events in several ways. 1, the Japanese had been eyeing Siberia as a source of raw materials, when they could not defeat the Soviets, the cast their gaze south to the Western power colonies in the south and signed a neutrality pact with the Soviets to secure their northern flank, setting the stage for the Japanese blitz of late 1941. 2, the Soviet general who would stop and defeat the Japanese, was General Zhukov, who would come to Stalins attention favorably for his battlefield performance in the Far East in his ability to reverse situations and win battles. He was the commander who was allowed to speak his mind to Stalin on occasion because he demonstrated the ability to win.

[Floki]

I didn't realize it was that long of a gap, I always thought it was three days after Germany invaded.

[Thomas_M]

A day of infamy for my country, and a day to remember all the victims who lost their life. May we learn from history. All of us.

[pzl66]

Don’t forget that there were also heroes on from your country who stood up against the bad.

[mostrich]

The Scholl siblings are my personal heroes since I was a teenager.
Lest we forget.