Europe Marks 70 Years Since The Start Of WW II

Seventy years ago today, Germany attacked Poland in what would end up being the darkest chapter in European history. Britain and France were bound to Poland by an alliance and a military pact and promptly declared war on Germany on September 3, 1939, each pulling their large empires into the conflict. The Polish army, ill equipped and out numbered by the German by more than 2 to 1, surrendered a little more than a month after the conflict begun.

In a ceremony in Poland today, attended by WW II veterans, German Chancellor Angela Merkel joined other leaders from countries including Poland and Russia and made this emotional statement:

“Seventy years ago today, the German invasion of Poland opened up the most tragic chapter in European history. The war unleashed by Germany resulted in immeasurable suffering to many people- years of deprivation of rights, of humiliation and destruction. Germany attacked Poland, Germany started WW II. We caused immense suffering in the world. Sixty million dead was the result.”

Today’s ceremony underlined how Europe has been able to heal its wounds and divisions since the end of WW II. However, some disputes remain over the historical legacy of the tragic chain of events. In particular the non-aggression pact between the Nazis and the Soviets signed on August 23, 1939 by Molotov for Russia & Ribbentrop for Germany. Under the pact, Germany and the Soviet Union carved up Poland between them at the start of the war. The Red Army effectively invaded Poland September 17, 1939.

Vladimir Putin was present at the ceremony and told reporters that Russia disliked attempts to pin all the blame on the Molotov/Ribbentrop pact. Vladimir Putin said:“Why throw these false facts into the public consciousness, and then speculate on them in domestic politics? This is the worst thing we could do. There were a huge number of mistakes made by many sides. All these actions together allowed the massive aggression by Nazi Germany.”

Putin pointed out rightly at the Munich agreement in 1938, where Britain and France let Germany annex a large part of Czechoslovakia.

For Russia, the war with Germany started on June 22, 1941 when the Nazis invaded them despite their pact of non-aggression. Russia, beside Germany, suffered the heaviest casualties in WW II with 9 million Red Army soldiers killed and 28 million civilians.

Another source of historical contentions is the fact that the United States stayed on the side line of the conflict up until coming under attack by Japan in Pearl Harbour. FDR and the Democrats wanted to intervene sooner and join Britain and France in their fight against the Nazis, but attempts to do so were blocked by the Republicans in Congress.

Angela Merkel concluded her speech today by this heartfelt and inspiring statement:“Europe has transformed itself from a continent of terror and violence into a continent of freedom and peace. That this was possible is nothing more and nothing less than a wonder.”