World War 2 History And Facts

<p>There are many theories about what started World War II. The most popular belief is that Hitler wanted more land to expand Germany. Looking for a reason to start a war and invade Poland, but not wanting it to appear that he instigated it, Hitler staged a polish attack on Germany. This would justify Germany's counter-attack and invasion of Poland. <p>On August 31, 1939, under Hitler's command and Himmler's ingenuity, a small group of German Nazis dressed in Polish uniforms invaded a German radio station. They left behind a dead prisoner from a concentration camp also dressed in a Polish uniform, making it appear like he died in an attack on the radio station. On September 1, Germany declared war on Poland. Ignoring warnings from Great Britain and France to withdraw their troops from Poland, Germany continued their invasion. <p>October 26, 1940 - The North American P-51 Mustang (right) flies for the first time. Originally developed for the British, the P-51 became one of the iconic American fighters of World War II. Arriving in late 1943, the P-51B was key to maintaining the Combined Bomber Offensive against Germany. Prior to its arrival daylight bombing raids routinely sustained heavy losses as current Allied fighters lacked the range to escort bombers for the duration of their missions. The definitive version of the aircraft, the P-51D, featured a distinctive bubble canopy and reached the frontlines in 1944. Agile, with great performance, the Mustang downed 4,950 German aircraft - more than any other Allied fighter. Retained after the war, it saw service in Korea as a ground attack aircraft. Share your favorite World War II aircraft or your thoughts on the P-51. <p>Two days later on September 3, both Great Britain and France declared war on Germany. This series of events started World War II. Later, the war would serve as a mask for Hitler's holocaust and genocide of Nazi's truest enemy, the Jews. <p>The United States entered the war when Japan attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. The very next day, the United States declared war on Japan and on December 11, declared war on Germany. <p>On June 6, 1944, nearly 150,000 soldiers invaded the beaches ofNormandy. D-Day, as it came to be known, was the western Allies largest amphibious invasion in world history. Before the month of June was over, more than 850,000 American, British and Canadian troops would occupy Normandy. U.S. General Dwight D. Eisenhower called the invasion on Normandy "The Great Crusade". <p>On April 30, 1945, Hitler, along with his long time mistress, committed suicide and approximately one week later; Germany surrendered, putting an end to World War II. The end of World War II was the beginning of an era known as the Cold War which would continue for the next fifty years. Over 100 million military personnel participated in the war making it the most widespread war in history. Around 72 million people lost their lives including 47 million civilians and 25 million military personnel. <p>The son of a Dutch civilian killed by a Nazi hit squad during World War II urged the former Waffen SS soldier charged with his father's murder to accept responsibility for his actions in court Monday. <p>In a statement read to the Aachen state court by his attorney, Teun de Groot said he had waited 65 years to look defendant Heinrich Boere in the eyes. <p>"Now you say that you regret what you did back then," de Groot said in the short statement. "If you really regretted it, then accept the verdict of the court." <p>De Groot was referring to Boere's 1949 conviction in Holland, where he was sentenced to death in absentia — later commuted to life imprisonment. He admitted to the three killings to Dutch authorities while in captivity after the war, but managed to escape and flee to Germany before his trial. <p>20 million deaths were from war related famine and disease and 4 million prisoners of war died in POW camps. This astronomical death toll would make World War II the deadliest war in history. It was not only profound with the large number of casualties. It was also known as the most costly war, costing approximately one trillion dollars. <p>The origins of the Second World War are generally viewed as being traced back to the First World War (1914-1918). In that war Germany under the ultra-nationalistic Kaiser Wilhelm II along with its allies, had been defeated by a combination of the United Kingdom, United States, France, Russia and others. The war was directly blamed by the victors on the miltant nationalism of the Kaiser's Germany; it was Germany that effectively started the war with an attack on France through Belgium. France, which had suffered a previous defeat at the hands of Prussia (a state that merged one year later with others to form Germany) in the Franco-Prussian War in 1870, demanded revenge for its financial devastation during the First World War (and its humiliation in the earlier war) ensured that the various peace treaties, specifically the Treaty of Versailles imposed tough financial reparations and restrictions on Germany. <p>In Germany, an 88-year-old man who served with the Waffen SS is on trial for allegedly murdering three civilians in the Netherlands during World War II. Prosecutors say that Heinrich Boere confessed to killing a pharmacist, a bike-shop owner and another person, but that he escaped to Germany after the war and has spent the last several decades avoiding the authorities. The defense says it might argue that Boere was merely following orders. Hat Tip: Many thanks to JUNGLE JIM, both for the story and the suggested headline, "Something awful happened at the Waffen House." <p>A new democratic German republic, known as the Weimar Republic, came into being. After some success it was hit by hyperinflation and other serious economic problems. Right wing nationalist elements under a variety of movements, but most notably the Nazi Party of Adolf Hitler, sought to blame Germany's "humiliating" status on the harshness of the post-war settlement, on the weakness of democratic government, and on the Jews, whom it claimed possessed a financial stranglehold on Germany. Hitler was appointed Reichskanzler (Chancellor) on January 30, 1933, by the aged President von Hindenburg. Hitler's government exercised much of its power through the special emergency powers possessed by the President under the constitution. <p>These powers enabled a government with the President's powers to effectively bypass the Reichstag (federal parliament). Under a further disastrous clause in the Weimar constitution when the President died, his office was temporarily assumed by the Chancellor. As a result, when Hindenburg died, the immense powers of the presidency fell into the hands of Adolf Hitler. Through the possession of those powers and an Enabling Act that allowed the nazi government to bypass and ignore the constitution, Hitler ensured his possession of the presidential powers became permanent and so gained dictatorial control over Germany. <p>The Italian economy also fell into a deep slump following World War I. Anarchists were endemic, Communist and other Socialist agitators abounded among the trade unions, and many were gravely worried that a Bolshevik-style Communist revolution was imminent.