70th anniversary of the start of World War Two

[WE Branch Fanatic]

Today is seventy years on from the day when Britain and France declared war on Germany, following the invasion of Poland two days previously. A new conflict that would involve most of the world, see the use of modern industrial means to both wage war and to murder Jew, Slavs, Gypsies, Homosexuals and other minorities on an unimaginable scale, and see large parts of the free world occupied by a tyrannical invader. A conflict that would kill something like sixty million people, about half of them civilians.

Am I the only person surprised that there have been no ceremonies to mark this anniversary, with the exception of events to mark the anniversary of the invasion of Poland?

[BEagle]

In a years time, you'll be wondering why the 65th anniversary of the Hiroshima isn't being commemorated....then 4 years after that, you'll be chuntering about the 75th anniversary of the invasion of Poland?

Every knows that the Nazis were a bunch of utter ****s whose actions can never be defended. But for how much longer do you seriously think it's appropriate to re-open old wounds?

Personally I think the local TV stations' low key reminiscences are spot on.

Here's a fact though. I learned last night that Harris' Bomber Command killed dropped more bombs on Hamburg in one night in July 1943 than fell on the whole of London during the Blitz. They killed 35000 civilians in doing so.

Sometimes it might be best to let history remain as history.

[West Coast]

The likes of Bomber Harris and Curtis Lemay may be shoveling ****e down there in hell but up here we need to appreciate the dirty work they had to do.

I know I'm pissing in the wind with many of the new and improved pansies of todays generation who thank God have never faced the likes and scope of nazi Germany.

I'm only ashamed I didn't recognize the date for it's importance.

[Buster Hyman]

It's too easy to get lost in all these anniversaries. Let's just remember & acknowledge the day that a previous generation put these bastards down!

[Wander00]

It happened that on Tuesday 1st Sep we had an idle hour at Paris Montparnasse TGV station, so went to the nearby Paris Liberation Museum, dedicated also to Gen Leclerc and Jean Moulin. That helped us remember why the allies went to war against Hitler and his thugs.

[sisemen]

Found in one of my cabinets at Benson when I was clearing out on leaving the RAF

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c92/allan907/RAFBensonDeclarationofWW2.jpg