World War II: 75 years later

[Neverhoodian]

World War II began 75 years ago today when Nazi Germany invaded Poland.[footnote]At least according to most sources, though some have argued that the War started earlier, such as Japan's invasion of China in 1937. Still others regard both World Wars as two parts of a larger conflict.[/footnote] A mere 25 years after the "War to End All Wars," the world would be subjected to the most destructive conflict in history.

Spoiler

When the dust finally settled, anywhere from 50-80 million human beings had been killed (nobody has an exact figure), the majority of whom were civilians. The absolute best and worst qualities of humanity were put on display for all to see. Even today we still live with the consequences of that cataclysmic struggle.

But time waits for no one. The small number of surviving veterans dwindles every day as they succumb to age. An entire generation is on the verge of disappearing, and with them goes all living memory of the War. That's why I feel it is important to stop and reflect. Please take a moment today to remember the suffering and sacrifices, the perseverance and bravery, the triumph and tragedy that was World War II.

 

[Redlin5_v1legacy]

Lest we forget.

For all the video games on the subject, for all the books I jump into detailing battles and decisions, for all the what if speculation discussions I've had with friends...

World War II horrifies me on a basic fundamental level.

I hope to produce at least one film by the end of my life on the subject. A documentary. Still looking for the story in a war drowning in stories. Every theater was packed full of death and glory but glory can only be attained by someone else's death.

Lest we forget friends.

 

[Foolery]

Both of my grandfathers fought. One as an infantry grunt, the other as a tank commander. Both have passed on now. They would have been 96. Born almost a hundred years ago. One died from cancer, the other, old age.

 

[Gergar12_v1legacy]

And no non-western country has learned it's lesson about war, and nationalism...

World War 2 doesn't scare me in mainstreamed ways. The Axis was outnumbered, and out gunned, by the Brtish, and U.S fleet, and were also outnumbered, and outgunned by China, USSR, US, UK, and etc. Italy, and the other central axis powers were outdated.

Besides the genocides of course, but it does scare me in another way... What if the west is actually outnumbered one day...

 

[Irony's Acolyte]

World War II was certainly one of the most critical event (if a ~6 year war can be considered a singular event) during the 20th century and possibly for even more time. A level of devastation on a scale unseen before in human history, with massive numbers of lives lost both on and off the battlefield, and the political landscape that settled after the war would continue to have a profound impact on the world for around half a century afterwards. It contains some of (if not) the largest military campaigns ever taken part on this planet, the most infamous (for good reason) instances of genocide in human history, and the only two instances of the use of nuclear weapons during warfare. The end of WW2 truly marks the end of era for the global society would never be the same afterwards.

While the grand, sweeping influences and deep, lasting impacts are certainly hard to forget, it is still important to remember the smaller effects the war had, namely the human element across the world. Families were torn apart (or worse); fathers, sons, and lovers gave their lives for their country; and lives were ruined, lost, or changed in a multitude of ways; but in some places people came together for a common cause, to hold together through trying times, and to comfort each other until the great storm of war had passed. The war is perhaps a great and terrible reminder of humanity's nature. Certainly the big WW2 contains examples of man at his shining best and darkest worst, along with those murkier points in between.

And not to take away from the remembrance of WW2, but this year was also the 100th anniversary of the start of WW1 as well. Some people (myself somewhat included) even consider WW1 and WW2 to be just one large war that happened to have a 25 period of "peace" in the middle. The "Inter-War" period certainly had its fair share of unrest. The Russian Revolution(s) and Civil War, the Spanish Civil War, the rise of both Fascism and Communism, civil unrest across many countries, the "Great Depression", the Japanese invasion of China, and a redrawing of the world map all took place between 1918 and 1939. This period of about a quarter of a century was marked by troubles that are still having an effect in today's world.

All in all, it is certainly not a time in human history that we should ever forget, lest we make a grievous mistake and repeat some of it.

Spoiler: And to think it all started off with the death of one man

 

[small]

I had an uncle who served with the australian forces in the middle east, one of the rats of tobruk. ended up being captured by the germans and shipped to a POW camp in italy. they ended up giving him a special hat to wear so they could figure out quicker when he disappeared so then knew to go down to the local pub and pick him up drunk, eventually the italians got sick of him and his adventures and shipped him to germany for the rest of the war