Today marks the 70th anniversary of the start of World War II. The largest conflict in history, World War II consumed the globe between 1939 and 1945. On September 1, 1939, the war began when German forces crossed the border into Poland. Commemorative events began in Poland today with the first taking place at Gdansk near where the opening shots were fired.
Photograph Courtesy of the National Archives & Records Administration
Comments
Thank you for commemorating the seventieth anniversary of the outbreak of WWII. The coming week marks an even more momentous anniversary – the two thousandth anniversary of the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest. On September 9-11, AD9, Germanic warriors under Hermann (or Arminius) defeated the Roman legions under Quinctilius Publius Varus. This battle was one that altered the course of history. As a result of the Roman defeat, the Germanic people remained un-romanized in contrast to the Gauls, who had already been conquered and were undergoing romanization. This resulted in a major cultural cleavage that deeply affected European history at least until 1945.