Seventy Years Ago Today

[ER]

Seventy years ago today, the great genre of World War Two movies had its beginnings.

[Trevor]

I was wondering why I was getting so many calls and emails regarding World War 11 footage recently.  Now I know ~ thanks, ER.

[ghouck]

I was wondering why I was getting so many calls and emails regarding World War 11 footage recently.  Now I know ~ thanks, ER.

World War 11? There HAD to be some cool robots involved in that one. 

[indianasmith]

I asked all my classes today if they knew what happened 70 years ago on this date.  Very few did.

The panzers rolled, and darkness fell . . . for six long years. 

There are times I envy that generation that saved the world from Hitler - but then I remember the cost.

May it never happen again.

[Allhallowsday]

I asked all my classes today if they knew what happened 70 years ago on this date.  Very few did.

The panzers rolled, and darkness fell . . . for six long years. 

There are times I envy that generation that saved the world from Hitler - but then I remember the cost.

May it never happen again.

That's right, sweet potata!!  But, a few students did know?  There is hope, yet.

[Jim H]

I asked all my classes today if they knew what happened 70 years ago on this date.  Very few did.

The panzers rolled, and darkness fell . . . for six long years. 

There are times I envy that generation that saved the world from Hitler - but then I remember the cost.

May it never happen again.

I remember my high school history teacher was very impressed when I could name all the major American wars (at the time, Revolution, 1812, Mexican-American, Civil War, Spanish American, Indian Wars, WWI/II, Korea, Vietnam, Cold War, Gulf War).  The only reason I knew this was because I had a good memory and an interest in history...  You sure don't learn that stuff very well in public education.

But man...  70 years.  Pretty incredible.  And World War III still hasn't happened, despite CNN's pronouncements.  I guess that is something.

[Jack]

I remember my high school history teacher made WWII into the most boring exercise in date and name memorization possible.  I've read quite a few books about it since - amazing how anyone could make it dull.

[Doggett]

Well, today's the day....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qtrOJnpmz6s

[lester1/2jr]

I asked all my classes today if they knew what happened 70 years ago on this date.  Very few did.

The panzers rolled, and darkness fell . . . for six long years.  

There are times I envy that generation that saved the world from Hitler

and made the world safe for communism!  some trade off

Finally, the idea that the war left the world a better place seems to me unacceptable as a flat, unqualified statement. Yes, the defeat of Hitler's regime was an excellent outcome—may such utter beastliness never dare to show its face again. But over large parts of the territory where Hitler's troops had reigned supreme in the early 1940s, Stalin's troops reigned supreme from 1945 to 1989. It is difficult to count Stalin as anything less than first-rate in the category of monstrous tyrants. Yet, if the war had a clear political winner, it was he. Moreover, he and the evil Soviet regime that carried on after his death wreaked massive human and material destruction over a wide swath. Similarly in the East, the defeat of Imperial Japan counts as a positive accomplishment. But that defeat removed a bulwark against Communism's expansion and ultimate victory in China, and like the eastern Europeans held under Stalin's sway, the Chinese were to pay a terrible price—the major political consequence of Japan's defeat on the mainland of Asia.

robert higgs^

[The Burgomaster]

I thought this was going to be about the 70th anniversary of The Wizard of Oz.  One of the theaters in my area is having a special digital screening later this month.  I might go.

[Umaril The Unfeathered]

I asked all my classes today if they knew what happened 70 years ago on this date.  Very few did.

The panzers rolled, and darkness fell . . . for six long years. 

There are times I envy that generation that saved the world from Hitler - but then I remember the cost.

May it never happen again.

Well, regardless of how we feel individually or collectively about war, we should realize that it was 'the greatest generation' that allowed for our generation to exist.
People sometimes lose sight of the fact that many gave up their lives so that many
more could live.  It's hard to grasp for some, and understandably, because noone
wants to die, but it also depends on what you die for. 

WW2 was not a multiple choice-you either participated or you got dragged into it and were forced to fight due to circumstances beyond your control.

In no way is this a promotion of war-just a reminder think about the men and women of the past, present, and future, who have and will continue to sacrifice for the freedom of America and\or their respective countries.  America's vets are Her greatest treasure, and our greatest also.  We wouldn't be here without them.

[lester1/2jr]

WW2 was not a multiple choice-you either participated or you got dragged into it and were forced to fight due to circumstances beyond your control

sorry, but I think alot of that is mythology.  it' s the good vs evil mentality that led to debacles like the iraq war. 

ww2 happened because of the onerous conditions of the treay of versailles.  were it not for that there would never have been the hyperinflation in the weimar republican cand no chance for someone like Hitler to come ot power in the rubble of that economic disaster.  It wasn't like everyone was minding their business and along came hitler.

My grandfather dropped bombs on german cities and drank himself to death, in no small part over the horror of what he did.   thus, you can see why I'm averse to glorification of ww2 but of course give respect to those who died in it

[Umaril The Unfeathered]

Posted by Lester1\2jr

[sorry, but I think alot of that is mythology.  it' s the good vs evil mentality that led to debacles like the iraq war.

First off, I refuse to address any piggybacking of Iraq-WW2.  Separate issues.

And to those who see the Iraq war as a war for oil, I suppose some of these
same individuals saw nothing wrong with squeezing Germany dry as France controlled their economy and natural resources to the point of creating a state of desperation that literally created Hitler in the post WW1 world.

It didn't matter if they were enforcing peace thru the destruction of civilians and their economy, as long as peace was being forced on them.

But yet all we hear about is Iraq and what we did to them...

I agree with you on the Versailles treaty however. If the French hadn't been so greedy perhaps the situation would have been different.

Oh, and France allowing Germany to annex Czechoslovakia's Sudetenland region in 1938? Opened the door to Poland.  Not Bush's fault, not the Republican's fault, but the fault of Britian, France, and Italy for approving the measure.

Perhaps it's time for Europe to stop screaming victim and using WW2 as an excuse, and start seeing their own part in creating tyrants instead of laying it all on Germany. 

Germany had very legitimate gripes that were agreed upon by America and Britian, but they went about addressing them the wrong way in WW2. 2 wrongs don't make a right.

[Jim H]

WW2 was not a multiple choice-you either participated or you got dragged into it and were forced to fight due to circumstances beyond your control

sorry, but I think alot of that is mythology.  it' s the good vs evil mentality that led to debacles like the iraq war. 

ww2 happened because of the onerous conditions of the treay of versailles.  were it not for that there would never have been the hyperinflation in the weimar republican cand no chance for someone like Hitler to come ot power in the rubble of that economic disaster.  It wasn't like everyone was minding their business and along came hitler.

My grandfather dropped bombs on german cities and drank himself to death, in no small part over the horror of what he did.   thus, you can see why I'm averse to glorification of ww2 but of course give respect to those who died in it

Probably what is most interesting about the Treaty of Versailles is that it didn't totally cripple Germany's economy beyond viability.  If it had, they never would have been able to rise again as quickly as they did.  Essentially, it really did hurt them and make them think they'd been badly screwed over (which, arguably, they had) - but not enough to really stop them.  In other words, it was exactly the worst thing to do. 

With a people as industrious and as effective militarily as Germans, either make them your friends or totally crush them.  Don't do something in-between.  I might note World War II and the aftermath completely crushed Germany, but much more favorable policies afterward (post-USSR raping and murdering everyone, and the other allies starving the country) made it a friend.  And look where we sit with them now.

As a final addendum, I'd like to add Germany eventually began to totally ignore the Treaty of Versailles waaaay before the start of the war - and no one did anything about it.  So, that's a pretty poor excuse on the Nazi's part for invading other countries and helping spark the worst war the world has ever seen.

[lester1/2jr]

they started ignoring the treaty of versailles after hitler rose to power. I think the point is hitler wouldn't have rose to power without , say, weimar hyperinflation.

the mid 20th century was an insane era of big government when citizenry around the world thought it would be very clever to sign over their rights and most of their paychecks to their governments.  It wasn't clever at all.  FDR was kept in check due to the constitution, though he flouted it in some cases namely the 2 term limit, but all over the world it was like a government bubble that broke and what was left was death and communism.