Exciting Stuff!

The part of World War 2 that I decided to research was some basic facts and chronology. Although usually not the most exciting topic, I felt that I had heard a great many stories (from my grandpa especially) about the horros of combat during World War 2, and wanted to gain a solid base of information on which to build these stories. I was very interested to see how the war had originally "started" - the beginning is obviously objective. Germany staged a fake attack on a Polish radio station on September 1, 1939. The objective of this odd action was that when Poland reciprocated, they could call it an "unprovoked attack." I was shocked at how low Germany was willing to stoop in order to attack Poland without appearing ridiculously aggressive. I also saw a strong parallel here with the Holocaust. Hitler and the Nazi party were infamous for inventing reasons to persecute or harm people, and this is no exception. When Germany decided that you were in their way, no amount of logic would talk them out of it. They would take you to prison or kill you on the spot, and if they couldn't find a good reason to do it they would make one up.

Another date I felt was important was September 3, 1939. Britain and France declared war on Germany because of an alliance they both had with Poland. Sound familiar? This is exactly how World War 1 started, with a bunch of tricky alliances and Germany jumping the gun just a bit. The one thing I would like to know is this: Did Germany attack Poland because it actually wanted Poland, or did Germany just want to start a huge war without appearing to be on the offensive? I wouldn't put anything past Germany at this point.