On September 1, 1939 — 85 years ago — German troops invaded Poland, which marked the beginning of World War II. During 6 years and one day, more than 60 million people died - such was the price of the madness of the dictator Adolf Hitler and his allies, among whom was the Soviet autocrat Joseph Stalin.
Points of attention
- More than 60 states took part in the war, and hostilities took place on the territory of 40 of them.
- Key events: the conclusion of a secret treaty between the USSR and the Third Reich, the USSR's attacks on Poland and Finland, the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
- The Second World War was one of the most terrible events in history, but it is still not officially over.
Important facts about the Second World War
The Second World War began on September 1, 1939 and lasted until September 2, 1945, that is, 6 years and 1 day.
Hostilities took place on the territories of 40 countries of the world, in general, more than 60 states became participants in the war.
Ukrainians fought on the side of the United Nations as part of the armies of Great Britain and Canada (45 thousand people), Poland (120 thousand), the USSR (more than 7 million), the United States (80 thousand) and France (6 thousand), as well as the liberation movement in Ukraine itself (100,000 in the UPA) — altogether more than 7 million people. In fact, historians' estimates differ.
On August 23, 1939, the USSR signed a non-aggression pact with the Third Reich. In a week, the Reich, with the support of the USSR, will start a world war.
The Soviet Union entered the world war 17 days after it began, attacking the Polish Republic after Hitler.
On November 30, 1939, the USSR attacked Finland, starting the Soviet-Finnish war. Due to the outbreak of the war, the USSR was excluded from the League of Nations, the analogue of the UN at that time.
The number of Russians who fought for the Reich is estimated at 400,000. More than 20 military units, units and units of the army of the Reich and its allies were formed from Russians.
On December 7, 1941, Japan launched a war against the United States with a surprise attack on the American military base on the Hawaiian islands of Pearl Harbor.
After the capitulation of France, its ally Britain is forced to attack the French fleet so that it does not fall to the Germans.
General Vlasov, who commanded the defense of Kyiv and Moscow as part of the Soviet Army, was captured in 1942 and went over to the side of the Reich, where he headed the "Russian Liberation Army".
In 1944, the largest uprising against the Germans of the entire war broke out in Warsaw. Soviet troops deliberately halted their advance to Warsaw to allow the Germans to deal with the Polish insurgents.
On August 6, 1945, Americans dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima, Japan, and three days later on Nagasaki. Two days later, the USSR declared war on Japan.
Officially, the Second World War is still not over. Russia and Japan never signed a peace treaty.
Japanese officer Hiroo Onoda fought against the Americans in the Philippines for 30 years, unaware of the end of World War II and Japan's defeat in it.
