BBC News Updated every minute of every day

Added: Saturday, 5 September, 2009, 10:11 GMT 11:11 UK

"Where were you when war was declared?"
95% of the HYS's are off subject so why are they here.
Mostly rants against other allied participants.
What is amazing is that so few seem to consider Hitler and his Nazi's might have been responsible by their insane ambitions for
" A greater World Order" when he:-
Rearmed Germany;
Tested Weapons and Tactics in Spain while the rest of the world sat back and watched;
Annexed Austria; and Chechoslovakia;
Bombed Polish cities without warning.

Edward Dowty, Kings Lynn, United Kingdom

Added: Saturday, 5 September, 2009, 09:53 GMT 10:53 UK

I find it shameful that since the war I have had many confrontations with stupid people slagging off the yanks. From all that I remember of them I wish to say Thank you America for all your help and your injured and dead are remembered by us true brits. on Nov. 11

[maggylove]

Added: Saturday, 5 September, 2009, 09:47 GMT 10:47 UK

My Australian uncles fought in the Pacific and as "coast-watchers" hiding from the Japanese in the Pacific islands, a very hazardous activity.
My fathers family had already lost two sons in France in World War 1:

don caskey, New Zealand

Added: Saturday, 5 September, 2009, 09:42 GMT 10:42 UK

History tells us that some communities, tribes and later some countries in the past were greedy to invade others land and haves.

They tried to invade the whole world with the dream to make the whole world people their slaves to dance on their will.

WWII is an example of that. Thanks God that we have seen and heard about the ultimate drastic doom of those who did so and their decendants still today after 70 years of WWII have been suffering for their ancestors' cruel folly.

A R Shams, Pakistan

Added: Saturday, 5 September, 2009, 09:21 GMT 10:21 UK

Every nation had their own reasons for entering the war. Those who have commented on the Americans, they give as much as they could (Lend lease of destroyers) whilst trying to keep out of the war. When Japan attacked that all changed. In Europe the USA could not get involved until Britain had won the Battle of Britain so the allies had a secure base from which to operate.

Mistakes happened that prolonged the war, these are well documented in History , no ones fault they just happened.

Ron, Gosport

Added: Saturday, 5 September, 2009, 07:50 GMT 08:50 UK

"Why are certain people hell bent on turning the conversation into a U.S. vs. U.K. or East vs. West argument? That isn’t the question being asked. Maybe people need to brush up on their reading comprehension skills.
Bob, Miami FL"
========

Bob, Many Comments on here are simply used to 'rile-up' the Debate. Not even convinced many of them are from proper 'Posters'.

I only saw the aftermath of WW2 - the destruction and shortages of Food & Clothing etc etc. This continued well into the '50's.

Publish Last, Derby, United Kingdom

Added: Saturday, 5 September, 2009, 07:46 GMT 08:46 UK

There are a predictable number of liberal idiots on here spouting nonsense such as 'we were just as much war criminals as the Nazis', 'history is written by the victors', 'which was the only side to use atomic weapons?' etc etc. Yes, the world today is far from perfect, but I wonder if these people have ever stopped for a moment to consider the kind of world we'd be living in if Hitler had actually won? It would make Orwell's 1984 look like a kid's tea party.

Chris Day, Oxford, United Kingdom

Added: Saturday, 5 September, 2009, 07:31 GMT 08:31 UK

"Without the Russian army we would have lost
Without tins of Spam from America the Russian army would have starved
Withouts food from America and Canada we would have starved
without Commonwealth troops we would have lost
Without the UK code breakers and the early computer at Bletchley park we would have lost
Without an Independant UK to launch raids on Hitlers factories ,America would have faced hitlers A1 rockets
It was a team effort ..NO single player in the Allies won the war"

Wrong Math & conclusion But, Keep On enentertain us

Added: Saturday, 5 September, 2009, 07:28 GMT 08:28 UK

"What did you or your relatives do in the war?" - HYS.

I was born a year after WW2 ended and I was raised in the bombed ruins in London.
The one thing I do remember well, was my Father constantly cursing our Government for believing Hitler when he duped them with: 'Peace in our time' (Atlee's statement?) - just before Germany attacked...

I had two brothers fighting the War - a Royal Marine Commando & an RAF gunner - both returned safely, thankfully.

Churchill was our saviour...

Publish Last, Derby, United Kingdom

Added: Saturday, 5 September, 2009, 07:28 GMT 08:28 UK

Was appeasement so bad at the time? Its generally accepted now that if Chamberlain had been firmer with Hitler then Hitler would have backed off, BUT it was not known at the time. Also, mention the war to most people and they tend to think of the end, when the Allies had millions of men, better tech than at the start and A bombs. But of course most of that didnt exist at the start - if Chamberlain wanted war before 1939, he wouldnt have been able to field anything like what we put out in 1940

Trevor Mallery, London, United Kingdom

Added: Saturday, 5 September, 2009, 06:23 GMT 07:23 UK

Some people seem to have forgotten what an alliance is. We won, not the UK, the US, the Soviets, the Belgians, the French. It was a joint effort. The Soviets worked with the NAZIs initially, yet they ended up helping save the day in the end. The US sat the war out and American businessmen helped the NAZIs. Yet in the end we helped save the day.

When you honor those who died it's pretty petty to not honor the men who fought beside them because today you don't like the flag on their shoulder.

Ray, USA

Added: Saturday, 5 September, 2009, 03:26 GMT 04:26 UK

I was born in Liverpool we have my grandfathers metals when Patrick Burke fought the Nazi.
We have a book that shows Liverpool after the bombings

David Reid, Natalia, Texas, United States

Added: Saturday, 5 September, 2009, 03:09 GMT 04:09 UK

He spoke of being wounded and looking out of the hospital in Paris and wanting to vistit the Eiffel Tower which he could see. He spoke of the homes where the stables was part of the house but you could eat off of the floor as it was that clean. He said if you shot the German officers that the enlisted would not take charge whereas the Americans would but he felt the Germans were good soldiers but thought the SS troops were shall we say pretty harsh and he was one to not really critizise anyone

Dennis W. Tichelkamp, Springfield, Missouri

Added: Saturday, 5 September, 2009, 03:04 GMT 04:04 UK

I asked Dad if he ever saw German Tigers and he said Yes, they had concrete over the front of them. I asked what he did and he said what do you think, I ran, what was I going to do with an M-1 rifle against a tank. Another time he ran up and got a medal for destroying a machine gun implacement. He spoke of the sadness of seeing enemy soldiers who were barely teenagers dead. He spoke of having to bayonet and that you had to put your foot up to pull it out or others who shot to get it loose.

Dennis W. Tichelkamp, Springfield, Missouri

Added: Saturday, 5 September, 2009, 03:02 GMT 04:02 UK

My Father was walking through the woods when a soldier shot him. Dad said I don't know why he shot me, if he hadn't shot me my friends wouldn't have shot him. My dad told me he gave three German soldiers to another to take back, they went over the hill and he heard three shots. The other soldier said they tried to escape. My dad said he knew that wasn't so and my dad was real angry, saying the Germans were just soldiers doing their duty and didn't deserve what happened.

Dennis W. Tichelkamp, Springfield, Missouri