[Newsbot]

Title: How World War II almost didn't happen
Category: History
Posted By: Hyack
Date: 2008-10-19 08:25:34

[roger-roger]

Hmmm sounds a bit fishy, it doesnt say if these documents have been endorsed by credited historians.

[martin14]

could have, would have, lots of blah blah.

another way to try and whitewash the past, must come from Putin.

If Chamberlain and the French had told Hitler to piss off at Munich,
things would have been different.
If the Soviets had helped the Czechs in 38, it would have been different.

If the Treaty of Versailles hadnt been such a joke, it would have been different.


lots of ifs.

[LightStarr]

If, ifs and buts were candy and nuts.

[saturn_656]

$1:

The new documents, copies of which have been seen by The Sunday Telegraph, show the vast numbers of infantry, artillery and airborne forces which Stalin's generals said could be dispatched, if Polish objections to the Red Army crossing its territory could first be overcome.

I doubt Poland would have given the ok for a large Soviet force taking up positions on its soil anyway.

[Bacardi4206]

Wasn't the Soviets on the Allies side? Fighting the Nazi's? The Soviets had a hard time fighting the Nazi's and got pushed back a lot. So the Soviets would have been better at defeating the nazi's only if the west signed some piece of paper? Makes sense.

[Thanos]

Interesting bit of "what -if?" fiction here. The bulk of the Soviet military on the German/Polish border in 1939? All it really would have meant would be that the Wehrmacht wouldn't have had to travel so far to smash the crap out of the Russians as they had to go in 1941.

[robmik43]

Bacardi4206 Bacardi4206:

Wasn't the Soviets on the Allies side? Fighting the Nazi's? The Soviets had a hard time fighting the Nazi's and got pushed back a lot. So the Soviets would have been better at defeating the nazi's only if the west signed some piece of paper? Makes sense.

You might consider reading some history regarding the German-Russian
pact that preceded WWII...or maybe just let adults comment here.

[Scape]

Bacardi4206 Bacardi4206:

Wasn't the Soviets on the Allies side? Fighting the Nazi's? The Soviets had a hard time fighting the Nazi's and got pushed back a lot. So the Soviets would have been better at defeating the nazi's only if the west signed some piece of paper? Makes sense.

No, they were trading with the Nazi's right up until June 22 1941. Stalin wasn't paranoid, everyone was out to get him but since the Allies were notorious for not keeping their word he tried to bide time by making a pact with Hitler. Both knew the deal would crumble but Stalin thought he would have had at least two more years to prepare.

I think this scenario is entirely plausible. The problem was with Poland allowing itself to be occupied by the soviets. I think this is why the option was never seriously considered because Chamberlain knew the Poles would never sign on unless they were forced to. Once the Russian army was there they would never leave.

[Thanos]

Scape Scape:

Once the Russian army was there they would never leave.

As was accurately proven by Russian occupation of Eastern Europe from 1945 to 1992.

[ShepherdsDog]

The Russian's took Poland only because they saw much of eastern Poland as being western Ukraine. When Poland was recreated in 1918, the Russians never recognized the legitimacy of its borders.

It's also interesting that Italy almost went to war with Germany over the Anschluss with Austria.

[roger-roger]

The Russians have still never given up what little is left, after Poland took a big chunk out of it, of East Prussia.

[roger-roger]

I doubt there is little Prussian culture left in Konigsburg anyway

[mixedfarmer]

it happened we just need to learn from it. when is it aggression and when is it stopping aggression . Many people may know what is the right move but only the leaders of a country decide the course of action. War is really greed at a high level of leadership. Stalin wanted more land, Hitler wanted more land, Great Britain and France still had colonies.
Does not make allot of sense to most of us whom only wish to own a home and keep our families happy. It only takes one world leader to be greedy to start a war. World leader in government or very large company or bank.

[roger-roger]

Its A LOT more complicated than that....