World War II began 80 years ago today. It started with the Germans invading Poland from the west followed by a declaration of war by the UK and France and then a Soviet invasion of Poland from the east. By the time it ended, the war claimed huge numbers of people and included the most massive genocide of all time. It led to the Cold War which went on for another 45 years.
Things have truly changed since then. During World War II, the USA lost almost 600,000 soldiers killed in action with more wounded. That's something like 140,000 for each year of the war. We've been in Afghanistan for 18 years and have lost about 2500 soldiers during that time. There were days during World War II when American forces lost more soldiers than that.
I don't mean to make light of the losses in Afghanistan. I only am attempting to demonstrate the difference between the two wars.
What made World War II different is that it was the first time in a modern conflict that war was waged against the civilian populations rather than being confined to the battlefield. Germany was leveled. London and the UK got hit with the blitz. The Soviet Union lost about 20 million people through the war with many dying from starvation. Jews across Europe were rounded up and killed. In China and Japan millions died from bombing and disease.
As WWII gets consigned to history rather than the active memory of those who lived through it, the concept of war is changing again. Terrorism is rampant, and that is nothing but the making of war on innocent civilians. Wars of extermination are again reappearing. Just listen to the rhetoric of Iran or Hezbollah directed towards Israel; they don't want just to win, but rather to destroy the Israeli people.
It would be nice to think that people were permanently changed by WWII, but it doesn't seem to have worked out that way.
Things have truly changed since then. During World War II, the USA lost almost 600,000 soldiers killed in action with more wounded. That's something like 140,000 for each year of the war. We've been in Afghanistan for 18 years and have lost about 2500 soldiers during that time. There were days during World War II when American forces lost more soldiers than that.
I don't mean to make light of the losses in Afghanistan. I only am attempting to demonstrate the difference between the two wars.
What made World War II different is that it was the first time in a modern conflict that war was waged against the civilian populations rather than being confined to the battlefield. Germany was leveled. London and the UK got hit with the blitz. The Soviet Union lost about 20 million people through the war with many dying from starvation. Jews across Europe were rounded up and killed. In China and Japan millions died from bombing and disease.
As WWII gets consigned to history rather than the active memory of those who lived through it, the concept of war is changing again. Terrorism is rampant, and that is nothing but the making of war on innocent civilians. Wars of extermination are again reappearing. Just listen to the rhetoric of Iran or Hezbollah directed towards Israel; they don't want just to win, but rather to destroy the Israeli people.
It would be nice to think that people were permanently changed by WWII, but it doesn't seem to have worked out that way.
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