The Start of World War II on September 1939
Eighty years ago today, Adolf Hitler's Germany staged a fake attack on a radio station by German prisoners dressed as Polish soldiers. A few hours later, German planes bombed the Polish town of Wieluń and World War II was underway. The blow fell particularly heavily on Poland, which was woefully unprepared for Germany's assault. At one point, Polish horse cavalry went up against German panzers -- a futile, suicidal attack that spoke more to the Polish army's valor than it did to their common sense. The war ended in May 1945, but not until 50 million had died. Six million of that total were killed in Poland. And today, 80 years after Germany deliberately and knowingly started a world war, the German president apologized to Poland for his nation's sins. Start of World War II: September 1939-March 1940 On September 1, 1939 , just before Adolf Hitler's invasion of Poland that marked the beginning of World War II, Zygmunt Klukowski, a young Polish doctor, confi...