Hitler’s rise to power in 1933 capitalized on Germany’s desire to regain lost territories. Nazi leaders added the goal of destroying an independent Poland. Putin’s rise to power also fueled his desire to regain lost territories of the former Soviet Union. In March 1939, Hitler began to make demands on Poland for the return of territory in the Polish Corridor, cessation of Polish rights in Danzig, and annexation of the Free City to Germany. Putin also has made demands on the Ukraine to regain control of the country all the way to the Black Sea.
On September 1, 1939, Germany invaded Poland. To justify the invasion, Nazi propagandists accused Poland of persecuting ethnic Germans living in Poland. Putin has accused the Ukraine government of genocide against ethnic Russians living in the Ukraine. The Nazi Party also falsely claimed that Poland was planning with its allies Great Britain and France, to encircle and dismember Germany. Putin has accused the Ukraine of joining NATO to build up its army against Russia.
Germany’s surprise attack of Poland on September 1, 1939 consisted of more than two thousand tanks supported by nearly nine hundred bombers and over four hundred fighter planes. Germany deployed sixty divisions and nearly 1.5 million men in the invasion of Poland. Putin’s invasion of the Ukraine consists of tanks, army trucks, supply trucks, and rocket launchers, the totality of which is hard to measure since the attack on the Ukraine is still on going as this article is being written.
Poland mobilized late, and political considerations forced its army into a disadvantage deployment. The Polish army also lacked modern arms and equipment, had few armored and motorized units, and could deploy little more than three hundred planes, most of which the Luftwaffe destroyed in the first few days of the invasion. Despite fighting tenaciously and inflicting serious casualties on the Germans, the Polish army was defeated within weeks. The Ukrainian army, and civilians have been fighting tenaciously, but they need more weapons, ammunition, rockets, bombs, tanks, and planes to fight off the Russian invasion. While the United Nations Counsel, the United States, and NATO, discuss sanctions, the Russian Army continues its assault against the Ukraine.
Poland remained under German occupation until the end of January 1945. Let’s pray it doesn’t take almost six years to get Putin and the Russian army out of the Ukraine.
Ms. Amy Levine, I agree with what you wrote here. Putin is trying to gain ground just like Hitler. It made me sick to my stomach when I saw those people dead on the streets of the Ukraine. I hope that steroid junkie Putin puts a gun to his head as soon as possible before any more innocent people die.