World War II anniversary

[robert551069]

At 11o'clock on 3/9/1939, the Prime Minister announced on the radio that, as Hitler had not withdrawn his troops from Poland, we were at war with Germany.
It lasted until 8/5/1945.

[heathfield]

Germany signed an unconditional surrender on 7th May 1945. But the Allies didn't sign the document declaring their acceptance of the surrender until 9th June. This didn't stop 8th May being looked upon as VE Day - the first full day when we were no longer at war.

[robert551069]

That's interesting, heathfield. I didn't know that.

[robert551069]

Not pedantic in my opinion, DocSausage. That's another fact I didn't know.
(A trivial point, but when I visited Berlin on business years later, the British influence was still in evidence. I came across a fish and chip shop doing brisk business!)

[mike11111]

In any event, although Germany surrendered in May 1945 the war with Japan continued for another three months before their surrender, helped along by two atom bombs.

[ichkeria]

World War II is generally regarded as starting on September 1. It was Britain's part in it which started on Sept 3

[jno]

it depends where you are, really. Japan had been at war since 1937 (with China). Americans think it began with Pearl Harbour in 1941. The Soviet Union was also invaded in 1941 (though it had been fighting Japan in 1938).

1939 is more or less the western European date.

[PipinDorset]

The town of Berwick on Tweed (Northumberland) was legally at war with Russia from 1855 until 1966 (to bolster support for British efforts in the Crimean War, they declared war separately) which they forgot about afterwards until it was accidentally discovered at the height of the Cold War. Not quite sure how it was officially resolved but I imagine there some red faces (and not just on the Soviet side).

[mike11111]

The status of Berwick upon Tweed, not that far from where I live, has always been a subject of controversy because although it lies naturally beyond the borders of the Tweed, and therefore geographically in Scotland, was, and is, the last possession of England in that region (similar to the position of Calais before 1558). The declaration which launched the Crimean War specifically mentioned the said town, for the avoidance of any doubt. The Treaty of Paris in 1856 which concluded the war failed to mention Berwick, which led to the erroneous conclusion that Berwick and Russia (later the USSR) were still at war. This is a nonsense of course, because as Berwick is legally an English town it is covered by the said treaty. However it gives the good burghers of Berwick something to boast about during the long, lonely nights in the pub.

[ichkeria]

Although the Soviet Union was invaded in 1941, it had been busy occupying Estonia and attempting to colonise Finland before that. Added to which it also invaded Poland a fortnight or so after the Germans did. Of course Britain's stated intention to defend the Poles, given as the pretext for the 3 September declaration of war on Germany, didn't apply by then.