>>One of the reasons was that Germany was supposed to pay reparations to Britain until 1988!
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>>They couldn't afford that. What if they'd been made to pay for WW II, the war that bankrupted Britain (esp. after having fought WW I just 20 years earlier? I grew up in this empoverished state, while the the Allies were busy rebuilding Germany and Japan. Of all the powers that fought in that war GB came off worst. The US had grown fatter on its industry and extended its "empire" (Let's face it, the US IS an empire, wrought from the natives, or other western imperials, state by state), France had hardly been touched cf. the UK (and didn't need to pay for 6 years of fighting), and GB lost much of its lucrative empire (not least by ceeding some of it to the US, in payment for liberty ships and WWI navy ships, et al).
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>>I demand payment!
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>Terry;
>
>You have been paid in full! :) You helped defeat the Axis powers and remained free. Free at last!
>
>The point made about rebuilding Japan and Germany and the lack of help we gave England is interesting. It is so true! It took many years for England to get on its feet.

I can remember playing on the "Bommies" (bombed out buildings, lying in ruins for what must have been decades, till they could get round to clearing them) in the city, when visiting family, as a wee kid.

>
>Another thought about World War II. What would have happened if England and France had honored their agreement to come to the defense of Poland should they be attacked by Germany? Would World War II have occurred?

Don't you mean "...if England and France had not honored their agreement...", cos, as I understand it, we did, although we didn't actually get round to boots on the ground in Poland, but we mobilised. As it happened the exercise seemd futile, as Poland received no help anyway, and eventually came under the thrall of an equally unwelcome state, seems to defeat the object!

>The leader of Poland was Josef Pilsudski, whom Hitler had great respect for. In 1935 Germany sent two divisions to the Polish border with the intent to invade. Philsudski sent one division of the Polish Army to the border and Hitler sent a telegram (it is in a museum in Poland) apologizing and withdrew his two divisions.

So how did Germany beat them then? I thought it was an all-out invasion, blitzkrieg and all.

>People make fun of the Poles but it takes guts to attack a Panzer Tank with a horse, and a rider carrying a spear. The Poles used what weapons they had but were let down by the rest of the world.

Our Shermans and Churchill tanks didn't make much difference either! :-)

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>I wish we could sit face to face and discuss these topics as they are very involved and a part of our history.

That would be good, old mate.

Terry