>Like your Dad, he and his buddies surrendered to a US unit. They were terrified of the Russians, but also of the French.
All very sad. Lets not forget that while Hitler did stomp into Czechoslovakia and then (when nothing happened) into Poland, that was at the opposite end of Europe from Britain and France whose only involvement was by treaty. Ribbentrop was the British expert who repeatedly advised that Britain would not go to war for Poland and Chamberlain was on record doubting that the Great Britain populace and empire could survive another war. Nevertheless France and Britain declared war on Germany and the Western world went crazy.
"... They ne'er cared for us
yet: suffer us to famish, and their store-houses
crammed with grain; make edicts for usury, to
support usurers; repeal daily any wholesome act
established against the rich, and provide more
piercing statutes daily, to chain up and restrain
the poor. If the wars eat us not up, they will; and
there's all the love they bear us."
-- Shakespeare: Coriolanus, Act 1, scene 1