Francisco Franco (Tessa Darcy)

Life is based on the survival of the fittest so I believe that Nazi Germany’s invasion of Poland was a successful and intelligent move on their part. They were able to make all of Poland theirs within just a week utilizing lightening warfare, with the exception of splitting it with Stalin only for strategy. Why would they cease to conquer Poland or go lightly on them? With their military power and use of all the technology they had on the battlefield, anything was possible. They were only simply utilizing their true power in combat in order to expand and prosper their own nation. As a dictator myself I understand why this is a smart move. Sometimes you have to be a bit selfish. When you attain the capability to invade a weaker country and use it for your country’s own benefit, you are truly not being inhumane, only fair. You and your country have earned it. There is no point of having such an advanced and forceful military power if you are not going to utilize this military’s power. I myself wanted Spain to be a part of the Axis powers yet Hitler denied me acceptance because he believed my country was too needy of help. I understand why the powerful man did this, yet do not understand it at the same time. Even though Nazi Germany is a powerhouse, I still offered Hitler Spanish naval facilities to German ships and U-boats. I also helped block the allies’ access to the Mediterranean Sea and even gave the Nazis a list of Spanish Jews to persecute. As much as this angers me, I do overall believe that conquering Poland, as selfish as it was, was a smart decision that if I had the power to do, would have taken advantage of it. Hitler only utilized the military power that he raised and strengthened in order to prosper his country. I truly do not see anything wrong in this. The fittest and most equipped will survive and rule and the weak are only setting themselves up to fail and be conquered. Europe must watch out because I do not think Hitler is stopping here. His wrath is one like a storm, he can sweep up a country within days, and then move on to the next to do it all again. He has the power to conquer much more, yet is this bad? No, he has worked to deserve it. Let us hope Spain is not next!

Young Austrian women (Sam Loomis)

He invaded Poland after he came through Austria. I am completely taken aback by his force. It was bad enough he took back his home land, but now he has set out to take more. There are girls out there, my age, that are being killed and it isn't fair. Too many innocent civilians are dying! Why? Over land! We all need to work together to stop butlers wrath, I can only hope France and britian together can fight him off, and to think, we welcomed this man with open arms...

Benito Mussolini (Katie Allen)

Recently, Germany has invaded Poland. Lead by Hitler, the Germans are succeeding so far. I agree with Hitlers tactics. As a leader, I believe going to Poland was the next smartest choice to try and take over. Although the Polish may not like it just like the Germans did not, it is again for the best. Even if the Polish do not accept Hitler and his followers, they are going to be overtaken either way. Hitler is becoming too powerful for others to stop him, but I am fine with this, because Hitler and I have the same views and like to lead Europe together. I enjoy watching him takeover Poland and many other countries while I stay here in Italy and spread fascism. I am doing fine leading Italy, and so is Hitler with Poland. I hope that his invasion is completely successful, because his success is also mine as well.

Benito Mussolini (Kourtney Clements)

While Germany was invading Poland, I had just recently finished helping the Spanish nationalists win their civil war. As Hitler and I had very similar views, I agreed completely with has actions on the nation, and was very impressed. He very quickly invaded Poland with all of the modern technology that had just recently been created, a lot like Italy had used on nations we were invading at the time. Hitler had every right to attack the Polish lands, for they were weak and Germany is powerful. They could not protect themselves, so it was an easy invasion for Germany. Italy had nothing to do with this invasion, so we stayed out of it and watched from the other side of Europe. Since I had just allied with Hitler months earlier, I had to be ready at all times to give him military aid and support from the other side of the continent. I support Hitler's invasion of Poland 100%. He had to do this in order to get his point across and if it started another World War, then so be it! Hitler is a very smart man, as am I. And with our alliance, we are a force to be reckoned with.

Hideki Tojo (Janae Walker)

The invasion of Poland is another step in the right direction. This action shows the much needed advance towards fascism. With fascism we can create a better world and improve conditions. The invasion supports and strengthens the idea of fascism. Fascism should prosper and Germany's actions should continue. This action is for the better. Overall it will enhance the conduction the world. This invasion shows the world just how strong those to invite fascism are. Seeing the actions of Germany should convince other nations to accept fascism. The invasion of Poland shows the strength, growth, and power of fascism and actions like such should continue.

Italian Peasant Woman(Dan Hasan)

The man the world knows as Adolf Hitler is many things. He influential leader, a man that has goals, and he is a total psychopath. You would think after giving a dog a treat he would satisfied, but no instead that dog wants to eat even more than before he got the treat. At first Hitler was just trying unite the Germans, but now he is after something different. He wants control of almost everything. Authoritarian rule isn't a bad thing, I value my protection over my freedom. As sad as that it is, it is the truth. Even though my life is hard it would be even worse without the government having as much control as it does. The government does what is best for the country as a whole, but Hitler at this point isn't doing what is actually best for the Nazi's. Hitler is doing what he thinks is best for the Nazi's. Then again why should my opinion be worth anything. I am but a poor peasant women in a world full of mad men.      

George Marshall (Isaac Pontarelli)

Hitler has gone back on his promise, and made our worst nightmare come true, a Second World War. With the envision of Poland Hitler has demonstrated the capabilities of his massive war machine, and simultaneously proven a great number of military strategists wrong with his introduction of blitzkrieg. Is swiftness of Hitlers acquisition of Poland does not bode well for the rest of the war. The ease and swiftness with which the German war machine was able to defeat Poland serves as an example of what they are capable, if there actions go unchecked. To make sure that hitler is stopped, all the allies must band together and preemptively end this war before he gains more territory.

Jewish Refugee (Vikky Iannotti)

        Am I surprised? Of course not! The Germans are at it again. Am I disturbed? Without a doubt! To be quite honest, I am sickened by the German army. This morning I picked up the local newspaper only to read the bold letters "GERMAN ARMY ATTACKS POLAND; CITIES BOMBED, PORT BLOCKADED; DANZIG IS ACCEPTED INTO THE REICH." Most days, the newspaper mentions the hostility of the Germans. However, today, this invasion was a headline that caught my eyes immediately. Germany, in my opinion, needs to accept their defeat in the Great War. Do they really want to be hated even more by the world than they are already? My plan, along with my family, is to head to America. In Europe, it seems as if the Germans have bombarded vast lands. Poland, for example, is just another example of the dangers within Europe. By joining the Reich, the citizens of Poland are now vulnerable to the aggressive, coldhearted Germans. The German army, led by Hitler, is the strongest it will ever be and I most definitely do not plan on encountering it. In America, I see a brighter future. I want to escape Europe forever. Poland is just another example of the potential danger I could face. Goodbye Europe!

Parisian Business Owner (J. Qin)

           For too long, the western democracies idly observed Hitler’s militarization and ruthless aggression. Now, Hitler committed his boldest act yet: the invasion of Poland. Such audacity has resulted from an irresolute and spineless government. How could they have thought that appeasement would have been an appropriate answer? When a bandit attempts to rob you, do you offer him small amounts of money in the hope that he will be satisfied by taking only a portion of your wealth? No, the bandit shall not be satisfied until he has obtained all of your wealth. I frankly don’t understand how our government could have been so gullible. 

I have too critical of our government. Perhaps now is not the time to complain about the government. The Nazis have undoubtedly set their eyes upon France, the prize that eluded Wilhelm. Now, France and England must prepare for the inevitable war. I’m certain that, like always, France shall rise to the occasion and defeat those dreaded Germans. Now is the time for the world to unite against the injustice of Germany.

Stallin (Hayden Margolis)

Everything that has happened to Poland so far, they deserve. They are incapable of protecting their lands and they do not prosper. Both myself and Hitler have rights to those lands, we are powerful enough to take them. We made an agreement to split Poland and that is what I intend to do. However, I am not as cruel as him. I will take actions, however not as he did.. I understand that he just wants to reunite all german speaking people. It is true there are many people that speak German in Poland, which is why I am okay with his actions. I am much stronger and we are much stronger as a nation he is not a threat to me.We share similar views in some ways and he is a strong willed person. I respect his decisions and may learn from them as well.

London Working Woman (Katie Hollingsworth)

I think this is absolutely absurd. Why on Earth would the Germans continue to invade other countries? It makes very little sense in my mind as well the mind of many of my friends. Germany has already taken over a vast majority of Europe. Hitler has an empire the size of Caesar's empire so why should he continue to expand? He is becoming greedy. By not being satisfied with everything he already has, Hitler is setting himself up for failure. If he announced that he was satisfied with his conquests, people would no longer be on the defense and Hitler could begin to form alliances and change his vulgar reputation that many, such as myself, have in regards to his style of living, ruling, and influencing. Hitler's conquest over Poland was too far. Not only did he have to Denmark in order to reach his goal, he also scared a ridiculous number of people, conquered a port- meaning he will now have a place to receive more goods to continue his conquests- and he will change the lives of many regarding the Aryan race in a negative fashion. His conquest was wrong. Hitler should be put out of power. No more conquests, no more Nazi Germany, no more Hitler.

Dwight Eisenhower (Amy Kulm)

I just got the news, Hitler has invaded Poland. I believe that we should end trade war material with Germany or any other country who is allied with them. I understand that our country is in a great depression, but we should not be helping these fascists government by selling them weapons. I believe if we do not enter the war that we should at least end our neutrality and only trade with our allies and give them anything they need that can help them to win this war. Hitler will not with Poland he will continue to invade all of Europe. We need to stop him before it is too late.

Female American Factory Worker (Rosemary Callan)

This is really getting serious. I mean, this morning, I saw the newspaper: GERMAN ARMY ATTACKS POLAND; CITIES BOMBED, PORT BLOCKADED; DANZIG IS ACCEPTED INTO REICH. It seems like it wasn't so long ago that they were shouting the news of Germany's defeat in the last war. Soon we may have to interfere. I don't know if America will send troops over to Europe, but if they do, you can bet that every last woman in this country will do her part to help as well. With all the men gone, we'll be expected to help in any way we can. The factory owners will need more people to work the machines, which will be good news for unemployed women in America. We'll be able to take the mens' jobs producing war materials like guns and airplanes, and in ordinary factories as well. There'll be new women working alongside me at the factory soon.

Charles De Gaulle (RJ Mathieu)

This is the last straw.
         Enough empty promises and lies. Enough diplomacy and enough calamity. The invasion of a neutral country signifies one thing. War. we French have never been one to back down from a fight, but we do back down from the suffering of millions. Only time will tell the victor of this engagement, but as God as my witness, Hitler and his minions are responsible for this death toll. As I write this the lands of Poland are watered with the blood of innocent men. Hitler's war machine of an army has shown its hunger and its greed.
        What is worse? There is grave news at foot. I have heard rumors that the Soviets have began a second invasion upon Poland, not as a counterattack, but a planned assault in communication with the Nazis. When the Fascists and Communists join hand in hand the world will erupt. Freedom and Life itself are staked upon this war. This war will be grave. This war will make or break our future.

Eleanor Roosevelt (Opishinski)

As an advocator for human rights, I believe that it is my duty to express my views on Hitler's invasion of Poland. Not only is this an atrocious movement for greed and power, but it is costing hundreds of thousands of innocent lives. Hitler must be stopped soon if he continues to seize harmless territories for Germany with his new military, which greatly violated the Treaty of Versailles. If the leaders of the world today do not follow the rules that they have established, then there will be no hope for leaders in the future to create peace and international rights. Hitler is setting a gross example for other countries as well as his own people, first by destroying the Jews and now moving into Poland and killing their citizens in a power struggle. I truly feel for the citizens of Poland, who now can only watch as their home is invaded by the Germans. What a horrible thing that must be to experience. Hitler must be stopped, and soon, if he continues this conquest of greed.

Adolph Hitler (Jessie Donegan)

Heil Hitler!  My army and air force has successfully taken Poland.  Every soldier they had was no match for my planes and panzers.  I now know the power I truly have.  Germany has the chance to conquer every country.  We are unmatched in force.  It took us less than a week after invading Poland for it to be completely in our hands.  Now, we can begin to purify the world.  To cleanse it of Jews and to put them where they belong.  To put the Aryan race ahead of all others.  I can begin my reign.

Neville Chamberlain (Samantha Licciardi)

I, Neville Chamberlain, am completely shocked. Truly blindsided. I feel as if all the work, planning and negotiating I have spent years on to protect my country of Great Britain and other European countries, has been thrown away. I had underestimated Hitler. My appeasement to Hitler has failed. He played us all. I feel like a fool for believing he would cease firing at other countries and no longer try to gain territory. He is a power hungry dictator and always will be. I absolutely believe we did everything we could have to prevent war, but Hitler is persistent and does not stop until he gets what he wants. Unfortunately in this case, that is war. Hitler is not willing to negotiate with anyone. The Polish Government even said they were willing to negotiate terms but Hitler's response was to invade, bomb, and kill the people of Poland. He has proven that he puts his senseless ambitions above all else, and it is clear he will continue to do so. Now, our only option is to begin preparing for terrible war. We will be ready and we have a greater chance this time than back in 1914. With leaders such as Hitler there will never be peace in Europe and this is the chance we have to shut these dictators down. As shocked as I am to discover this appalling news of invasion and betrayal of his word on Hitler's behalf, all we can do now is look into the future and prepare for the worst.

Stalin (Grace Fitch)

        "Stalin, one of the things I would like to address in this interview is your relationship with Hitler. I understand that you have just signed the Nazi-Soviet Pact, does this is any way change the way you view him? Please tell me how you feel about his invading Poland," said the scrawny interviewer. I am seriously started to question why i must make myself available to the public minds. Why does he even want to know my reaction to his invasion? It is not like it affects me, in my mind, the Polish deserve to have that land taken from them. After all, it wasn't theirs to begin with, it was glorified Russian and German land.
         I shrug off the smile I get while thinking about how meaningless this interviewer is and say, "There is nothing wrong with Hitler's invasion. He did as any other ruler might do for his country. Hitler, like I, though fascist, only wants to unite his country into one piece of land extending throughout Europe. Anyway, the Polish lands that he desired were originally German, they are all German speaking. He is simply taking back what is rightfully his in order to nationalize Germany. It was not the Polishes keep anyway."
         "Would you do the same, dear gentle Stalin?"
         "Would I have done the same! Ha!" I say in a mocking tone. "I am prepared to go to all lengths to make sure that The Soviet Union is as prestigious and united as ever. If doing so requires the abduction of previously possessed lands, then so be it! I hope you are not questioning my power, young boy! I will do anything for Mother Russia, now put that in your report!"

Adolf Hitler (Emma Schambers)

I, Adolf Hitler, am extremely pleased with our invasion of Poland. Our country, as a whole unit, came together to defeat the Polish army in within weeks of the attack. Warsaw finally surrendered to us and we soon annexed several of their territories. These territories will allow us to expand even more across Europe. This invasion really advances our country. The strong government we have will soon take over all of Europe. Europe needs us to govern all around because the Third Reich is what Europe needs. Our invasion of Poland proves that we have the ability to take over countries with our extremely strong army. Our army can conquer any land and surpass many challenges. I strongly believe that no other army in the world could defeat us. We have trained and we are ready to take over parts of the world. The invasion of Poland is only the start of lands that we will take over. Our invasion displays an opportunity to gain other territories and conquer the world.

WWII Post #2 5/6/14

React to Germany's invasion of Poland on 9/1/39.

Hideki Tojo (Janae Walker)

Extremism, the one thing the world truly needs. The world was left in ruin and from the ashes extremism arose. Extremism is how we can once again restore balance to the world. Nations are allowed to thrive in the hands of extremism. The rise of extremism in Western Europe and Russia is a wonderful thing. With more extremism comes more stability to the world. Extremism should not be feared nor rejected. It simply brings balance were there currently is none. Extremism is occurring to bring power and comfort back into the nations. Without it, the world will remain despair and discontent will rise. Nothing should be done to hinder the rise of extremism. This is a necessary change that the world needs to repair itself. This change will benefit the world as a whole. Extremism is an extraordinary thing that should prosper.