[Franek Grabowski]

Finally back home.

Originally Posted by Graham Boak

You really believe that without the front-line troops of the Soviet Army, Hitler would never have started the war?

Yes, it is obvious from his writings and speaches that he would not ever start anything like that being not secured on one front.

I can only presume that you are referring to the Nazi-Soviet pact and the joint invasion of Poland, but that only draws a specific line in history.

It is not a specific line in history but a strict co-operation between Germany and the SU that lasted for more than a year, and which also affected British defensive potential - see CBAF strikes for example.

To suggest that Hitler had not already started warfare in Europe ignores his actions in Austria and Czechoslovakia, or his plans for later, elsewhere.

Those operations cannot be considered warfare, since Hitler secured peace with the West by diplomatic means. Indeed aggressive movement but not leading to a war.

Had Poland agreed to the passage of Soviet troops, the Munich agreement and the betrayal of Czechoslovakia may never have happened.

Had Poland agreed to the passage of Soviet troops, they would not left Poland. I cannot understand, how people in the West can be so ignorant, not to understand so simple Russian tricks!

Perhaps then Hitler's ambitions could have been curbed, but after that failure the war was inevitable. It was the failure of the "West" here that encouraged Stalin to come to his agreement with the Nazis, which no one on any side expected to last.

Munich was in 1938 but the SU was considered a threat for the world peace much earlier. Actually it was the country expected to start the second world war.