Скачать или смотреть Britain and France declare war on Germany

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On September 3, 1939, in response to Hitler's invasion of Poland, both Britain and France, who were allies of Poland, declared war on Germany.

The initial consequence of this declaration was the tragic sinking of the British ocean liner Athenia, which was attacked and sunk by a German U-30 submarine. The submarine crew mistakenly believed the liner to be armed and hostile. Tragically, among the more than 1,100 passengers on board, 112 lost their lives. This included 28 Americans. However, President Roosevelt did not let this incident sway his position, and he firmly stated that there should be no hasty or inaccurate talk of America sending its troops to European battlefields. The United States remained committed to a policy of neutrality.

Meanwhile, Britain's initial response was limited to dropping anti-Nazi propaganda leaflets over Germany, amounting to a total of 13 tons of leaflets. However, they soon escalated their actions by initiating bombing raids on German ships starting on September 4, even though these raids resulted in significant losses. Additionally, British forces operated under strict orders not to harm German civilians, a restriction that the German military did not adhere to.

France, on the other hand, launched an offensive against Germany's western border two weeks later. However, this effort faced significant challenges due to a narrow 90-mile corridor leading to the German front. This corridor was enclosed by the neutral countries of Luxembourg and Belgium. The Germans took advantage of this situation by mining the passage, effectively stalling the French offensive.

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