World War II: Attack on Poland

A week later, Germany attacked Poland.

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Two days later, Britain and France declared war on Germany.

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Germany’s invasion of Poland, and the beginning of the war, presented a giant challenge to the United States. On the one hand, almost all Americans supported the European democracies opposing the aggression by Hitler, Mussolini, and other Fascists. But on the other hand, Americans had no desire to fight in what might be a long and bloody war.