Operation Barbarossa German infantry advancing on a burning village in the Soviet Union (Russia). Hence, despite a massive military defeat, with France ultimately falling, British propaganda portrayed the evacuation of Dunkirk as a victory. Regardless of the reason, the decision to let up allowed the British to gather as many boats as possible, resulting in 340,000 troops fleeing to the UK in one of the largest evacuations of all time. However, given the self-serving nature of such a statement and Hitler's record of not respecting peace agreements, this justification does not hold much water. Near the end of the war, Hitler himself claimed that he was allowing time for British Prime Minister Winston Churchill to make a deal with Germany. Others assert it was to give the German Army some rest, as their advances had been so rapid up to this point. Some speculate it was due to Hitler's belief that the Allied forces were essentially already defeated. The reasoning behind this decision is still unclear to historians. Thus, by early October 1939, the German and Soviet invasion was complete, with the Nazis occupying the west of the country and the Soviets occupying the east. Despite being ideological enemies (and "racial" enemies according to the Nazis), the USSR and Germany signed a non-aggression pact the previous month to facilitate the would-be partition of Poland. Then, on September 17, the Soviet Union (USSR) also invaded. Furthermore, Polish troops were too thinly spread across the Polish-German border, meaning that the Wehrmacht easily broke through their defenses. While the Polish army was about the same size as the German army on paper, poor supplies and technology made them no match for the German Blitzkrieg. On September 1, 1939, Nazi Germany invaded Poland, marking the beginning of the Second World War, as France and the United Kingdom (UK) declared war on Germany shortly afterward. He spoke to Germany and the world from the main hall of the ancient Artus Court. The Invasion Of Poland Hitler speaking in Danzig after the German invasion of Poland.
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