[GH85Carrera]

Originally Posted by Rick Lee

France and England were well aware of what Hitler was doing. The French did nothing when Hitler ignored the Versailles Treaty and retook the Rhineland in 1934. England appeased him all the way up until he invaded Poland. They didn't lift a finger when he took Austria in 1936 and the Sudetenland in 1938. The Nuremburg Laws were enacted in 1935. What was unclear about his intentions?

If anyone was really caught by surprise, I'd say it was Russia, since they had a non-aggression pact with Germany and, upon being told by a spy in the Soviet Embassy in Tokyo that Germany was about to attack Russia, Stalin had that spy recalled and executed. He really didn't believe it was coming. Everyone else knew and did nothing.

The USA saw all that Germany was doing and ran from the fight until Japan attacked Pearl Harbor. France tried to fight when they were attacked but that was a very short battle. England at least tried to stop Germany. With our help of war materials they were at least keeping Germany occupied and inflicting some heavy damage.

Back to the the original question. My mother's grandparents were German. My great grandfather and his brothers fought for the US in WW1. My mother's grandfather was a card carrying member of the socialist party.