When did ww2 begin

You are correct sir, the ship you're referring to is the USS Panay and it was indeed in 1937, Dec. 12th to be exact. Here's a good site on it. USS Panay - Home

That's what I was kinda getting at with my post. I've always felt that a lot of the way the world has been shaped and the wars that have been fought are of a direct result of the events of WWI. Now, technically, you can say that any war that has been fought is as a result of wars that have come before it and I would agree that it's true. However, WWI was the beginnings of the Soviet Union, a lot of the major players in WWII were involved in WWI and that war guided their lives and the decisions they made which lead to WWII and a whole lot more.

 

What you say about the effects of WW1 are true. But there is also the major social revolution it caused to say nothing of a major change to Europe.

And it didn't stop with Europe. Just as one example: German possessions in South East Asia disappeared. Australia took over the running of Papua New Guinea.

Then there is the Japan issue.

etc.

 

Cheers Dan,
Couldn't remember the bleedin' ship's name.

 

For some reason european war has got more caravage than the Asian war in History, leaving people to believe that the european war was the start of ww2 in 1939. I don't know why this is but maybe European History is more popular than Asian History.

 

It started in 1939 I know that you know that it was started in 1939, I just want to tell how it was started. I read that a bunch of SS soldiers dressed up in Polish uniforms and they made a fake attack on a German radio station, It was blamed on the Polish, Crafty.

 

Well the first shooting conflict that became part of it was in China. On the other hand it became truly global on 12 Dec 1941 with Hitler's declaration of war vs the US. That linked all the major players into a single conflict. The 29 date is as much Euro centric as the 7 Dec is to the US.

Certainly the end of WWI didn't help things but it also didn't force the conflict. Had the Nazis not come to power it's not at all clear there would have been a world war.