75 years ago, on May 7, 1945, German General Alfred Jodl signed the surrender documents handing over Germany to the Allies. The day following became known as Victory in Europe Day, or VE Day for short. VE Day marked the end of World War II in Europe, although in the Pacific theater, war would not be concluded until September 1, 1945. 

World War II cost an estimated 70-85 million lives, two-thirds of that number being civilians, and only one-third military. Over 405,000 American men died. Today, World War II is one of the most studied events in US history. Along with the Great Depression, World War II defined an entire generation, the generation that Tom Brokaw dubbed “The Greatest Generation.” 

VE Day also officially closed the last chapter in the epoch of Adolf Hitler’s dazzling rise and fall.

In today’s post, we remember the men and women who sacrificed so much for our freedom. We’ll examine the roots and course of World War II. We’ll also discuss four valuable lessons to learn from the WWII generation. 

To start with, how did World War II begin?

Hitler and The Roots of World War II

In many ways, World War I set the stage for World War II. The war concluded with the Treaty of Versailles, in which Germany was forced to accept sole responsibility for the war, a fact which Hitler would not let the German people forget. The Roaring Twenties which followed World War II ended anticlimactically on Black Tuesday, October, 29, 1929 when the US stock market crashed, throwing the entire world into economic turmoil.

In these difficult times Adolf Hitler came to power. Born in Austria, Hitler’s relationship with his father was strained, until Alois Hitler died, when Adolf was only 13. In his later youth, Hitler drifted and spent some time wandering wandered the streets of Vienna as an aspiring, but unsuccessful artist.

When World War I began, Hitler joined the German army, where he served with distinction.

He began career in public speaking and activism. In 1923, he led a failed coup to overthrow the German government. For over a year he sat in jail, where he wrote much of his first volume of Mein Kampf (My Struggle), in which he called for the extermination of Jews, the subjugation of the Slavic people, revenge on France, and above all, the furtherance of the Aryan race. Few took it seriously. One of Hitler’s greatest inspirations was Friedrich Nietzsche, the German philosopher who proclaimed “God is dead.”

Hitler’s golden moment came when the German economy fell apart. The hyper-inflation was so bad that workers had to fill wheel barrows with cash just to purchase one loaf of bread. Capitalizing on the economic turmoil and the resented Versailles treaty, Hitler used skillful propaganda and brute intimidation, to come to power in Germany. His power was further cemented when the Reichstag passed “The Enabling Act.”

Brief Overview of WWII

Hitler’s first priority was rebuilding Germany’s army. In 1938 and 1939, Adolf Hitler skillfully used propaganda, subterfuge, and outright force when necessary to carve up Austria and Czechoslovakia.

World War II officially began September 1, 1939 with the Nazi blitzkrieg into Poland. On August 25, Hitler had signed a non-aggression pact and a secret accord with Stalin, assuring that initially Germany would only have to fight on one front, not two, as had been the case in World War I. When Hitler refused to withdraw from Poland, Great Britain and France declared war on Germany.

Journalists called the next six months the “Phony War” or Sietzkreg (Sitting War). In April 1940, Hitler invaded Denmark and Norway. In May, Hitler’s war machine smashed through the dense Argonne forest, rolling back the French and British lines. Only a miracle at Dunkirk saved them from complete annihilation. 

With France out of the war, Britain, though isolated, hung on. The “Battle of Britain” occurred in the skies as Luftwaffe and RAF pilots fought each other and Luftwaffe planes bombed Great Britain.

On June 22, 1941 over 3 million German troops attacked Russia. Later that year, on December 7, Japanese planes attacked the US fleet at Hawaii, bringing President Roosevelt and the United States into the war.

1942 saw the tide turn in the Allies favor. Three significant battles, Midway, Stalingrad, and El Alamein, shifted the momentum to the Allied side. 

In 1943 came the invasion of Sicily, and in June of 1944 the D-Day invasion of Normandy. Finally, on May 8, 1945 the war in Europe ended. 

In the Providence of God, the Allies won.

Four Lessons

Imagine, for a moment, what it would have felt like to live through such times. What can we learn from those who did? Here are four lessons.

1. The Link Between Gratitude and Duty

Ronald Reagan once said, “Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children’s children what it was once like in the United States where men were free.”

From February 19 to March 26, 1945, American Marines fought to secure the island of Iwo Jima, a critical airbase the United States needed in order to effectively strike Japan. As a flamethrower, Hershel “Woody” Williams was sent to quell the devastating machine gun fire coming from the Japanese pillboxes. Covered by only four riflemen, Williams wiped out seven pillboxes, an action that saved countless American lives.

Reflecting on the Congressional Medal of Honor he received, Williams said, “This medal doesn’t belong to me. It belongs to them, because they gave their lives for me. I was just doing a job that I was trained to do.” He is one of only two WWII Medal of Honor recipients still living. 

Sadly, unlike Williams, many never came back. Others brought home disfigured bodies. Still more were forever haunted with the trauma and shock of battlefield memories, reliving them one thousand times over.

 To those who sacrificed at home, and on the field, we owe a debt of gratitude. The question remains: What have we done with the freedom they fought to preserve? What will we do?

2. The Value of Hardship and Sacrifice

What was it really like to live through the twin distresses of the Great Depression and WWII?

The terrors and hardships of war are hard to fathom. When American GIs thought the war was almost over, 410,000 German troops pushed through the lines just before Christmas on December 16.

The “Easy Company” of the 506th Regiment in the 101st Airborne was rushed to help defend the critical juncture of Bastogne. Historian Stephen Ambrose describes the scene at Bastogne in this way, “In the foxholes and on the outposts, men wrapped their bodies in blankets and their boots in burlap. The burlap soaked up the snow, boots became soggy, socks got wet, the cold penetrated right into the bones. Shivering was as normal as breathing. The men looked like George Washington’s army at Valley Forge, except that they were getting fired upon, had no huts, and warming fires were out of the question.”

Back home, Americans pinched pennies. Wives worried about their husbands on the battlefield. Parents wondered if their boys would ever come back. My grandparents experienced black outs in America in preparation for enemy air raids which never came.

This hardship forged community bonds. Neighbors helped one another. In this era, divorce was almost unheard of.

The greatest generation has been replaced by the loneliest generation. Have we become apathetic and disconnected?

One generation’s sacrifice opens up new opportunities for the next, but only if that generation is willing to capitalize upon it.

3. The Indisputable Providence of God

“Man disposes, but God proposes.”

Why did a storm convince General Rommel to leave the Western defenses for his wife’s birthday party the day before the D-Day invasion? Why did Hitler sleep in on the morning of the D-Day invasion? Why did the clouds at Midway part at the precise moment when all Japanese planes were grounded on their carriers allowing American planes to cripple the Japanese fleet in a matter of minutes?

Naval Aviation News observes of the critical battle of Midway: “No naval battle of World War II—and few others, if any, in all of naval history—would have so many momentous consequences ascribed to it as this singular engagement. Going into the battle, Japan’s martial fortunes were advancing in every theater of Asia, and the United States and its allies were reeling from one defeat after another. Less than a week later, four Japanese fleet carriers would be twisted ruins on the bottom of the Pacific, and the Imperial High Command would be so stunned that it would keep the results of the battle a secret from the Japanese people for the rest of the war.”

As Benjamin Franklin said in the heated moments of the Constitutional Convention: “I have lived, Sir, a long time and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth — that God governs in the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without his notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without his aid?”

4. The Reality of Generational Cycles 

For better or for worse, future generations have been shaped by the Depression-era generation.

Someone once observed, “From bondage comes spiritual faith. From spiritual faith comes courage. From courage comes liberty. From liberty comes abundance. From abundance comes complacency. From complacency comes apathy. From apathy comes dependency. From dependency comes bondage.” Where are we on this continuum? 

After World War II, America experienced a boom. With depression and war behind them, they were ready to enjoy life. It was the age of “material acquisition.” Can we blame them?

In his book, Thou Shall Prosper, Daniel Lapin comments, “Generations raised with very little in the way of material possession often focus so single-mindedly on providing their children with everything they didn’t have that they neglect to provide their children with some of the things they did have.” Is it possible that this reality occurred, setting the stage for the permissive 60s culture, with rock-n-roll, free love, drugs, and anything-goes?

75 Years Later

JFK once said, “The cost of freedom is always high, but Americans have always paid it.” May we never forget the brave men and women of World War II who were willing to pay this price.

Now, the baton has been passed to us. In gratitude, we must learn from both their success and failures in order to lead better lives for ourselves and future generations.

We must also remember that all history, including World War II is “His Story.” Daniel 2:20-21 says, “Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever: for wisdom and might are his: And he changeth the times and the seasons: he removeth kings, and setteth up kings: he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding.”

This divine perspective will allow us to faithfully perform our duty to God in times of abundance and hardship. Yes, living surrendered lives in a broken world often entails sacrifice. But the eternal impact is worth it.

Question: How should World War II affect our lives today?