Talk:World War II

The lead is too long - here are my suggested edits

While MOS:LEADLENGTH is not prescriptive, it recommends that leads not be so long that readers are intimidated by them or lose interest. The current lead is almost a full A4 page, which I'd suggest is excessive, though probably not dramatically so. I'd suggest the following lightly revised version to get the length down a bit. In doing so, I've looked for easy wins, especially by removing unneeded details such as who declared war when when this is obvious from the other text. I'd be grateful for views and further edits - there's a case for more dramatic editing to get this to the general norm of 3-4 shortish paras. Perhaps the most controversial element of the below is omitting a mention of Hitler's suicide: my rationale here is that both Ian Keershaw (author of the standard biography of Hitler), Richard E. Evans and some other historians state that Hitler's suicide was inconsequential by the time it occurred given that Germany had been totally destroyed so it doesn't seem significant enough to mention; we (rightly) don't mention the killing of Mussolini or FDR's death either. Nick-D (talk) 10:20, 15 January 2025 (UTC)

World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies and the Axis powers. Nearly all the world's countries —including all the great powers—participated, with many investing all available economic, industrial, and scientific capabilities in pursuit of total war, blurring the distinction between military and civilian resources. Tanks and aircraft played major roles, with the latter enabling the strategic bombing of population centres and delivery of the only two nuclear weapons ever used in war. World War II was the deadliest conflict in history, resulting in 70 to 85 million deaths, more than half being civilians. Millions died in genocides, including the Holocaust of European Jews, as well as from massacres, starvation, and disease. Following the Allied powers' victory, Germany, Austria, Japan, and Korea were occupied, and war crimes tribunals were conducted against German and Japanese leaders.

The causes of World War II included unresolved tensions in the aftermath of World War I and the rise of fascism in Europe and militarism in Japan. Key events leading up to the war included Japan's invasion of Manchuria, the Spanish Civil War, the outbreak of the Second Sino-Japanese War, and Germany's annexations of Austria and the Sudetenland. World War II is generally considered to have begun on 1 September 1939, when Nazi Germany, under Adolf Hitler, invaded Poland, prompting the United Kingdom and France to declare war on Germany. Poland was divided between Germany and the Soviet Union under the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact, in which they had agreed on "spheres of influence" in Eastern Europe. In 1940, the Soviets annexed the Baltic states and parts of Finland and Romania. After the fall of France in June 1940, the war continued mainly between Germany and the British Empire, with fighting in the Balkans, Mediterranean, and Middle East, the aerial Battle of Britain and the Blitz, and naval Battle of the Atlantic. Through a series of campaigns and treaties, Germany took control of much of continental Europe and formed the Axis alliance with Italy, Japan, and other countries. In June 1941, Germany led the European Axis in an invasion of the Soviet Union, opening the Eastern Front and initially making large territorial gains.

Japan aimed to dominate East Asia and the Asia-Pacific, and by 1937 was at war with the Republic of China. In December 1941, Japan attacked American and British territories in Southeast Asia and the Central Pacific, including Pearl Harbor in Hawaii, which resulted in the US and the UK declaring war against Japan, and The European Axis also declared war on the US. Japan conquered much of coastal China and Southeast Asia, but its advances in the Pacific were halted in mid-1942 after its defeat in the naval Battle of Midway. In late 1942, Germany and Italy were defeated in North Africa and at Stalingrad in the Soviet Union. Events in 1943—including German defeats on the Eastern Front, the Allied invasion of Italy, and Allied offensives in the Pacific—forced the Axis into retreat on all fronts. In 1944, the Western Allies invaded occupied France at Normandy and the Soviet Union recaptured its lost territory. In the Pacific, the Allies crippled Japan's navy and captured key islands.

The war in Europe concluded with the liberation of German-occupied territories; the invasion of Germany by the Western Allies and the Soviet Union, culminating in the fall of Berlin to Soviet troops; Hitler's suicide; and the German unconditional surrender on 8 May 1945. Following the refusal of Japan to surrender on the terms of the Potsdam Declaration, the US dropped the first atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki on 6 and 9 August. Faced with an imminent invasion of the Japanese archipelago, the possibility of further atomic bombings, and the Soviet declaration of war against Japan and its invasion of Manchuria, Japan announced its unconditional surrender on 15 August and signed a surrender document on 2 September 1945, marking the end of the war.

World War II changed the political alignment and social structure of the world, and it set the foundation of international relations for the rest of the 20th century and into the 21st century. The United Nations was established to foster international cooperation and prevent conflicts, with the victorious great powers—China, France, the Soviet Union, the UK, and the US—becoming the permanent members of its security council. The Soviet Union and the United States emerged as rival superpowers, setting the stage for the Cold War. In the wake of European devastation, the influence of its great powers waned, triggering the decolonisation of Africa and Asia. Most countries whose industries had been damaged moved towards economic recovery and expansion.

Nick-D (talk) 10:16, 15 January 2025 (UTC)

Further suggested cuts:

World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies and the Axis powers. Nearly all the world's countries —including all the great powers—participated, with many investing all available economic, industrial, and scientific capabilities in pursuit of total war, blurring the distinction between military and civilian resources. Tanks and aircraft played major roles, with the latter enabling the strategic bombing of population centres and delivery of the only two nuclear weapons ever used in war. World War II was the deadliest conflict in history, resulting in 70 to 85 million deaths, more than half being civilians. Millions died in genocides, including the Holocaust of European Jews, as well as and from massacres, starvation, and disease. Following the Allied powers' victory, Germany, Austria, Japan, and Korea were occupied, and war crimes tribunals were conducted against German and Japanese leaders.

The causes of World War II included unresolved tensions in the aftermath of World War I and the rise of fascism in Europe and militarism in Japan. Key events leading up to the war included Japan's invasion of Manchuria, the Spanish Civil War, the outbreak of the Second Sino-Japanese War, and Germany's annexations of Austria and the Sudetenland. World War II is generally considered to have begun on 1 September 1939, when Nazi Germany, under Adolf Hitler, invaded Poland, prompting the United Kingdom and France to declare war on Germany. Poland was divided between Germany and the Soviet Union under the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact, in which they had agreed on "spheres of influence" in Eastern Europe. In 1940, the Soviets annexed the Baltic states and parts of Finland and Romania. After the fall of France in June 1940, the war continued mainly between Germany and the British Empire, with fighting in the Balkans, Mediterranean, and Middle East, the aerial Battle of Britain and the Blitz, and naval Battle of the Atlantic. Through a series of campaigns and treaties, Germany took control of much of continental Europe and formed the Axis alliance with Italy, Japan, and other countries. In June 1941, Germany led the European Axis in an invasion of the Soviet Union, opening the Eastern Front and initially making large territorial gains.

Japan aimed to dominate East Asia and the Asia-Pacific, and by 1937 was at war with the Republic of China. In December 1941, Japan attacked American and British territories in Southeast Asia and the Central Pacific, including Pearl Harbor in Hawaii, which resulted in the US and the UK declaring war against Japan, and . The European Axis also declared war on the US. Japan conquered much of coastal China and Southeast Asia, but its advances in the Pacific were halted in mid-1942 after its defeat in the naval Battle of Midway. In late 1942, Germany and Italy were defeated in North Africa and at Stalingrad in the Soviet Union. Events in 1943—including German defeats on the Eastern Front, the Allied invasion of Italy, and Allied offensives in the Pacific—forced the Axis into retreat on all fronts. In 1944, the Western Allies invaded occupied France at Normandy and the Soviet Union recaptured its lost territory. In the Pacific, the Allies crippled Japan's navy and captured key islands.

The war in Europe concluded with the liberation of German-occupied territories; the Allied invasion of Germany by the Western Allies and the Soviet Union, culminating in the fall of Berlin to Soviet troops; Hitler's suicide; and the German unconditional surrender on 8 May 1945. Following the refusal of Japan to surrender on the terms of the Potsdam Declaration, the US dropped the first atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki on 6 and 9 August. Faced with an imminent invasion of the Japanese archipelago, the possibility of further atomic bombings, and. The Soviet declared war against Japan and its invaded Manchuria.Japan announced its unconditional surrender on 15 August and signed a surrender document on 2 September 1945, marking the end of the war.

World War II changed the political alignment and social structure of the world, and it set the foundation of international relations for the rest of the 20th century and into the 21st century. The United Nations was established to foster international cooperation and prevent conflicts, with the victorious great powers—China, France, the Soviet Union, the UK, and the US becoming the permanent members of its security council. The Soviet Union and the United States emerged as rival superpowers, setting the stage for the Cold War. In the wake of European devastation, the influence of its great powers waned, triggering the decolonisation of Africa and Asia. Most countries whose industries had been damaged moved towards economic recovery and expansion."

Aemilius Adolphin (talk) 22:12, 16 January 2025 (UTC)

with many investing all available economic, industrial, and scientific capabilities in pursuit of total war — this seems a bit weak.--Jack Upland (talk) 02:04, 17 January 2025 (UTC)

I support the proposed changes of Aemilius Adolphin, with the exception of the mention of the major roles played by tanks, aircraft, and strategic bombing, which I think are significant enough to mention. The mention of nuclear weapons can be saved for later in the lead. I also think that these cuts would enable a removal of the line break between the third and fourth paragraphs. — Goszei (talk) 18:38, 21 January 2025 (UTC)

I'd agree with keeping the mention of tanks/aircraft/strategic bombing, and also think we should keep "Japan aimed to dominate East Asia and the Pacific and the the details of Japan's surrender. I think Faced with an imminent invasion of Japan, the prospect of further atomic bombings, and the Soviet invasion of Manchuria, Japan announced its unconditional surrender on 15 August and signed a surrender document on 2 September 1945 works best, it's a bit shorter but also keeps detail about the end of the war. DecafPotato (talk) 22:47, 3 February 2025 (UTC)

Incorporation of the word "their" in the first paragraph

So, in the last sentence of the first paragraph "and German and Japanese leaders were tried for war crimes", Should I add their or not? HistorianofWorldHistory (talk) 11:57, 23 January 2025 (UTC)

No. That would imply that their guilt was known before they were tried. HiLo48 (talk) 16:28, 23 January 2025 (UTC)

Discussion at Talk:Pacific War § Proposed lead improvements

 You are invited to join the discussion at Talk:Pacific War § Proposed lead improvements. — Goszei (talk) 23:10, 23 January 2025 (UTC)

intro much too long

@Goszei:, thanks for looking into the change of the introduction to ww2. can we please further shorten it, so it fits on a smaller screen, like maximum 2-3 paragraphs? if we are not able to do that we most likly are not able to distill any valuable information out of the article. currently most of the affected countries are in, and others not, but there is no logic behind it. that russia took baltic states and finalnd is there, croatia and greece is not there. all this little details and time order have without doubt a better home in the other article sections. --ThurnerRupert (talk) 21:56, 24 January 2025 (UTC)

Given the topic, the length of the lead is fine. Remsense ‥ 论 22:14, 24 January 2025 (UTC)

since when the summary length is depending on the topic? i am aware that web is unrestricted lenght ... but that makes it not easier to penetrate. why the intro should list that russia conquered baltic? then you d need to list 25 countries or so to be fair. then "unresolved tensions in the aftermath of" as cause, completely abstract and unpenetrable. then, "key events preceding" like mandschuria ...? arbitrary list of nonsense, or no relation without context. for the end as well, all details are there, again inpenetrable. that is low quality text. the topic is very important and really deserves better quality, at lest in the introduction. --21:36, 25 January 2025 (UTC) ThurnerRupert (talk) 21:36, 25 January 2025 (UTC)

It's quite literally the first sentence of Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Lead section § Length. Apologies, but your particular issues with the elements chosen for the lead seem to be your own, as they pretty clearly correlate to prominence in the article body to me. Remsense ‥ 论 22:00, 25 January 2025 (UTC)

Why is the Soviet Union at the top of the Allied roster in the infobox?

England was fighting the war from start to finish as the virtual Allied leader. Stalin was basically an Axis co-belligerent from 1939 to 1941, even then didn't fight against Hitler until 1941. In the Italian language wiki, the British are at the top.

It makes more sense to do three different factions in the infobox, with the Soviet Union being the third faction. Yourlocallordandsavior (talk) 07:10, 3 February 2025 (UTC)

Please see the many discussions of this topic previously: the current infobox reflects the outcomes of those discussions. Nick-D (talk) 10:22, 3 February 2025 (UTC)

Usage of "Fascist Italy" in infoboxes

Hi. The Kingdom of Italy should be restored in Template:Infobox military conflict. For example, the National Legionary State and the Kingdom of Romania under Fascism were both sub-articles for the Kingdom of Romania, but when we use it on infobox battles where Romania is involved (For example, see Operation Barbarossa, or Eastern Front), we use the Kingdom of Romania as the link and not the Kingdom of Romania under Fascism in that period. But in the case of infobox battles involving Italy, we used Fascist Italy instead of the Kingdom of Italy which is quite absurd. So in my proposition, the link of the Kingdom of Italy should be the one to be used when we are redirecting a link to it in infoboxes and not Fascist Italy, and this should be done even in the interwar period (from 1922, which the Fascist regime took control) until 1945, the end of the war (which sometimes referred the Kingdom of Italy during the Italian Campaign as the Kingdom of the South). Thanks. Jheeeeeeteegh (talk) 08:38, 3 February 2025 (UTC)

Why are "Background", "Pre-war events", and "Course of the war" all the same section?

See title. I feel like putting them all under "History" instead of making them all top-level sections makes the table of contents a lot more awkward and forces us to use a lot of low-level headers. It's not like doing so would give us too many top-level section headers; it would only increase the current 3 to 5. DecafPotato (talk) 22:50, 3 February 2025 (UTC)

I agree with your change. It's funny that I hadn't noticed the odd structure before. Aemilius Adolphin (talk) 08:46, 4 February 2025 (UTC)

I also agree that this is a good change. Nick-D (talk) 09:43, 4 February 2025 (UTC)

Social and Cultural Impact

War has had a significant impact on society and culture, including the role of women in the workforce, the effect on civilians, and the rise of propaganda. These aspects are only briefly mentioned, but could be expanded into a dedicated section. It is suggested that a new chapter entitled “Social and cultural impact” be added to explore these themes. SelimKarissa (talk) 02:14, 18 February 2025 (UTC)

The impact of World War II is currently covered in the article on the Aftermath of World War II. Dimadick (talk) 07:46, 18 February 2025 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 26 February 2025

Please can I edit this page? TecinLendoPlay (talk) 17:12, 26 February 2025 (UTC)

not an edit request. Slatersteven (talk) 17:19, 26 February 2025 (UTC)

I request more commanders added to the list

Others don't need to add that much. I want to add:

18 Russian
16 American
15 British
 7 Chinese
16 German
15 Japanese
11 Italian Ze anish (talk) 21:47, 11 March 2025 (UTC)

Don't be silly. Please also see the many previous discussions of the infobox: the current content reflects their outcomes. Nick-D (talk) 09:10, 12 March 2025 (UTC)

We have too many already. Slatersteven (talk) 11:30, 12 March 2025 (UTC)

Wait really? Ze anish (talk) 19:20, 12 March 2025 (UTC)

Per Nick-D. Cinderella157 (talk) 01:20, 13 March 2025 (UTC)

Polish border crossing picture

The picture description in the article is rather incorrect and should be adjusted to what was previously written here. The border crossing is being torn down by German Army soldiers and next to them are a couple of Danzig Schutzpolizei functionaries, those are the ones wearing the soft uniform covers.

Here are links to Getty Images and Alamy that contain the full description of the picture: https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/on-the-morning-of-1-september-1939-the-first-day-of-world-news-photo/548155991 and https://www.alamy.com/stock-photo-german-soldiers-at-the-polish-border-1939-36999948.html. Also, the reference sources provided in the Wiki Commons description do make reference to both German soldiers and Danzig police being present.

Please adjust the description to correctly reflect the picture. 84.40.152.41 (talk) 19:21, 17 March 2025 (UTC)

Per [1], found in the image's Commons documentation, I've corrected the caption to state that it was a reenactment photographed for propaganda purposes. This is the sort of image caption that might need a citation... Ed ^{[talk] [OMT]} 19:42, 17 March 2025 (UTC)

Ed, the updated description still does not make mention of the German Army here. The two reference sources cited in the Wikipedia Commons image's documentation say: "...dokumentować sukcesy żołnierzy Wehrmachtu w dniu rozpoczęcia II wojny światowej. "[2] and "Zdjęcie przedstawiające łamanie polskiego szlabanu granicznego przez niemieckich żołnierzy".[3] So, the Wiki Commons description should also be corrected because it does not reflect what the cited reference sources say. The sources say that this is a propaganda photograph depicting German soldiers tearing down the border crossing. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 84.40.152.41 (talk) 20:38, 17 March 2025 (UTC)

Btw, I noticed that the English description of the picture in Wiki Commons reads: "Free City of Danzig police and custom officials reenact the removal of the Polish border crossing in Sopot on September 1, 1939.", while the Romanian version states: "Soldaţi germani distrugând punctul polonez de trecere a frontierei de la Sopot, în septembrie 1939." One says Danzig Police and the other German soldiers. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 84.40.152.41 (talk) 20:44, 17 March 2025 (UTC)

The picture description should say: "A propaganda photo showing members of the German Army and Danzig Schutzpolizei reenacting the removal of the Polish border crossing in Sopot". — Preceding unsigned comment added by 84.40.152.41 (talk) 20:53, 17 March 2025 (UTC)

Danzig did not invade Poland

Lova Falk and Ed can we get past the non-sense please? The photograph depicts German army soldiers and Danzig police functionaries (propaganda photo or not). This kind of editing that leave out the obvious, just makes Wikipedia look not very credible and open to criticism of inaccuracy, all you have to do is pull up YouTube videos on WWII or watch the History Channel to learn that Nazi Germany invaded Poland, stated in plain language. But, in the WWII Wikipedia article, which is mired in confusing details, the focus of a picture description is the Danzig police. I'm not really sure if this is being done on purpose or just a case of bad editing, but observing the editing style of this article, I'm especially critical of Ed's approach in this case because Ed highlights in his Wikipedia profile that his role in the Wikimedia Foundation is that of a Communications Specialist, so he should know better than to get side tracked on some secondary detail. Lucky for folks wanting to learn about WWII there are other sources than this Wikipedia article, which is bogged down in excruciating detail that fail to see the forest for the trees. --84.40.152.41 (talk) 08:16, 18 March 2025 (UTC)

84.40.152.41 I don't know why you coming at me this way. This picture with this caption has been in this article for a long time, and when Ed made a radical change to the caption without discussing it first on the Talk page, I reverted his edit. This is common WP editing. Now I am all open for a calm discussion about the correctness of the caption or other content in this page. So please, tell me which sentences or paragraph you would like to change and which sources you have to support those changes. Lova Falk (talk) 08:38, 18 March 2025 (UTC)

There seems to be a simple misunderstanding here. There is a discussion about this photo above. The commons documentation identifies the photo as depicting a reenactment by German soldiers and members of the Danzig police. I would suggest that we simply change the caption to: "German soldiers and members of the Danzig police reenact...etc." Aemilius Adolphin (talk) 09:05, 18 March 2025 (UTC)

You are quite right, I don't know how I missed this! Now I have edited to propaganda, with this source: https://germanhistorydocs.org/en/nazi-germany-1933-1945/ghdi:image-2001 Lova Falk (talk) 09:24, 18 March 2025 (UTC)

Aemilius Adolphin Would you please scrutinise the results of my edits and change where you think they needed to be changed. I got a bit upset being accused of non-sense and wanting to do everything right, and instead, made mistakes. I will leave this page for now. Lova Falk (talk) 09:31, 18 March 2025 (UTC)

Aemilius Adolphin and Lova Falk, one source which was used to back up the claim that this was just the Danzig police [4] shows the photo and cities Foto: fot. Wikipedia/domena publiczna. we are going in a citation loop. Can we use less speculative sources for this photo. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 84.40.152.41 (talk) 09:48, 18 March 2025 (UTC)

I have made the change. The Polish source states that it was just the Danzig police dressed as soldiers. But isn't it enough to simply state that it is a German proaganda reenactment? Aemilius Adolphin (talk) 09:54, 18 March 2025 (UTC)

Aemilius Adolphin, but pls remove the citation currently in the image thumb caption, this is SYNTH. The picture in Wiki Commons is not from that source and that source is speculative in nature. Also, pls add these hyperlinks to make it easier to understand the context: "A German propaganda photograph reenacting the removal of the Polish border crossing at Sopot.

There is no issue of synthesis here. It is a caption of a photo with a reliable source for that caption.--Aemilius Adolphin (talk) 23:15, 18 March 2025 (UTC)

Don't bring my job into this. It is very separate, and much newer, from this Wikipedia account. Ed ^{[talk] [OMT]} 14:23, 18 March 2025 (UTC)

Caption to Danzig Police at Polish Border photo

So, I decided to investigate this question, is this an authentic photo or not? When opening the photo from this page, it says: Soldiers of the Danzig Schutzpolizei tearing down the border crossing into Poland, 1 September 1939. However, in Wikimedia, in the Description, it says: Attention, the photo does not show the real situation of September 1, 1939. It is a staging of September 14, 1939 for the purposes of German propaganda and it gives two sources, one of them a blog, but the other one from the Polish radio: https://www.polskieradio.pl/10/512/artykul/715295,historyczna-fotografia-bylo-pozowana-ustawka. Also this source says that it is staged: https://germanhistorydocs.org/en/nazi-germany-1933-1945/german-soldiers-dismantle-a-polish-border-barrier-september-1-1939. So I will revert my undoing of Ed's edits, and include the sources. Lova Falk (talk) 09:05, 18 March 2025 (UTC)
PS I have also changed the caption for the photo in Wikimedia. Lova Falk (talk) 09:16, 18 March 2025 (UTC)

Lova Falk, I would recommend adjusting the description to "A Nazi propaganda photograph showing German troops and Danzig functionaries tearing down the border crossing into Poland".

I had a chance to look over the history and the original description said: "Soldiers of the German Wehrmacht tearing down the border crossing into Poland, 1 September 1939". This description which was around for years got changed on 30 September 2024 by EUPBR. Other copies of this photograph on Wiki Commons from German Federal Archive[5] says German soldiers and this photo from the Imperial War Museums[6] say German troops. There is some speculation if these were German SS troops instead of German soldiers and instead of Danzig police its was Danzig customs guards. But, this is speculation official propaganda text said German soldiers and archived images also say this. In this case we don't want to start personal reaserch through synthesis. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 84.40.152.41 (talk) 09:38, 18 March 2025 (UTC)

I have changed the text to simply state that it is a German reenactment for propaganda purposes. Aemilius Adolphin (talk) 10:05, 18 March 2025 (UTC)

Seems fair. Slatersteven (talk) 10:12, 18 March 2025 (UTC)

My mastery of the Polish language gained through Google translate tells me that the photograph was staged on 4 September and widely used in German newspapers. So I think the photo has value as an illustration of the very early German propaganda war over Poland. Aemilius Adolphin (talk) 10:20, 18 March 2025 (UTC)

Lova Falk, I assume you missed my comment above where I linked to the same Polish radio source I used when updating the caption, but thank you for further updating it. :-) Ed ^{[talk] [OMT]} 14:23, 18 March 2025 (UTC)

Yes I did, my bad! Lova Falk (talk) 14:39, 18 March 2025 (UTC)

• I removed the photo with the edit summary: Do we really need a staged propaganda photo? How does this improve the readers understanding per MOS:IMAGERELEVANCE? I also removed it as the simplest solution to this kafuffle. If we need an image here (there are already enough), there must be images that are accurate (not staged) and relevant to the invasion of Poland. Aemilius Adolphin reinstated the image with the summary: It shows that the Germans were engaged in a propaganda war. Please discuss on Talk. Per IMAGERELEVANCE: Images must be significant and relevant in the topic's context, not primarily decorative. Each image in an article should have a clear and unique illustrative purpose and serve as an important illustrative aid to understanding. Using the photo might satisfy MOS:IMAGERELEVANCE if it were placed in a section on propaganda but this is about the invasion of Poland. Nowhere is propaganda mentioned in the section. Nowhere in the section is Danzig or Sopot mentioned. There is no clear link between Danzig and Sopot. There is zero IMAGERELEVANCE as the article stands. Cinderella157 (talk) 02:39, 19 March 2025 (UTC)

  The kerfuffle seems to have been settled by simply changing the caption and adding a reliable source. That said, if there is a consensus for removing it altogether or replacing it with a real image of Germany invading Poland I wouldn't care one way or the other. I just think there should be some discussion and consensus before an established image is removed. Aemilius Adolphin (talk) 04:28, 19 March 2025 (UTC)

This is actually an infamous photograph that was widely shown in Germany during the invasion, and as Aemilius Adolphin mentioned the fact that it was propaganda also has value, as it played a key role in the conflict. @Aemilius Adolphin, perhaps it might be a good option to add hyperlink–Propaganda in World War II–to the word "propaganda" in the image caption, also include this hyperlink–Second Polish Republic–to "Polish border crossing" to show that Poland had very different borders during the interwar period. These are just a few helpful pointers for the reader to show a bit of context behind the photograph. Otherwise, I'm fine with the new picture description.

Semi-protected edit request on 17 March 2025

Please, add France and Charles de Gaulle with the great winners of World War II. It’s just a historical fact…

Of course, without USA and UK, we probably wouldn’t be free today. But, our soldiers fought a lot during all the war. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2A02:1210:7691:1300:5DEB:5D30:25B4:1C67 (talk) 22:31, 17 March 2025 (UTC)

I can look into this, but you need to do more first. Please tell me in which sentence, or which paragraph they should be added, and please also provide a source. Lova Falk (talk) 07:02, 18 March 2025 (UTC)