There is much that is known by people who have spent their lives studying some issues that is not known by people who depend upon Conservative blogs for their information. Or TV serials.

I realize that is an unwelcome shock. I’m also sure you can rationalize it.

Take another breath of freedom, friends.

WWII histories:

Romania

Hungary

Bulgaria

Take the Wikipedia articles with the usual grain of salt, but these are probably largely accurate on events.

Until recently (by WWII standards), the US had not been one for global conflicts. WWI had been entered into with a feeling of levity, almost as a lark. Devastating lessons were to be learned in that conflict, and at very personal levels. Entering WWII was mot taken so lightly, with the vast majority of Americans insisting we stay out of it and demanding we simply wait for it all to blow over. Japan changed our collective mind.

And as for “Hogan’s Heroes,” it’s a pity you missed it. Had you ever seen it, you might have taken the comment as the playful jab I had intended. As old sitcoms go, it’s A1, and even a major hit in, of all places, Germany.

Cheers, b.

However, I’m sure it would be a good way to learn a certain level of English for those who were challenged.

Whatever “a certain level” means.

Bulgaria, Hungary and Rumania all list hundreds of thousands of victims to Hitlers furnaces, something the US administration found hard to believe, but has since been shown to be 100% true. The eastern countries needed the the US in the war, and immediately. They were grasping at straws, hoping upon hope to spur FDR to action.

Piles of bone and ash, all neatly packaged for future fertilizer.

Interesting stuff, b, but there was “a lot” more going on out there than can be gleaned from watching every episode of “Hogan’s Heroes.”

“A lot” is a common English phrase which means “quite a bit”, “a substantial amount”, “a significant statement”. Don’t feel bad – it’s one of those things that’s much easier for those with English as their first language. When one is not born into it, English can have some subtleties which are not obvious and sometimes even escape native speakers until well into adolescence.

The why for the declarations could be gleaned from a comedy film put out just a few years after VE Day. “The Mouse that Roared.” A small, dying country declares war upon the dominant nation of the world, hopefully a nation that will adhere to international law, has a single skirmish, and hastily submits to the mightier nation’s obvious victory. Now come recompense for war damages and aid for nation-building.

What would you expect from a monarchy?