On this day 85 years ago, on
September 17, 1939, the Soviet Union
invaded Poland, marking its
definitive entry into World War II. Nazi
Germany, planning for war with the
Soviet Union, launched Operation
Barbarossa two years later in 1941,
aiming to crush the Soviet state. The
German forces advanced all the
way to Moscow, but ultimately had
to retreat due to harsh winter
conditions and fierce Soviet
resistance.