[mantas]

Lithuania did sentence some Nazis in 1935 to deter Germany in Klaipėda/Memel. Then managed to hold onto it till spring of 1939. Then refused Hitler offer to join attacking Poland.

In 1941-1944 people tried to stay away from Nazis and keep a fighting chance against Soviets once they’ll be back. For example Lithuanian SS division was never formed as in other occupied territories. While Germans did push for it, locals actively sabotaged it to have more men for coming anti-Soviet resistance.

Now standing up to Soviets.. while 1944-1952 was pretty decent, summer of 1940 was rather sad.

[varjag]

> Then refused Hitler offer to join attacking Poland.

Which is more than what the ostensibly anti-fascist USSR did.

[ekianjo]

> Which is more than what the ostensibly anti-fascist USSR did.

The funniest part is that when the USSR started the invade the other half of Poland right after Germany started, none of the allies declared war on the USSR while they had a protection treaty with Poland in the first place.

[sudosysgen]

I mean, of course. The alternative was that Germany takes all of Poland and gets to be more agressive against the allies. The Soviets taking half of Poland was a massive benefit for the allies.

[mantas]

Katyn or Rainiai or 1941 Deportations was a benefit to Allie’s too I guess :)

[sudosysgen]

The dark truth is that probably, yes, it was a benefit to the Allies.

[mantas]

Half of europe being behind iron curtain is beneficial to allies too. Now West got plenty of cheap workforce... Today's China is great too in a sense :)

Looking at Poland army in exile, I bet if those people shot in Katyn were able to escape, that'd have helped allies more than decomposing bodies helped the local ecosystem.

[ekianjo]

soviets were not part of the allies at the start of the war...

[mantas]

USSR being lord savior from the Nazis is the best marketing campaign ever. And that sells like hot bagels :(

Joint parades in Poland, training German armies in secrecy, Gulag tours to learn about concentration camps, selling strategic resources right up to the day when Nazis do u-turn… meh.

[vasac]

Considering that Easter Front was responsible for 80% of German deaths in WWII looks like marketing is what you're selling.

[mantas]

Considering that Nazis couldn’t run a successful early campaign without resources from USSR…

And it’s not much being a savior if you just install new management and keep the shitty practices