The Swing Shift Shuffle is a radio program of swing, big band, jazz, boogie woogie and other popular music from the 1930's and 40's that airs every Wednesday from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. (US Central Time) on WEVL 89.9 FM in Memphis, Tennessee, with a live webcast at wevl.org. In addition to the radio show, this blog is dedicated to all aspects of the Swing Era, including art, automobiles, cartoons, comics, history, movies, music, news, science, technology, and anything else that happened during that time. It also includes announcements about events in the Memphis/Mid-South area related to the Swing Era, such as classic movies, concerts, dances, lectures, etc. If you see something that fits the description, send it to me at tim@wevl.org. If you would like more information about the radio show, just go to the Radio Show FAQ page.

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

70 Years Ago Today: World War II Began

On September 1, 1939, a German battleship opened fire on a Polish fort near Gdansk, while the Wehrmacht invaded Poland by land from the east, west and south. Within two days, the United Kingdom and France declared war on Germany, and World War II had begun. Although the U.S. did not officially enter the war until December 1941, it openly assisted the Allied effort in Europe through Lend-Lease, and covertly fought the Japanese through the American Volunteer Group (the "Flying Tigers") in China. Boing Boing noted that, to commemorate the date, Life magazine has posted a collection of WWII propaganda posters from several countries, including Germany, the Netherlands, Poland, the U.K., the U.S.S.R, and the U.S. Included in the collection is our favorite woman war worker, Rosie the Riveter. WARNING: A few of the images are a little graphic.

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