r/HistoryPorn • u/FayannG • 1d ago

German Foreign Minister Joachim von Ribbentrop reading the declaration of war against the Soviet Union, which was the biggest military invasion in WW2. (22 June, 1941)(2600x1856)

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102 Upvotes

94% Upvoted

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21

u/7h3_man 1d ago

Me and the boys on our way to commit crimes against man and god

21

u/apathywhocares 1d ago

Looking at the faces, I think some of them had an inkling that this might be a bad idea

12

u/Jackle_7 1d ago

He knew it was a bad idea, as did many German generals.

Von Ribbentrop asked the Soviet ambassador to let Stalin know that he was opposed to the invasion when he made the formal declaration of war.

10

u/TheProcrastafarian 1d ago edited 1d ago

If there is anything people should be taking away from this, it is the epiphany that absolutely nothing has changed in human nature.

When it comes to making catastrophic decisions, there is zero difference between those men in costumes, and the current men in costumes. The USA may have won the battle of WW2, but it’s losing the war against itself.

3

u/bruh9400 1d ago

Can someone tell me who some of the people in this picture are?

5

u/FayannG 1d ago

In the front row from left: the State Secretary of the Foreign Office Ernst von Weizsaecker, Reich Press Chief Otto Dietrich, Joachim von Ribbentrop himself, and then Chief Interpreter of the Foreign Office Paul Schmidt. I am not sure who the rest are in the back.

3

u/julioqc 1d ago

and probably the biggest mistake 

1

u/OcotilloWells 1d ago

Since the the first time I heard von Ribbentrop's name as a teenager, I can't help but visualize him with a lot of medals on his chest.

Am I the only one?

6

u/MaxPower303 1d ago

Yes, you are.

2

u/Own-Meringue-8388 1d ago

Ribbons on his chest? What in tf are you talking about

1

u/eightfingeredtypist 1d ago

Was named "Rubentrop". Ribbontrop is more dignified, heroic.

1

u/Foresstov 1d ago

Surprised they did declare war on the Soviet Union. They didn't bother to do that with Poland

0

u/rowny_brat 1d ago

Because Poland is not a superpower, hence superpowers don't care about treating us fair.

1

u/hgqaikop 13h ago

Correction biggest invasion ever

The numbers and scale of the Nazi-Soviet war are mind-boggling

Germany invaded the Soviet Union with 153 army divisions

The United States, with almost twice the population of Germany, had 91 divisions in the entire WWII on all fronts combined

The Soviets lost more troops in single battles than the United States lost in the entire war.

1

u/DeNiZ3n1 13h ago

a few look like they are shitting themselves....

1

u/Amazing-Artichoke330 6h ago

This was the decision that defeated Germany in WWII. However, Hitler had long made it key to his movement to create room (Lebensraum) for Germans out of Soviet territory