events

World War II: The discovery of mass graves of Polish prisoners of war killed by Soviet forces in the Katyń Forest Massacre is announced, causing a diplomatic rift between the Polish government-in-exile in London and the Soviet Union, which denies responsibility.

Historical image related to World War II: The discovery of mass graves of Polish prisoners of war killed by Soviet forces in the Katyń Forest Massacre is announced, causing a diplomatic rift between the Polish government-in-exile in London and the Soviet Union, which denies responsibility. from April 13, 1943

World War II

1939–1945 global conflict

World War II or the Second World War was a global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies and the Axis powers. Nearly all of the world's countries participated, with many nations mobilising all resources in pursuit of total war. Tanks and aircraft played major roles,…
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Mass grave

Grave containing multiple number of human corpses

A mass grave is a grave containing multiple human corpses, which may or may not be identified prior to burial. The United Nations has defined a criminal mass grave as a burial site containing three or more victims of execution, although an exact definition is not unanimously…
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Prisoner of war

Military term for a captive of the enemy

A prisoner of war (POW) is a person held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610.
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Mass killing

Proposed concept for incidents of non-combat killing by a government or state

Mass killing is a concept which has been proposed by genocide scholars who wish to define incidents of non-combat killing which are perpetrated by a government or a state. A mass killing is commonly defined as the killing of group members without the intention to eliminate the…
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Katyn massacre

Soviet massacre of Polish military officers and intelligentsia in 1940

The Katyn massacre was a series of mass executions carried out by the Soviet Union between April and May 1940 in Poland. Nearly 22,000 Polish military and police officers, border guards, and intelligentsia prisoners of war were executed by the NKVD, at Joseph Stalin's orders.…
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Polish government-in-exile

Government of Poland in exile (London, 1940–1990)

The Polish government-in-exile, officially known as the Government of the Republic of Poland in exile, was the government in exile of Poland formed in the aftermath of the Invasion of Poland of September 1939, and the subsequent occupation of Poland by Germany, the Soviet Union,…
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Soviet Union

Country in Eurasia (1922–1991)

The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until it dissolved in 1991. During its existence, it was the largest country by area, extending across eleven time zones and…
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