151 The Katyn Forest - One Minute History

Before World War Two, the 3rd Reich and the Soviet Union sign a secret nonaggression pact. The Nazis invade Poland from the west, while the Red Army attacks from the east. Many Poles are captured and sent to concentration camps. Stalin orders the execution of 22,000 Polish citizens, which is later blamed on the Nazis. The Soviet cover-up lasts for decades until Gorbachev admits Soviet responsibility.

What was the purpose of the secret nonaggression pact between the 3rd Reich and the Soviet Union?

• To divide and eliminate the independent Polish state

• To prevent a war between Germany and the Soviet Union

• To establish trade relations between the two countries

• To form a military alliance against the Allies

Which two forces invaded Poland at the onset of World War II?

• The Italian Army and the Japanese Army

• The American Army and the Canadian Army

• The British Army and the French Army

• The Nazi Army and the Red Army

What was the fate of hundreds of thousands of Poles during the invasion?

• They were relocated to neighboring countries

• They were captured and sent to concentration camps

• They were recruited into the invading armies

• They were given asylum in the Soviet Union

Who ordered the execution of 22,000 Polish citizens?

• Adolf Hitler

• Franklin D. Roosevelt

• Winston Churchill

• Joseph Stalin

Who eventually admitted Soviet responsibility for the Katyn Massacre?

• Mikhail Gorbachev

• Nikita Khrushchev

• Leonid Brezhnev

• Vladimir Putin