by Andrew Nelson

Summer, 1939. The sun shines on beachgoers in Camogli, an anchovy-shaped fishing port located on the Italian Riveria just down shore from Genoa. Despite the sky, there's a dark cloud looming over the village's white-sand beaches.

On September 1 of that year, Germany's invasion of Poland led Britain and France to retaliate against Hitler's Nazi state, setting off World War II and altering the course of human history. Nine months later, Italy declared war on the Allies and invaded France.

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Source: http://intelligenttravel.nationalgeographic.com/