Under Construction

Soldiers - World War I and World War II

We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender - Winston Churchill - 4 June 1940

Index

World War I

World War I's background

What makes World War I such a great example?

World War II

World War II's background

What makes World War II such a great example?

World War I's background

World War I was afterwards known as the Great War, meaning its huge size and cost in lives lost, and was largely fought in North East France between Germany and France, with France being allied to Britain, and later on the USA. Because at the time Britain was an Imperial power, soldiers came from all over the Empire to join the fight, and there was an overspill to the Middle East and Africa, and even the Far East. To some extent, war never ended and the conflicts rumbled on into China, WWII, Korea, Vietnam, and elsewhere.

Of course it was more complex than I can recount here, and would appear very different from other perspectives, but for astrological purposes I am contrasting the war to the nation of Britain, as established by the Act of Union of 1800 - the event that defined both Victorian Britain, and Britain in the modern world, as starting from 1st January 1801.

World War I may have been triggered by the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, and subsequent war between Austro-Hungary and Serbia, with Russia then joining in, then Germany, then France, who was a Russian ally, but there were many other threads leading up to it all, not least the familial relationships between Victoria's grandchildren, and Kaizer Bill's dodgy arm. But for most Britons, the war started with the declaration of war at midnight at the end of 4th August 1914, following Germany's invasion of Belgium, and the war ended when the guns fell silent at 11am on 11th November 1918.

What makes World War I such a great example?

Start of World War I

Britain declared war on Germany at midnight at the end of 4 August 1914, following the German invasion of neutral Belgium, honouring its treaty obligations to defend Belgian neutrality.

The transits at the time of World War I's start for Britain were

Transiting Earth trine Britain's Venus

Transiting Sun square Britain's Mars

Transiting Jupiter sextile Britain's Mercury

Transiting Jupiter conjunct Britain's Venus

Transiting Jupiter square Britain's Neptune

Transiting Chiron trine Britain's Moon

Transiting Chiron square Britain's Mercury

Transiting Chiron trine Britain's Neptune

Transiting Pluto square Britain's Uranus

Transiting Pluto trine Britain's Pluto

The chart shown is Britain's chart for the Act of Union, together with transits for the start of World War I around the outside. Aspect lines [traditional] are between the transits and the union chart.

End of World War I

The fighting on the Western Front ended with the Armistice, which came into effect at 11am on 11 November 1918, and the Treaty of Versailles the following year formally ended the war and imposed the peace terms on Germany.

The transits at the time of World War I's end for Britain were

Transiting Earth square Britain's Earth

Transiting Sun trine Britain's Moon

Transiting Sun square Britain's Venus

Transiting Sun conjunct Britain's Neptune

Transiting Moon conjunct Britain's Venus

Transiting Mercury trine Britain's Jupiter

Transiting Mercury sextile Britain's Uranus

Transiting Mercury conjunct Britain's Chiron

Transiting Venus square Britain's Venus

Transiting Mars square Britain's Uranus

Transiting Mars sextile Britain's Pluto

Transiting Jupiter trine Britain's Neptune

Transiting Uranus opposite Britain's Saturn

Transiting Pluto square Britain's Earth

The chart shown is Britain's chart for the Act of Union, together with transits for the end of World War I around the outside. Aspect lines [traditional] are between the transits and the union chart.

World War II's background

World War II grew directly out of the unresolved grievances and instabilities left by World War I and the Treaty of Versailles, compounded by the Great Depression and the rise of fascism in Germany, Italy and Japan. Britain again fought as part of a wider alliance, and again suffered huge cost in lives and treasure, though this time civilians were targeted directly on a scale never seen before, through the Blitz and other bombing campaigns.

What makes World War II such a great example?

Start of World War II

Britain declared war on Germany on 3 September 1939, two days after the German invasion of Poland, honouring its guarantee to defend Polish independence.

The transits at the time of World War II's start for Britain were

Transiting Earth trine Britain's Pluto

Transiting Sun trine Britain's Sun

Transiting Sun trine Britain's Mars

Transiting Moon sextile Britain's Pluto

Transiting Mercury conjunct Britain's Saturn

Transiting Venus trine Britain's Sun

Transiting Jupiter opposite Britain's Earth

Transiting Saturn square Britain's Jupiter

Transiting Saturn sextile Britain's Pluto

Transiting Chiron conjunct Britain's Moon

Transiting Chiron trine Britain's Neptune

Transiting Uranus square Britain's Saturn

Transiting Pluto conjunct Britain's Jupiter

Transiting Pluto sextile Britain's Uranus

Transiting Pluto trine Britain's Chiron

The chart shown is Britain's chart for the Act of Union, together with transits for the start of World War II around the outside. Aspect lines [traditional] are between the transits and the union chart.

End of World War II

The war in Europe ended with Germany's unconditional surrender on 8 May 1945 [VE Day], though for Britain the war did not fully end until Japan's surrender on 15 August 1945 [VJ Day] following the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

The transits at the time of World War II's end for Britain were

Transiting Sun sextile Britain's Moon

Transiting Sun square Britain's Venus

Transiting Sun opposite Britain's Neptune

Transiting Moon opposite Britain's Earth

Transiting Moon trine Britain's Chiron

Transiting Mercury trine Britain's Saturn

Transiting Venus trine Britain's Mercury

Transiting Venus sextile Britain's Venus

Transiting Mars trine Britain's Chiron

Transiting Jupiter sextile Britain's Moon

Transiting Jupiter square Britain's Mercury

Transiting Jupiter sextile Britain's Neptune

Transiting Saturn square Britain's Earth

Transiting Neptune sextile Britain's Chiron

Transiting Pluto sextile Britain's Earth

The chart shown is Britain's chart for the Act of Union, together with transits for the end of World War II around the outside. Aspect lines [traditional] are between the transits and the union chart.