Germany’s invasion of Poland on September 1 began World War II in Europe
On this day in 1939, Nazi Germany invaded Poland, beginning a conflict that would develop into the deadliest war in history.
Key Points
- Germany invaded Poland on September 1, 1939
- Britain and France declared war two days later
- The Soviet Union invaded Poland from the east
On this day in 1939, Nazi Germany invaded Poland, beginning a conflict that would develop into the deadliest war in history.
German forces attacked Poland from several directions on September 1, 1939, using concentrated air power, tanks and ground forces. One of the best-known opening attacks came when the German battleship Schleswig-Holstein fired on the Polish garrison at Westerplatte near the Free City of Danzig, now Gdańsk.
The invasion came just days after Germany and the Soviet Union signed the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact on August 23. Publicly, the two powers agreed not to attack each other. A secret protocol, however, divided parts of Eastern Europe into German and Soviet spheres of influence and provided for the partition of Poland.
Britain and France, which had pledged to protect Poland, declared war on Germany on September 3, turning the invasion into a wider European war.
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Poland's situation became even more difficult on September 17, when the Soviet Union invaded from the east. Poland was now fighting attacks from two directions. Warsaw surrendered on September 28, and the final organised Polish military resistance ended on October 6.
Germany and the Soviet Union subsequently divided occupied Polish territory between them. The invasion began nearly six years of war in Europe and a brutal occupation of Poland in which millions of Polish citizens, including about three million Polish Jews, were ultimately killed.
This story is written and edited by the Global South World team, you can contact us here.
