ΥΠΕΡΑΣΠΙΣΗ ΤΗΣ ΙΣΤΟΡΙΑΣ, ΤΗ ΔΙΚΑΙΟΣΥΝΗΣ ΚΑΙ ΤΗΣ ΛΟΓΙΚΗΣ: 78 Years Ago Nazi Germany Invaded Poland and Started World War II, These Are The Pictures From That Operation

Παρασκευή 1 Σεπτεμβρίου 2017

78 Years Ago Nazi Germany Invaded Poland and Started World War II, These Are The Pictures From That Operation

Damian Lucjan

German troops removing a gate at a border checkpoint, Zoppot-Gdingen (Sopot-Gdynia) Street in Danzig (Gdańsk), 1st September 1939 (Wikipedia)

On the 1st of September, 77 years ago, the horror World War II was unleashed upon the world when the German Army invaded Poland. The Invasion of Poland, also known as a September Campaign in Poland or Fall Weiss (Case White) in Germany, was a joint attack by Nazi Germany, the Free City of Danzig, the Soviet Union, and a small Slovak contingent.

Prologue

WWII was inevitable; despite all the diplomacy and attempts at appeasement, it was a war that Hitler really wanted. A week before the Fall Weiss started (22nd August 1939), he said:

“The object of the war is … physically to destroy the enemy. That is why I have prepared, for the moment only in the East, my ‘Death’s Head’ formations with orders to kill without pity or mercy all men, women, and children of Polish descent or language. Only in this way can we obtain the living space we need.”

The next day, a secret agreement between III Reich and USSR was signed. The Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact (23rd August 1939) delineated the spheres of interest between the two powers, confirmed by the supplementary protocol of the German-Soviet Frontier Treaty amended after the joint invasion of Poland. It remained in force until Operation Barbarossa began.

Soviet Foreign Minister Vyacheslav Molotov signs the German-Soviet non-aggression pact in Moscow, August 23, 1939 [Public Domain | Wikipedia] — Soviet Foreign Minister Vyacheslav Molotov signs the German-Soviet non-aggression pact in Moscow, August 23, 1939 Public Domain / Wikipedia

On 29 August, Hitler demanded from Poland restoration of Danzig and control over the Polish Corridor, in order to create a land link to Germany’s East Prussian territories, which was firmly denied by Polish Government.During the night of 31 August, the Gleiwitz incident, a false flag attack on the radio station, was staged near the border city of Gleiwitz in Upper Silesia by German units posing as Polish troops, as part of the wider Operation Himmler. The goal was to use the staged attack as a pretext for invading Poland.
Hitler called the invasion as “Defensive War.” This provocation was the best-known of several actions in Operation Himmler, a series of unconventional operations undertaken by the SS in order to serve specific propaganda goals of Nazi Germany at the outbreak of the war.

“Germans in Poland are persecuted with a bloody terror and are driven from their homes. The series of border violations, which are unbearable to a great power, prove that the Poles no longer are willing to respect the German frontier.” – Adolf Hitler

At that time, Europe still believed that the peace could be maintained through diplomacy. The Europeans couldn’t be more wrong. After the summit, the British prime minister Chamberlain returned to Great Britain where he declared that the Munich agreement meant “peace for our time.”

"My good friends, for the second time in our history, a British Prime Minister has returned from Germany bringing peace with honour. I believe it is peace for our time." - N. Chamberlain. — “My good friends, for the second time in our history, a British Prime Minister has returned from Germany bringing peace with honor. I believe it is peace for our time.” – N. Chamberlain © IWM (D 2239)

On 31 August 1939, Hitler ordered hostilities against Poland. Because of the earlier stoppage, Poland managed to mobilize only 70% of its planned forces, and many units were still forming or moving to their designated frontline positions. At that time, Poland had no idea that they were doomed. 17 days later USSR also joined to the war. The Allies didn’t help.