Ruqayyah Snyder
The invasion of Poland in 1939, also known as the September Campaign, was a joint attack on the Republic of Poland by Nazi Germany, the Slovak Republic, and the Soviet Union, marking the beginning of World War II. This invasion was a result of Hitler's desire for Lebensraum or living space, as well as his belief in German racial superiority and anti-communist sentiments. The German invasion of Poland was preceded by a series of aggressive diplomatic moves and violations, including the annexation of Austria and Czechoslovakia. The invasion of Poland resulted in the country's partition and annexation by Germany and the Soviet Union, with Poles facing severe persecution and extermination.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Date | 1 September 1939 - 6 October 1939 |
| Combatants | Germany, Slovakia, and the Soviet Union vs Poland |
| Outcome | German and Soviet victory; Poland annexed |
| Casualties | 65,000 Poles murdered in the last three months of 1939 |
| Cause | German desire for Lebensraum and resentment over the loss of Danzig |
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What You'll Learn
The invasion of Poland, September 1939
The invasion of Poland, also known as the September Campaign, Polish Campaign, and Polish Defensive War of 1939, marked the beginning of World War II. The German invasion began on 1 September 1939, one week after the signing of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact between Germany and the Soviet Union. The invasion was referred to by Germany as the 1939 Defensive War (Verteidigungskrieg) as Hitler proclaimed that Poland had attacked Germany. This was, of course, a false claim.
In the lead-up to the invasion, Hitler pursued a policy of rapprochement with Poland, trying to improve opinion in Germany, which culminated in the German-Polish Non-Aggression Pact of 1934. Hitler's foreign policy also worked to weaken ties between Poland and France and attempted to manoeuvre Poland into the Anti-Comintern Pact, forming a cooperative front against the Soviet Union. However, by 1939, Hitler's ambitions for German expansion had become increasingly evident. In March of that year, German forces occupied what remained of Czech territory, and Britain and France recognised that Poland was likely to be Germany's next target. They gave guarantees to defend Polish independence, but Hitler was determined to go to war. On 28 April 1939, he announced Germany's withdrawal from the non-aggression pact signed with Poland in 1934.
The invasion of Poland began with the predawn shelling of Polish fortifications at the Baltic port of Danzig (modern-day Gdansk). Sixty-two divisions, with more than 1,300 airplanes in support, then commenced a coordinated assault across the German-Polish border. Army Group North attacked from Pomerania and East Prussia, while Army Group South drove into southern Poland from Silesia and Slovakia. The Polish forces were strategically outflanked and materially outnumbered, and the powerful Luftwaffe destroyed the Polish air force in days, leaving the Polish army vulnerable.
On 17 September 1939, the Soviet Union invaded Poland from the east, and the last operational Polish unit surrendered on 6 October. In accordance with the secret protocol to their non-aggression pact, Germany and the Soviet Union partitioned Poland. The invasion of Poland was an initial victory for Germany, but it also galvanised Polish military resistance, with those who stayed in Poland creating the largest underground army in occupied Europe.
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Hitler's expansionist ideology
The war between Germany and Poland, also known as the September Campaign, Polish Campaign, and Polish Defensive War of 1939, marked the beginning of World War II. The German invasion of Poland began on September 1, 1939, with the support of the Slovak Republic and the Soviet Union.
Hitler articulated his expansionist worldview in his book, "Mein Kampf," which he wrote while imprisoned in Landsberg Prison. In it, he expressed his belief that Germany should have won World War I and blamed Jews and communists for its loss. He also argued that the Treaty of Versailles, which imposed territorial concessions, disarmament, and reparations on Germany, was a humiliation that needed to be rectified. Hitler saw the acquisition of Lebensraum in Eastern Europe as a way to achieve this goal and secure Germany's future.
In pursuit of Lebensraum, Hitler pursued an aggressive foreign policy. He annexed Austria and Czechoslovakia and invaded Poland with the intention of disestablishing it as a sovereign country and exterminating its citizens. Hitler's plan, as noted in his "Four-Year Plan," was to make Germany self-sufficient to focus its resources on military buildup. He also formed the Einsatzgruppen, or SS death squads, to exterminate Poles who opposed German rule.
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The Danzig dispute
Following World War I, the Treaty of Versailles declared Danzig to be a free city administered by Poland and the League of Nations. This was a source of resentment for Germany, which bitterly opposed the loss of this largely German-populated city. The return of Danzig became a central feature of Adolf Hitler's foreign policy. In his meetings with Forster, Hitler stressed that the Reich had been wronged by the Treaty of Versailles and was only seeking the return of Danzig because of its significant German population. Hitler believed that this propaganda would lead to public opinion in France and the United Kingdom pressuring their governments not to go to war for Poland.
In October 1938, the German Foreign Minister Joachim von Ribbentrop met with the Polish ambassador Josef Lipski to discuss Danzig's return to Germany. The crisis escalated further when Hitler met with Polish Foreign Minister Józef Beck on 5 January 1939. Despite Britain and France guaranteeing Poland's territorial integrity, German officials were convinced that these countries would not go to war over Poland. On 28 April 1939, Hitler withdrew from the German-Polish Non-Aggression Pact of 1934, and talks over Danzig broke down.
The Danzig issue was central to the breakdown of diplomacy and the onset of World War II. On 1 September 1939, Germany invaded Poland, triggering the start of the war in Europe. Following the invasion, Nazi Germany annexed Danzig.
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The Soviet invasion of Poland, September 1939
The invasion of Poland, also known as the September Campaign, marked the beginning of World War II. It was a joint attack on the Republic of Poland by Nazi Germany, the Slovak Republic, and the Soviet Union. The German invasion began on September 1, 1939, one week after the signing of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact between Germany and the Soviet Union. The Soviets invaded Poland on September 17, 1939, from the east, sixteen days after the German invasion from the west, north, and south. The campaign ended on October 6, 1939, with Germany and the Soviet Union dividing and annexing the whole of Poland under the terms of the German-Soviet Frontier Treaty. The aim of the invasion was to disestablish Poland as a sovereign country, with its citizens destined for extermination.
The invasion of Poland was more than just a military campaign; it was a war of annihilation and conquest. Adolf Hitler's ideology, as outlined in "Mein Kampf," advocated for German territorial expansion to fulfill their destiny as the "master race." This invasion was preceded by Hitler's annexation of Austria, the Sudetenland, and Czechoslovakia, all without firing a shot. Poland was to be next. On April 28, 1939, Hitler withdrew from the non-aggression pact with Poland, signaling his intentions.
The German invasion of Poland was carefully orchestrated to appear as if the Poles had provoked the hostilities. On August 31, 1939, the Gestapo staged an attack at a radio station on the German-Polish border, leaving the body of a Polish sympathizer as "evidence." By September 1, Hitler was using this incident to justify his invasion. The invasion began in the early morning of September 1, with German ships opening fire on a small Polish military depot at Westerplatte.
The Soviet invasion, on the other hand, was indirectly indicated in the "secret protocol" of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, which divided Poland into "spheres of influence." The Red Army, which vastly outnumbered the Polish defenders, encountered limited resistance. The subsequent military operations lasted for 20 days, ending with the division and annexation of the entire territory of the Second Polish Republic by Germany and the Soviet Union. This division is sometimes referred to as the Fourth Partition of Poland.
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The German-Soviet Pact
The pact paved the way for Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union to invade and occupy Poland in September 1939, marking the beginning of World War II. The invasion of Poland was a joint attack by Germany, the Slovak Republic, and the Soviet Union, with the aim of dismantling Poland as a sovereign country. The German invasion began on September 1, 1939, just one week after the signing of the pact, and the Soviets invaded on September 17. The campaign ended on October 6, with Germany and the Soviet Union dividing and annexing Poland under the terms of the German-Soviet Frontier Treaty.
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Frequently asked questions
The war between Germany, Poland and Austria refers to the invasion of Poland by Nazi Germany, the Slovak Republic, and the Soviet Union in 1939, which marked the beginning of World War II. The invasion aimed to disestablish Poland as a sovereign country, with its citizens facing extermination.
The invasion of Poland was a result of Hitler's desire for territorial expansion and his belief in German racial superiority. He considered the Polish people inferior and wanted to create "living space" for Germans to live in Poland. The invasion was also a result of rising tensions between Poland and Germany over the city of Danzig (now Gdansk) and the Polish Corridor.
The campaign ended on October 6, 1939, with Germany and the Soviet Union dividing and annexing all of Poland. Poland's last troops surrendered, and the country ceased to exist as a sovereign nation. The invasion of Poland sparked World War II, as Britain and France declared war on Germany two days after the German invasion.
Austria was annexed by Nazi Germany in 1938, and as such, Austrians fought alongside Germans in the occupation of Poland. Crimes against Poles were committed under the banner of Nazi Germany in concentration camps located in German-controlled Austria.
