The Invasion of Poland
By Michael Shan
What Happened?
On September 1st, 4:45 a.m. along the 1750 mile border between Poland and German-controlled territory, 1.5 million German troops invade Poland. At the same time, the German Luftwaffe, or Nazi Air Force, bombed Poland's airfields, and on the water German warships and U-boats, or German submarines, attacked Polish naval forces in the Baltic Sea.
Why Did Germany Attack Poland?
At 8 p.m. on August 31, Nazi troops that were wearing Polish uniforms staged an attack on Germany that damaged some very small installations on the German side. They left dead concentration camp prisoners wearing Polish uniforms as more evidence of this "invasion". This gave the Nazi propagandists an excuse to retaliate against Poland because of this act of aggression.
Did any countries support Poland, and if so, how?
Despite the fact that France and Britain both declared war on Germany, they did little militarily to aid Poland. France did not launch a full scale attack even though they had more than four times the amount of troops. France assaulted Germany on the border, but stopped when Poland was defeated. Britain bombed German warships, but the prime minister, Neville Chamberlain, did not actually bomb Germany.
How did Poland defnd against Germany?
Instead of taking a strong defensive position, Poland charged to the front lines to confront the Germans, and were captured or killed. Polish commanders even sent men on horseback to fight against German tanks.
Sources
"Germans invade Poland." History. A&E Television Networks, n.d. Web. 20 May
2016. <http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/
germans-invade-poland>.
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