Nazi invasion of Poland

Nazi invasion of Poland
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Conflict	German invasion of Poland
Partof	European theatre of World War II
Date	1–6 September 1939 (initial campaign) – 6 October 1939 (final operations)
Place	Poland, Free City of Danzig, Silesia, Pomerania, Masovia
Result	Axis occupation of Poland, Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact consequences
Belligerents	Wehrmacht; Third Reich vs. Polish Armed Forces; Second Polish Republic; later Soviet Union
Commanders1	Adolf Hitler; Heinz Guderian; Friedrich Paulus; Walther von Brauchitsch
Commanders2	Edward Rydz-Śmigły; Władysław Sikorski; Kazimierz Sosnkowski; Mikołaj Bołtuć
Strength1	approx. 1,500,000 personnel; 2,800 tanks; 2,000 aircraft
Strength2	approx. 1,000,000 personnel; 600 tanks; 400 aircraft

Nazi invasion of Poland

The invasion of Poland by the Wehrmacht of the Third Reich in September 1939 precipitated the outbreak of the European theatre of World War II and ended the Second Polish Republic's independence after the Treaty of Versailles and interwar disputes. Driven by leaders like Adolf Hitler and shaped by agreements such as the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact, the campaign combined mechanized Blitzkrieg tactics and diplomatic maneuvers involving the Soviet Union, the Free City of Danzig, and neighboring states. The defeat led to division under the General Government, annexations by Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union, and set the stage for occupation policies, resistance movements such as the Armia Krajowa, and later Allied conferences including Tehran Conference and Yalta Conference.

Background and Causes

The invasion emerged from Adolf Hitler's expansionist aims articulated in Mein Kampf, German grievances from the Treaty of Versailles, and disputes over Danzig and the Polish Corridor involving the Free City of Danzig and Weimar Republic successor states. Strategic diplomacy featured the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union, which included secret protocols on spheres of influence in Eastern Europe and sealed Poland's fate alongside pressures from Italy, Japan, and revisionist movements like the German National People's Party. Polish attempts at alliances with the United Kingdom and France produced guarantees but failed to deter German preparations led by commanders such as Walther von Brauchitsch and planners influenced by Erich von Manstein.

Course of the Invasion

German forces initiated operations on 1 September 1939 with attacks from East Prussia, Silesia, and Pomerania combining panzer divisions under leaders like Heinz Guderian and infantry armies commanded by generals such as Fedor von Bock. Key early engagements included the Battle of Westerplatte, the Battle of the Bzura, the Siege of Warsaw, and clashes near Tuchola Forest and Kozienice, while the Free City of Danzig witnessed naval and ground actions. On 17 September 1939 the Soviet Union invaded from the east under orders from Joseph Stalin, linking with German forces after the Soviet–German Frontier Treaty and sealing the partition described in the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact. Organized Polish resistance, involving units loyal to commanders such as Władysław Sikorski and formations like the Polish Air Force (1939), continued in pockets, including the defense at Modlin Fortress and Hel Peninsula, until capitulations in early October.

Military Forces and Strategy

The Wehrmacht employed concentrations of armored units influenced by concepts from Erwin Rommel's contemporaries and tactics later termed Blitzkrieg, using air support from the Luftwaffe under leaders like Hermann Göring and combined-arms coordination by staff officers trained in the Interwar period doctrines. The Polish Army (1939) fielded divisions commanded by officers such as Edward Rydz-Śmigły but suffered from dispersion, outdated equipment compared to Panzer I and Panzer II formations, and inadequate strategic reserves. The Soviet Red Army's entry with mechanized corps and cavalry units under marshals like Semyon Timoshenko compounded Polish collapse. Naval elements of the Polish Navy executed operations including evacuation to United Kingdom ports, while guerrilla tactics and mobilization efforts informed later resistance by groups like Armia Krajowa.

Occupation and Administration

Following military victory, Nazi authorities implemented annexations including Warthegau, incorporation of western Poland provinces, and the establishment of the General Government administered by officials such as Hans Frank. Germanization policies targeted Polish intelligentsia, property seizures, and resettlement programs coordinated with organizations like the Reichssicherheitshauptamt and agencies implementing the Nazi racial policy. Simultaneously, the Soviet Union conducted occupations in eastern Kresy territories, integrating regions into the Belarusian Soviet Socialist Republic and Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, accompanied by deportations administered by the NKVD and agricultural collectivization influenced by Five-Year Plans precedents.

Atrocities and Civilian Impact

Occupation policies produced mass crimes including the Intelligenzaktion, the AB-Aktion, and the establishment of concentration camps such as Auschwitz concentration camp and Dachau for Polish prisoners. Jewish communities faced immediate persecution via actions foreshadowing the Final Solution, culminating in ghettos like the Warsaw Ghetto and extermination operations by units such as the Einsatzgruppen under coordination with the SS and Heinrich Himmler. Civilian suffering included forced labor deportations to Reichskommissariat, executions in events like the Palmiry massacre, and famine exacerbated by requisitions, affecting rural populations in regions like Podlaskie and urban centers such as Kraków.

International Response and Aftermath

The United Kingdom and France declared war on Nazi Germany on 3 September 1939 in obligations tied to the Anglo-Polish Alliance and the Franco-Polish Military Alliance, but their limited immediate offensives—often termed the Phoney War—failed to relieve Polish forces. The Soviet Union's actions prompted condemnation but limited intervention; later diplomatic developments at conferences including Tehran Conference and Yalta Conference addressed Poland's borders with input from Winston Churchill, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Joseph Stalin. Postwar settlements in the Potsdam Conference redrew boundaries, shifted populations in the population transfers, and shaped the People's Republic of Poland under Soviet influence, with long-term consequences for European geopolitics, war crimes prosecutions at Nuremberg Trials, and historiography by scholars studying World War II.

Category:Invasions of Poland Category:1939 in Poland