Home > Polish September Campaign
The Polish September Campaign refers to the conquest of Poland by German and Soviet armies, and a small contingent of Slovak forces, in September 1939. The German plan was codenamed Fall Weiß ("Fall Weiss" or "Case White") by the German WehrmachtThe Wehrmacht (literally defence force or means/power of resistance was the name of the armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It replaced the old Reichswehr and was succeded by the former West German Bundeswehr, and the East German Nationale Vol. This militaryMilitary (from latin militarius miles "soldier") as an adjective describes anything related to soldiers and warfare. Used as a noun, it is equivalent to Armed force. See also Armed force Martial art Militaria Military history Military rule Military by cou operation marks the start of World War II in EuropeAdolf Hitler German Fuhrer Preceding events Main article: Events preceding World War II in Europe and Causes of World War II Germany was in debt after World War I, due to the Great Depression and the forced payments to the victors of World War I. Germans.
1 Names of the conflict
The conflict is known under several names. From the German perspective the war is called the "September Campaign". Polish historians call it Wojna obronna 1939 ("Defense War of 1939"). Other names include "Polish-German War of 1939" and "Polish Campaign".
2 Campaign Details
Recent research by the Polish National Remembrance Institute (IPN) indicates, that after staging a number of false provocations ( Operation Himmler), the first regular act of war took place on on September 1, 1939, 04:40 local time, when Luftwaffe attacked the town of Wielun. Five minutes later, on September 1, 1939, 04:45 local time, the German battleship Schleswig-Holstein opened fire on the Polish enclave of Westerplatte in Gdansk by the Baltic Sea. At 08:00 local time, German troops attacked Poland near the town of Mokra . Later that day the front was opened along Poland's Western, Southern and Northern borders, while German aircraft started raids on Polish cities.
Despite some Polish successes in minor border battles, German technical and numerical superiority forced the Polish armies to withdraw towards Warsaw and Lwów. Westerplatte garrison capitulated on September 7. The largest battle during this campaign ( Battle of Bzura) took place near the Bzura river west of Warsaw from September 9 to September 18 - it was the Polish attempt at a counterattack, which failed after an initial success. Warsaw, under heavy aerial bombardment from the first hours of the war, was first attacked on September 9 and was put under siege from September 13 until its capitulation on September 28.
The fortress Modlin north of Warsaw, capitulated on September 29.
Polish defenders on the Hel peninsula on the shore of the Baltic Sea held out until October 2. The capitulation of the town of Kock near Lublin on October 6, after a 4-day Battle of Kock, marked the end of the September Campaign.
Tanks and aircraft (particularly fighters and ground attack aircraft like the famous Junkers Ju 87 Stuka) played a major role in the fighting. Bomber aircraft also attacked cities and civilian targets causing huge losses amongst the civilian population in what became known as terror bombings.
