GERMAN INVASION OF POLAND
The Nazi German invasion of Poland on September 1st, 1939 is one of the most important events of the early years of World War II. Germany, under the leadership of Adolf Hitler, had just recently signed a non-aggression pact with the Soviet Union and used the opportunity to invade Poland. The invasion of Poland would see the country become split in two with one half under the control of Nazi Germany and the other under the control of the Soviet Union. Poland was created at the end of World War I out of territory that had traditionally been part of the German and Austria-Hungarian empire's. Hitler sought to reclaim this territory for Germany and to unite all German-speaking people.
Invasion of Poland
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What also made the invasion of Poland so significant was that it is considered to be the starting point of World War II. It was one of several events in which Nazi Germany was attempting to regain land lost after World War I as part of the Treaty of Versailles. For example, in the years before 1939, Germany had annexed Austria and taken control of Czechoslovakia. Hitler, believing that the Allied leaders would continue with their policy of appeasement, continued his aggressive action in Europe and invaded Poland. Finally, realizing their policy of appeasement had failed, Britain and France declared war on Germany for invading Poland and World War II had begun.
Germany began its invasion on the morning of September 1st following the Gleiwitz Incident. This incident saw German soldiers pose as Polish troops and invaded a German radio station. Naturally, the radio station reported that Germany was under attack and German citizens became fearful of a Polish attack against Germany. In reality, the Nazi's had staged the incident to create a propaganda campaign that would favor a German attack against Poland.
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On that morning Germany unleashed its blitzkrieg tactics of war that would prove to be successful in much of the fighting of World War II. Blitzkrieg involved German tank divisions and air support overwhelming the Polish forces as they encircled and cut off the Polish troops. German forces invaded from the north, south and west and quickly forced the Polish into a retreat. A series of battle followed in which Polish forces continued to struggle against the superior German assault until finally on October 6th, 1939, Germany and the Soviet Union took full control over Poland. The first major conflict of World War II was over and the world was once again plunged into a world war.
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German Invasion of Poland
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