On September 1st at 0445hrs, without a declaration of war, the German army enters Poland. By way of an ultimatum, London and Paris demand their withdrawl. In the absense of response, both nations declare war on Nazi Germany. On September 3rd, the second world war had begone.
The Polish had only declared general mobilization the day before, and hope to avoid the worst with about 20 divisions of regulars and 6 brigades of cavalry.high on their victory agains the Soviets in 1920. For this first real offensive, the Wehrmacht will field more than one million combatants, in 64 divisions, five of which are armoured.
The German army's main advantage is the Luftwaffe, which is three times larger than the Polish air force and of incomprable technological superiority. In the first hours of combat the german bombers anhialate the Polish aircrafts on the ground and destroy the communications network.
The Wehrmacht attacks from two different directions. Von Bock from the north and Von Rundstedt from the south. Most of the polish forces are near the border. With unfavorable terrain, swamps and mountains, the polish cheif, Rydz-Smigly, did not anticipate the german spearheads at the points where they apeared. Despite heroic resistance, the polish cavalry squadrons cannot stop the advance of German armour which are tightening their grip on Rydz-Smigly.
He decides, on September 10th, to retreat south to consolidate his defense. By September 15th, German tanks are at the gates of Lvov, Brest-Litovsk and Warsaw. The fatal blow comes on the 17th: the Russians attack. The Polish Government is on the run and ten days later, all resitance stops. Hitler and Stalin can now proceed with the teritorial exchanges. A demarcation line is established, cutting Poland in two.
Hitler puts in place a regime of terror that will pillage the economic resources of the nation and massive persecutions of the Jews.
