The period known as the “Phoney War” then began, in which no fighting took place in Western Europe. The Jews suffered the worst – very few were alive at the war’s end.ġ00,000 Poles escaped to surrounding countries, and were to form some of the most effective and courageous fighters against the Third Reich. The occupying Germans committed many acts of cruelty against Polish civilians throughout the war, often wiping out entire communities. The Polish people were to suffer more than any other in the war – a quarter of the population perished. Throughout the world there was shock and dismay at the speed of the German victory, and at the treachery of the Soviet Union. Germany and The Soviet Union divided Poland between them. This turn of events astonished the world: up to now Communist Russia and Nazi Germany had been deeply hostile to one another.īy the 6th October the fighting was over. The fate of Poland was sealed when Soviet Union forces crossed the eastern border on the side of the Germans. The world witnessed this new form of warfare – blitzkrieg – for the first time, and was dismayed. In Poland the speed and mobility of this form of warfare took the out-of-date and out-numbered Polish army completely by surprise. Paratroops were often used to seize bridges, command posts and other strategic positions. Infantry units then mopped up isolated and demoralized troops in their wake. The Germans had been preparing for lightening campaigns in which mechanized units, supported by dive bombers, thrust forward to cut through and encircle enemy forces. The Poles were outnumbered and outclassed by the Germans, however. German troops marched into the country from different directions, meeting desperate resistance from the Polish army.Īdolf Hitler watches German troops march into Poland (Bundesarchiv, Bild 183-S55480 / CC-BY-SA 3.0) A German naval bombardment sunk most of the Polish navy where it was moored at Gdynia, on the first morning of the invasion. All Polish cities were bombed incessantly throughout the campaign. The German attack opened with surprise air attacks on Polish airfields, destroying much of the Polish air force on the ground. U-boat attacks also began immediately, mostly on ships sailing alone. Two German pocket battleships, already at sea by the beginning of September, cruised in the Atlantic, preying on allied shipping. The start of the war at seaĪt sea, the British started organizing a convoy system immediately, but it took several months before it covered the bulk of British shipping. The British Commonwealth countries of Australia, New Zealand and Canada all declared war on Germany within a few days within a few days of Britain doing so. The mood of the British people was one of sombre determination. Parliament passed the Emergency Powers Act, which gave the government a large measure of control over people and property. The British government immediately started evacuating children from the cities, and the Blackout – the darkening of all streets at night to “hide” towns and built-up areas – was also imposed without delay – as it was throughout Europe. The following day the British began moving their British Expeditionary Force to France, to take its place on the French frontier. The demands were ignored, and on the 3 rd of September, Britain and France declared war on Germany. ![]() ![]() Britain and France immediately demanded that these forces be withdrawn. Now that wreckage remains scattered in the area as sunken ships in the seas and buried relics of downed aircraft and abandoned tanks in the jungles.On 1 st September 1939 Adolf Hitler ordered Germany’s forces to invade Poland. This battle of attrition was fought on land, in the sea, and in the air. One can see the remains of one of the bloodiest battles in the Pacific.
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