83 Years Ago, Adolf Hitler Invaded Poland. Here's How It Happened

The world was beyond shocked when Nazi troops invaded Poland on September 1, 1939. The world leaders and Europe knew that this invasion was very likely to kick off the war. The military leaders in Germany had made plans for war with Poland as early as the mid-1920s.

The main objectives were to recover the Polish territory of Pomerania, Poznan, and Silesia. The plan also included the Free City of Danzig which was largely German. However, as a result of the internal weakness of Germany and the restrictions of Versailles, it seemed to be a futile plan.

Adolf Hitler‘s ascension in 1933 was on the basis of Germany’s wish to regain lost territories, and Nazi leaders added the goal of destroying independent Poland.

This meant that Hitler violated the Munich treaty and it meant that could get military assistance France and Britain had guaranteed. Hitler made demands on Poland for the return of territory in the Polish Corridor, cessation of Polish rights in Danzig, and annexation of the Free City to Germany in March 1939. Poland rejected the demands and that signified that the war was close.

On September 1, 1939, about 600,000 Polish troops were in place to meet the German invasion. The troops were arranged into 7 armies and 5 independent operational groups. The Germans were arranged into two Army Groups, with a total of 5 armies. The German troops were about 1.8 million.

The German troops greatly outweighed the Polish troops, especially in terms of anti-tank guns, artillery support, and transport.

German and Soviet forces gained full control over Poland on 6th October 1939 and while Poland never officially surrendered, the great success marked the end of the Second Polish Republic. The country was then divided into two between Slovakia and Germany.

Over 64,000 Polish troops were killed in the war, while 420,000 others were captured by the Germans and 240,000 more by the Soviets.

Around 120,000 Polish troops escaped to neutral Romania and another 20,000 to Latvia and Lithuania. The majority eventually made their way to France or Britain. Most of the Polish Navy succeeded in evacuating to Britain as well. Germany, however, suffered less loss. It’s estimated that only 16,000 were killed.