The German invasion of Poland (Fall Weiss) triggered World War II. It took place from September 1 to October 6, 1939. It ended up with the division and annexation of the Polish territory to Germany and the Soviet Union, which also took part in the Polish Campaign, attacking this country from the east. The German offensive was carried out under the code name "Fall Weiss" (Case White).
It was was a fast offensive, being carried out with sweeping pincers movements that encircled huge number of enemy troops. This new military tactic would be called "Blitzkrieg" (lightning war). Thus, this quick victory was made possible thanks to the use of independent armor divisions of the Wehrmacht, which were massively used to punch holes in the enemy lines. They had the full air support provided by the Luftwaffe dive bombers, such as the Junkers Ju 87, Stuka. This aircraft was so precise and lethal that can be called the "flying artillery", which was more effective than the army's howitzers.
Rationale for invading Poland
Germany had lost a lot of territory in the east and the seaport city of Danzig right after World War I. It was arbitrarily taken away from her by the Allies through the infamous Treaty of Versailles, signed in 1919, to create the Polish State, granting this new nation access to the Baltic Sea. This was known as the Polish corridor. To recover it and that coastal city, first Adolf Hitler ensured the success of the military operation by signing a non-aggression pact with Joseph Stalin on August 23, 1939, one week before the beginning of the campaign. This treaty stipulated that Poland would be split up in two and annexed both to Germany and the Soviet Union.
German operation code name: Fall Weiss (Case White)
German military deployment
To attack Poland, the Wehrmacht deployed its military units in two army groups: 1) Army Group North, under General Fedor von Bock, which would invade northern Poland in two columns, one column (4th Army) from Northeast Germany, and the other (3rd Army) from East Prussia; 2) Army Group South, commanded by General Gerd von Rundstedt, would also attack in two sweeping thrusts, one thrust (14th and 10th Army) would push into Poland from Southeast Germany, and the other (8th Army) from Czechoslovakia, which had just been annexed to Germany.
Summary of the Campaign
The German invasion began in the early hours of September 1,1939, at 04:55 hours, with the 10th Army from Army Group South (AGS) crossing the border near the Polish town of Mokra. Spearheaded by the 4th and 1st Panzer Divisions, the Wehrmacht's forces quickly pushed eastwards, defeating the Polish 7th Infantry Division and the Volhynian Cavalry Brigade.
By September 20, supported by the Luftwaffe dive bombers and fighters aircraft, the 10th and 8th Army had converged around Warsaw with the 4th Army of Army Group North (AGN). Meanwhile, the 14th Army from AGS and the 3rd Army from AGN met at Brest-Litovsk, closing the jaws of the big pincers.
On September 17, the Red Army began the Russian invasion of Poland from the East, with the Belarussian and the Ukrainian fronts (armies) advancing westwards. By September 22, the Polish Army had already been broken up by the German forces. The rest of the campaign consisted of mopping up operations. The last Polish Army division surrendered took place on October 6, 1939, to the Soviet forces.
Below, German infantry troops in Warsaw, Poland, in late September 1939
Map of the German invasion of Poland. It shows the directions of the attack of Army Group North and Army Group South.
