Timeline of the Invasion of Poland (1939)
Encyclopedia
September
- 1: World War IIWorld War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
begins with the invasionInvasionAn invasion is a military offensive consisting of all, or large parts of the armed forces of one geopolitical entity aggressively entering territory controlled by another such entity, generally with the objective of either conquering, liberating or re-establishing control or authority over a...
of PolandPolandPoland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
by Nazi GermanyNazi GermanyNazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
. The resulting Invasion of PolandInvasion of Poland (1939)The Invasion of Poland, also known as the September Campaign or 1939 Defensive War in Poland and the Poland Campaign in Germany, was an invasion of Poland by Germany, the Soviet Union, and a small Slovak contingent that marked the start of World War II in Europe...
lasts until October 6, 1939, when the final significant Polish military forces surrender at Kock. German operations are conducted under the operational plan Fall Weiss, while in Poland the campaign is referred to as the Polish Defense War of 1939. - 2: Polish forces at WieluńWielunWieluń is a city in central Poland with 24,347 inhabitants . Situated in the Łódź Voivodeship , it was previously in Sieradz Voivodeship .- History :...
surrender to the German 10th Army. - 3: The Polish Poznań ArmyPoznan ArmyArmy Poznań led by mj. gen. Tadeusz Kutrzeba was one of the Polish Armies during the Polish Defensive War in 1939.-Tasks:Flanked by Armia Pomorze to the north and Armia Łódź to the south, the Army was to provide flanking operations in Grand Poland region, defend it and withdraw towards lines of...
proposes an attack against the German 8th ArmyGerman Eighth ArmyThe 8th Army was a World War I and World War II field army.-World War I:At the outbreak of World War I, the 8. Armee was stationed in East Prussia to defend against the expected Russian attack, Plan XIX. After the scrappy Battle of Gumbinnen, 8. Armee commander Generaloberst Maximilian von...
. The German flank is exposedFlanking maneuverIn military tactics, a flanking maneuver, also called a flank attack, is an attack on the sides of an opposing force. If a flanking maneuver succeeds, the opposing force would be surrounded from two or more directions, which significantly reduces the maneuverability of the outflanked force and its...
, but the proposal is rejected. - 4: The Battle of Mława concludes as the Polish Modlin ArmyModlin ArmyModlin Army was one of the Polish armies that took part in the Polish Defensive War of 1939. After heavy casualties in the battle of Mława , the Army was forced to abandon its positions near Warsaw around September 10; eventually it took part in the battle of Tomaszów Mazowiecki and surrendered...
begins to retreat. - 5: Polish forces around PiotrkówPiotrków TrybunalskiPiotrków Trybunalski is a city in central Poland with 80,738 inhabitants . It is situated in the Łódź Voivodeship , and previously was the capital of Piotrków Voivodeship...
surrender to the 10th Army. - 6: Polish forces regroup along the NarewNarewThe Narew River , in western Belarus and north-eastern Poland, is a left tributary of the Vistula river...
, VistulaVistulaThe Vistula is the longest and the most important river in Poland, at 1,047 km in length. The watershed area of the Vistula is , of which lies within Poland ....
, and San RiverSan RiverThe San is a river in southeastern Poland and western Ukraine, a tributary of the Vistula River, with a length of 433 km and a basin area of 16,861 km2...
s. KrakówKrakówKraków also Krakow, or Cracow , is the second largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in the Lesser Poland region, the city dates back to the 7th century. Kraków has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Polish academic, cultural, and artistic life...
falls to the German 14th ArmyGerman Fourteenth ArmyThe 14th Army was a World War II field army.The 14th Army was activated on August 1, 1939 with General Wilhelm List in command and saw service in Poland until the end of the campaign in Poland October 13, 1939...
. - 7: The siege of WesterplatteWesterplatteWesterplatte is a peninsula in Gdańsk, Poland, located on the Baltic Sea coast mouth of the Dead Vistula , in the Gdańsk harbour channel...
concludes with the surrender of its remaining garrison. Polish supreme command relocates to Brześć from WarsawWarsawWarsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
. Defenses along the NarewNarewThe Narew River , in western Belarus and north-eastern Poland, is a left tributary of the Vistula river...
begin withdrawal to the Bug RiverBug RiverThe Bug River is a left tributary of the Narew river flows from central Ukraine to the west, passing along the Ukraine-Polish and Polish-Belarusian border and into Poland, where it empties into the Narew river near Serock. The part between the lake and the Vistula River is sometimes referred to as...
. TarnówTarnówTarnów is a city in southeastern Poland with 115,341 inhabitants as of June 2009. The city has been situated in the Lesser Poland Voivodeship since 1999, but from 1975 to 1998 it was the capital of the Tarnów Voivodeship. It is a major rail junction, located on the strategic east-west connection...
falls to the 14th Army. - 8: The Siege of WarsawSiege of Warsaw (1939)The 1939 Battle of Warsaw was fought between the Polish Warsaw Army garrisoned and entrenched in the capital of Poland and the German Army...
begins the land phase with the arrival of German units in the suburbs. The air bombardment had begun at the start of the Campaign. The pocket at RadomRadomRadom is a city in central Poland with 223,397 inhabitants . It is located on the Mleczna River in the Masovian Voivodeship , having previously been the capital of Radom Voivodeship ; 100 km south of Poland's capital, Warsaw.It is home to the biennial Radom Air Show, the largest and...
is reduced by the 14th Army. - 9: The Battle of Bzura begins with a counter-attack against the German 8th Army.
- 12: Białystok falls to the German 3rd Army the best
- 13: The VistulaVistulaThe Vistula is the longest and the most important river in Poland, at 1,047 km in length. The watershed area of the Vistula is , of which lies within Poland ....
defenses are penetrated as German forces cross the river south of Warsaw. - 14: Germany captures GdyniaGdyniaGdynia is a city in the Pomeranian Voivodeship of Poland and an important seaport of Gdańsk Bay on the south coast of the Baltic Sea.Located in Kashubia in Eastern Pomerania, Gdynia is part of a conurbation with the spa town of Sopot, the city of Gdańsk and suburban communities, which together...
and Brest-Litovsk. SiedlceSiedlceSiedlce ) is a city in eastern Poland with 77,392 inhabitants . Situated in the Masovian Voivodeship , previously the city was the capital of a separate Siedlce Voivodeship ....
is captured by the 3rd Army. - 15: The heaviest fighting of the Battle of Bzura concludes with the Germans having gained the advantage. In the east, PrzemyślPrzemyslPrzemyśl is a city in south-eastern Poland with 66,756 inhabitants, as of June 2009. In 1999, it became part of the Podkarpackie Voivodeship; it was previously the capital of Przemyśl Voivodeship....
is captured by the 14th Army. - 16: The envelopment of WarsawWarsawWarsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
is completed. - 17: The eastern front of the Campaign opens with the invasion of Poland by the Soviet UnionSoviet UnionThe Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
. KutnoKutnoKutno is a town in central Poland with 48,000 inhabitants and an area of 33,6 km2. Situated in the Łódź Voivodeship , previously in Płock Voivodeship . It is the capital of Kutno County....
falls to the German 8th Army and Brest-Litovsk (Brześć) falls to the 3rd Army. - 18: Polish President Ignacy MościckiIgnacy MoscickiIgnacy Mościcki was a Polish chemist, politician, and President of Poland . He was the longest-serving President of Poland .-Life:...
and Commander-in-ChiefCommander-in-ChiefA commander-in-chief is the commander of a nation's military forces or significant element of those forces. In the latter case, the force element may be defined as those forces within a particular region or those forces which are associated by function. As a practical term it refers to the military...
Edward Rydz-Śmigły leave Poland for RomaniaRomaniaRomania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
, where they are both interned; Russian forces reach Vilna and Brest-Litovsk. - 19: Soviet forces capture Wilno.
- 20: German and Soviet forces meet near Brest-Litovsk.
- 22: Soviet forces capture Lwów.
- 27: The Siege of WarsawSiege of Warsaw (1939)The 1939 Battle of Warsaw was fought between the Polish Warsaw Army garrisoned and entrenched in the capital of Poland and the German Army...
comes to an end as Polish forces surrender. German forces enter the city on October 1, 1939. - 28: Polish government in exileGovernment in exileA government in exile is a political group that claims to be a country's legitimate government, but for various reasons is unable to exercise its legal power, and instead resides in a foreign country. Governments in exile usually operate under the assumption that they will one day return to their...
set up in Paris with Raczkiewicz and Władysław Sikorski as Commander-in-Chief.
October
- 1: The Hel PeninsulaHel PeninsulaHel Peninsula |Nehrung]]) is a 35-km-long sand bar peninsula in northern Poland separating the Bay of Puck from the open Baltic Sea. It is located in Puck County of the Pomeranian Voivodeship.- Geography :...
garrison surrenders to German forces. - 2: The Battle of KockBattle of Kock (1939)The Battle of Kock, was the final battle in the Invasion of Poland at the beginning of World War II. It took place between 2–5 October 1939, near the town of Kock, in Poland....
begins with a German advance. - 5: German victory parade is held in Warsaw.
- 6: The Battle of Kock ends with the surrenderSurrender (military)Surrender is when soldiers, nations or other combatants stop fighting and eventually become prisoners of war, either as individuals or when ordered to by their officers. A white flag is a common symbol of surrender, as is the gesture of raising one's hands empty and open above one's head.When the...
of defending Polish forces. This is the final significant military resistance to the German or Soviet invasions.
See also
- Timeline of World War IITimeline of World War IIThis is a timeline of events that stretched over the period of World War II. Because of length it is subdivided into pages by year:*Timeline of events preceding World War II**Events preceding World War II in Asia**Events preceding World War II in Europe...
- Timeline of Polish historyTimeline of Polish historyDates and most important events in Polish history from prehistoric times up to the present day.-Before the 10th century:5500 BC : Arrival of the first farmers740 BC : Biskupin fortified settlement built...