Invasion Of Poland Timeline

1939 Aug 24 Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact (Treaty of Non-Aggression between the Third German Reich and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics)
The Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact, colloquially named after the Soviet foreign minister Vyacheslav Molotov and the German foreign minister Joachim von Ribbentrop, was an agreement officially ti...
1939 Aug 31 Gleiwitz Incident
The Gleiwitz incident was a staged attack by Nazi forces posing as Poles on 31 August 1939, against the German radio station Sender Gleiwitz in Gleiwitz, Upper Silesia, Germany (since 194...
1939 Sep 1
to 1939 Sep 4
 Battle of Grudziądz
Battle of Grudziądz was a military engagement between German and Polish forces during the Invasion of Poland in 1939. It started on September 1 and ended with a German victory on Septembe...
1939 Sep 1
to 1939 Sep 3
 Battle of Mława
At noon on September 1, 1939 the Polish line of defence manned by the 20th Infantry Division was attacked by the 1st Army Corps under General Walter Petzel. Although the attacking forces ...
1939 Sep 1 Battle of Mława Begins
The Battle of Mława, otherwise known as the Defence of the Mława position, took place to the north of the town of Mława in northern Poland between September 1 and September 3, 1939. It wa...
1939 Sep 1 Battle of Mokra
On September 1, at 0500, the German Tenth Army of Army Group South crossed the Polish border and initiated the invasion of Poland. The German 31st Infantry Division, as well as 1st and 4t...
1939 Sep 1
to 1939 Sep 7
 Battle of Westerplatte
The Battle of Westerplatte was the very first battle that took place after Germany invaded Poland and World War II began in Europe. During the first week of September 1939, a completel...
1939 Sep 1 Bombing of Wieluń
The bombing of Wieluń refers to the indiscriminate bombing of the Polish town of Wieluń by the German Luftwaffe on 1 September 1939, five minutes before the shelling of Westerplatte, whic...
1939 Sep 1 Charge at Krojanty
In the early morning hours of September 1, 1939, military forces of Nazi Germany invaded Poland. Later that day, events unfolded that would lead to one of the most fanciful and enduring l...
1939 Sep 1 Defense of the Polish Post Office in Danzig
At 04:00 Germans cut the phone and electricity lines to the building. At 04:45, just as the German battleship Schleswig-Holstein started shelling the nearby Polish Army military outpost a...
1939 Sep 1 Slovak Forces Begin Attack on Poland in Concert with Nazi Invasion
The attack started on September 1, 1939 at 05:00. The 1st division occupied the village Javorina, town Zakopane and continued toward Nowy Targ protecting the German 2nd mountain divisi...
1939 Sep 7
to 1939 Sep 10
 Battle of Wizna
On September 1, 1939, the Polish Defensive War and World War II started. The German 3rd Army was to advance from East Prussia towards Warsaw, directly through the positions of Polish Nare...
1939 Sep 8
to 1939 Sep 14
 Battle of Gdynia
The German offensive isolated the Polish coast from the Polish mainland between 4 and 8 September, and Armia Pomorze was forced to retreat south-east. Units of Land Coastal Defence has be...
1939 Sep 8 Battle of Wola Cyrusowa
The first Polish units to reach the area, that is the Wołyńska Cavalry Bde and the 30th Infantry Division were ordered to secure the area in order to allow for the remaining units to join...
1939 Sep 8
to 1939 Sep 28
 Siege of Warsaw (1939)
The 1939 Battle of Warsaw was fought between the Polish Warsaw Army (Armia Warszawa) garrisoned and entrenched in the capital of Poland (Warsaw) and the German Army. It started with huge ...
1939 Sep 9 Battle of the Bzura Begins as Germany Invades Poland
The Battle of the Bzura (or Kutno or Battle of Kutno — German name) was a battle in the opening campaign of World War II during the 1939 German Invasion of Poland, fought between 9 and 19...
1939 Sep 9 Germany Begins Assault on Polish Forces in Hel
Hel was the target of air attacks from the first day of the campaign (1 September). The German army forced Polish units of Armia Pomorze to retreat from the Danzig Corridor in the first ...
1939 Sep 10
to 1939 Sep 11
 Polish Forces of General Stanisław Maczek Hold German Forces at Jarosław
Contrary to most other Polish armies during the Polish Defensive War of 1939, the Kraków Army managed to withstand the initial German assault on Silesia and retreat steadily eastwards. Th...
1939 Sep 12 German Forces Begin Siege of Lvov
Initially, the town of Lwów was not to be defended as it was considered too deep behind the Polish lines and too important to Polish culture to be used in warfare. However, the fast pace ...
1939 Sep 13
to 1939 Sep 29
 Battle of Modlin
The Battle of Modlin took place during the German invasion of Poland at the beginning of the Second World War. Modlin Fortress was initially the headquarters of the Modlin Army until its ...
1939 Sep 14 German Forces Begin Attack on Fortress of Brześć
On 14 September 77 German tanks of the 2nd Battalion of the 8th Panzer Regiment, part of 10th Panzer Division, reached the area of Brześć and tried to capture the fortress on the run. The...
1939 Sep 17
to 1939 Sep 20
 First Battle of Tomaszów Lubelski
Battle of Tomaszów Lubelski took place from 17 September to 26 September 1939 near the town of Tomaszów Lubelski. It was the second largest battle of the Invasion of Poland (Battle of Bzu...
1939 Sep 17 Polish Forces Attempt to Break Through German Positions around Tomaszów
Battle of Tomaszów Lubelski took place from 17 September to 26 September 1939 near the town of Tomaszów Lubelski. It was the second largest battle of the Invasion of Poland (Battle of Bzu...
1939 Sep 17 Red Army Joins Siege of Lvov
On September 17, 1939, the Soviet Union declared all pacts with Poland null and void as the Polish state had in their opinion ceased to exist, and joined Nazi Germany in the occupation of...
1939 Sep 17 Soviet Union Violates Polish-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact with Invasion of Polish Territory by Red Army
The Red Army entered the eastern regions of Poland with seven field armies, containing between 450,000 and 1,000,000 troops, split between two fronts. Comandarm 2nd rank Mikhail Kovalyov ...
1939 Sep 19 Soviet People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs (NKVD) is Ordered to Create Special Administration for Dealing with Polish Prisoners
As early as September 19, the People's Commissar for Internal Affairs and First Rank Commissar of State Security, Lavrentiy Beria, ordered the NKVD to create the Administration for Affair...
1939 Sep 21
to 1939 Sep 26
 Second Battle of Tomaszów Lubelski
Battle of Tomaszów Lubelski took place from 17 September to 26 September 1939 near the town of Tomaszów Lubelski. It was the second largest battle of the Invasion of Poland (Battle of Bzu...
1939 Oct 2
to 1939 Oct 5
 Battle of Kock (1939)
On 30 September, the commander of 10th Army, Walther von Reichenau, ordered his staff to plan the destruction of a large Polish force which was located between the Bug and Vistula rivers....
1939 Oct 8 Germany Directly Annexes Western Poland and the Former Free City of Danzig
On 8 October, Germany directly annexed western Poland and the former Free City of Danzig and placed the remaining block of territory under administration of the newly established General ...
1940 Mar 5 Soviet Politburo Members Sign Order to Execute 25,700 Polish Prisoners
On 5 March, 1940, pursuant to a note to Stalin from Beria, the members of the Soviet Politburo — Stalin, Vyacheslav Molotov, Kliment Voroshilov and Anastas Mikoyan; signed an order to exe...
1940 Apr 3 Soviets Begin Month-long Murder of Polish Prisoners, Known as the Katyn Massacre
After 3 April, 1940, at least 22,436 POWs and prisoners were executed: 15,131 POWs (most or all of them from the three camps) and at least 7,305 prisoners in western parts of Belarus and ...