September 1, 1939
Germany Invades Poland
Historical context
On this day, September 1, 1939, Germany invaded Poland. Britain and France declared war on September 3.
Archive record
Read the event, then follow its documented sources and archive threads.
- Date
- September 1, 1939
- Verified sources
- 1
- Archive threads
- 5
On this day, Germany invaded Poland. The attack opened with air raids and a land offensive. Hitler presented it as a defensive action. Britain and France declared war on Germany on 3 September.
Soviet forces entered eastern Poland on 17 September. A German–Soviet partition followed later that month. About 3.3 million Jews lived in Poland before the war. Most were murdered in the years that followed. The later killing centers in occupied Poland are separate stories.
Research trail
Sources and further reading
- Invasion of Poland, Fall 1939 · United States Holocaust Memorial Museum · Holocaust Encyclopedia View source
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