German Invades Poland
The Invasion of Poland started World War II in Europe, as Poland's
western allies, the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand, declared war on Germany on September 3, soon followed by France. The invasion began on September 1, 1939, one week after the signing of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact. It ended October 6, 1939, with Germany and the Soviet Union occupying the entirety of Poland. Although the United Kingdom and France declared war on Germany soon after Germany attacked Poland, very little direct military aid was provided. After a so called German-staged "Polish attack" on August 31, 1939, on September 1, German forces invaded Poland from the north, south, and west. The Polish armies were soon forced to withdraw to the east. After the mid-September Polish defeat in the Battle of the Bzura, the Germans gained an undisputed advantage. Polish forces then began a withdrawal southeast, following a plan that called for a long defense in the Romanian bridgehead area, where the Polish forces were to await an expected Allied counterattack and relief. |
Germans Army The German's army consisted of many different type of vehicles.
Panzer Tank: 2,400 tanks in 6 different panzer divisions. Luftluffe (Air fighter planes): 1,180 planes. Ju 87 Stuka Dive Bomber: 290 planes. Conventional Bomber: 1,100 planes. Reconnaissance and Transport aircraft: 900 Planes. Tropps: Close to 1.5 million German troops. |