Beginning of World War II

At 4:45 in the morning of Sept. 1, 1939, falsely claiming Germany had been attacked by Poland, Adolf Hitler ordered a massive attack and invasion of Poland. Nazi air, land, naval and air forces numbering 1.5 million troops attacked along Poland’s western border, attacked Polish airfields, and attacked Polish naval forces in the Baltic Sea. The attack on Poland was not the first German aggression.

The German occupation of surrounding nations began in 1938 with the Nazi absorption of the Sudetenland and Austria. Earlier in 1939, Czechoslovakia had also been occupied by Nazi forces. Western European nations had not stepped up to stop the German expansion. The Soviet Union signed a pact to divide Poland with Germany if it was seized by Germany. However, Great Britain signed a treaty to support Poland in the face of German aggression.

Great Britain issued an ultimatum for Germany to withdraw their invasion forces on Sept. 2. When the German forces had not moved in 24 hours, Great Britain declared war on Germany, and France, Australia, India and New Zealand followed on Sept. 3, 1939. World War II had begun.

Germany used the invasion of Poland as a demonstration of a new military tactic. German attacks on air and naval bases were intended to prevent those forces from supporting ground forces. On land the German mechanized infantry and artillery along with German tanks roared into and across Poland in a blitzkrieg or lightning war. The German force advanced 149 miles across Poland in the first week of their invasion. This fast attack method was also used as the Nazi force attacked Western Europe, and when Hitler broke his treaty with the Soviet Union in 1941 and attacked to the east.

The Western European nations had declared war against Germany, but the declaration was not followed by any substantial military counterattack, and with little resistance the German forces continued their advances. A side note to these military battles is that on Jan. 20, 1942, a conference was begun outside Berlin to establish the “Final Solution.” This conference set policies for the extinction of Jews and other people who the Nazis considered a threat or not worthy of living in the Third Reich.

Jack Dragoni attended Boston College and served in the U.S. Army in Berlin and Vietnam. He lives in Chaffee, Missouri.