Reply To: Poland 1939 – Preparing for 80th Anniversary of World War II

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So let’s start with the big picture, with a background piece by @yavasa :

This year marks the 80th anniversary of the outbreak of the Second World War. On September 1, 1939 German forces invaded Poland thus beginning the conflict that would run for the next six years. However, before we jump into the battles of the so-called September Campaign it is a good idea to give some background to the war which would cost millions of lives and in the end divide the world with the Iron Curtain for four and a half decades.

In order to find the roots of the conflict in question we need to go back as far as the Treaty of Versailles signed in 1919. The new borders in the middle-eastern Europe was disputed by Germany throughout the years. For the needs of this short introduction to the origins of the war I will solely focus on the problems Germany had with Poland during the 20 years between the first and second world wars.

First of all, German foreign policy concentrated on the revision of the Treaty of Versailles. Germany wanted to protect it’s citizens abroad and a place like the Free City of Danzig was one of the bones of contention. Germany also contested the border with Czechoslovakia and the fact it was forbidden to formally union with Austria. When the NSDAP and Hitler came to power in 1933 the drive to mock and eventually breach the arrangements of the Treaty of Versailles became even more apparent.

Germany after 1933 started to rebuild its military power despite the fact it was formally forbidden to do so. In 1936 remilitarization of the Rhineland took place with no reaction from France and England. This was an open breach of the Treaty of Versailles and the Locarno Treaties. Two years later, in March 1938 Anschluss (union between Austria and Germany) became a reality. The same year the Munich Conference gave Germany parts of Czechoslovakia. One must mention that despite the fact that is was Czechoslovakian territory that was being divided by France, England, Germany and Italy there were no representatives of the Czechoslovakian government present during the talks.

All these moves were slowly making the situation difficult for the Poles. With Czechoslovakia weakened Germany turned it’s eyes on Poland. In October 1939 Joachim von Ribbentrop (the Third Reich’s Minister of Foreign Affairs) offered to the Polish ambassador to Germany the following:

• – The Free City of Danzig will became a part of Germany
• – an extraterritorial motorway and railroad will connect the main German territory and Prussia
• – Poland will join the Anti-Comintern Pact.

Poland did not agree to these terms but till the end offered to negotiate the status of the Free City of Danzig.  Nevertheless Adolf Hitler was not interested in talks. In the beginning of 1939 Czechoslovakia lost its integrity when Slovakia declared independence and when the Germans occupied what was left of the country after the Munich Treaty of 1939. The Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia was established on 16 of March 1939.

Polish defense lines just got longer.  In strategic terms, her borders were now threatened on three sides, from Germany’s main territories to the west, East Prussia to the north, and the former territories of Czechoslovakia to the south.  On the other hand German actions opened the eyes of the western democracies which slowly began to not trust Hitler.

German strategy focused on cutting of Poland from and aid from its neighbors and allies. On a side note it must be mentioned that despite German attempts Hungary did refuse Germany to use its territory as a base for operations against Poland.

On March 31st Great Britain guaranteed independence to Poland and later to Romania and Greece. In April Hitler ordered his generals to prepare the plan of invasion of Poland code-named Fall Weiss (Case White). Poland was also slowly preparing a plan of defense against a German invasion. In May Poland signed an annex to the treaty of 1921 signed with France according to which France would help Poland militarily in Germany attacked Poland.

Meanwhile, Germany and the Soviet Union were secretly negotiating an alliance in the war to come. In August both of the countries came to agreement and signed the Ribbentrop-Molotov Pact which actually divided the Polish territory between the two countries as a result of the military operations to come. With Stalin on his side Hitler ordered his forces to invade Poland on the 26th of August but postponed the decision on the 25th when he got informed that Poland and Great Britain became allies and Mussolini refused to wage war by his side.

However, his final decision came on the 31st of August that Poland was to be invaded in the 1st of September.