The German Invasion of Poland
Prelude
After Hitlers anschluss of Austria in 1938 and the annexation of Czechoslovakia from 1938 to 1939, he turned his eyes on Poland - specifically, on the "Polish Corridor" as it was known, a corridor which Poland had been given after World War 1 to get to the Baltic Sea. The corridor included some German majority lands, and Hitler wanted this land.
But as diplomatic relations worsened between Germany and Poland, he decided another solution might be needed. Case White was created - a possible invasion of Poland.
The Molotov-Ribbentrot Pact was also signed between Germany and the Soviet Union. The pact was both a non-aggression pact but also a pact to split up eastern Europe - the Baltic states and parts of Finland being ceded to the Soviet Union and Poland being split in two, one part given to Germany and the other to the Soviets.
![[Image: Dywizje_wrzesien_1.png]](https://wsrv.nl/?url=upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2e/Dywizje_wrzesien_1.png&w=1920&h=1080&fit=inside&n=-1&we)
Deployment of forces before the invasion
Invasion
On the 31st of August, German troops staged several false-flag attacks, giving them a justification to go to war with Poland. The Invasion followed the day after, as German troops started attacking. One of the first attacks was in the Polish village of Mokra, between a German Panzer division and a Polish cavalry brigade. The Battle was, surprisingly, won by the Poles, being one of their few victories in the invasion.
Shortly after the Battle of Mokra started, the German army started attacking on other fronts, such as from East Prussia and Slovakia, while German planes started raiding Polish cities.
On the third of September the Western Allies - Britain and France - declared war on Germany, however even though the far majority of German troops were in Poland, only a few skirmishes happened in the west.
Meanwhile, the Polish army on the Western Front in Poland was being forced to retreat eastward, towards Warsaw and Lwów. The German Luftwaffe had now destroyed communication and supply lines in Poland, hastening the advancement of German forces.
In the North, the German forces from East Prussia had now reached the Vistula River and the German army had taken control of most of the Polish corridor. The Polish army was now retreating from most fronts, including from Pomeralia (The Polish Corridor) to avoid encirclement.
The first German forces reached Warsaw on the 9th of September and put under siege 4 days later.
On the 10th of September, the Polish Commander-in-Chief, Marshal Edward Rydz-Śmigły ordered a general retreat of Polish forces south-east, towards the Romanian Bridgehead.
The Polish wanted to encircle German forces by first luring them in between two Army groups, at which point the Armia Prusy would attack their spearhead, finally surrounding them.
Polish military planners expected Armia Prusy to have to be fully mobilized by the 16th of September. However, in reality, it had to be ready already by the 3rd.
On the 9th, the Battle of Bzura started, the largest battle during the invasion. Two Polish army groups, Poznan and Pomorze, were retreating when they encountered and attacked the flank of the German 8th Army. The attack showed success at first, but later the tides turned against the Polish, resulting in defeat.
By the 12th of September, the Polish had lost all land west of the Vistula river, except for Warsaw itself. The Polish were still aiming to create defenses at the Romanian Bridgehead.
On the 17th of September, Soviet premier Joseph Stalin launched an invasion into Poland from the east. At this point, the defensive plan at the Romanian Bridgehead was rendered obsolete.
On the 22nd, the city of Lwów surrendered, the Modlin Fortress near Warsaw surrendered on the 29th and the last operational unit of the Polish Army, "Polesie", surrendered on the 6th of October.
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