Invasion of Poland (1939)

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Invasion of Poland (1939)
Part of World War II
German soldiers destroying Polish border checkpoint on 1 September. World War II begins.
German troops dismantle a Polish border checkpoint,
September 1, 1939, as World War II begins.
Date 1 September6 October 1939
Location Poland
Result Decisive Axis and Soviet victory.
Combatants
Flag of Poland.svg Poland Flag of Germany 1933.svg Germany,
Flag of the Soviet Union.svg Soviet Union,
1stslovakia flag large.svg Slovakia
Commanders
Flag of Poland.svg Edward Rydz-Śmigły Flag of Germany 1933.svg Fedor von Bock
(Army Group North),
Flag of Germany 1933.svg Gerd von Rundstedt (Army Group South),
Flag of the Soviet Union.svg Mikhail Kovalov (Belorussian Front),
Flag of the Soviet Union.svg Semyon Timoshenko (Ukrainian Front),
1stslovakia flag large.svg Ferdinand Čatloš
(Field Army Bernolak)
Strength
39 divisions,
16 brigades,
4,300 guns,
880 tanks,
400 aircraft
Total: 950,000[1]
Germany:
56 divisions,
4 brigades,
10,000 guns,
2,700 tanks,
1,300 aircraft
Soviet Union:
33+ divisions,
11+ brigades
Slovakia:
3 divisions
Total:
1,800,000 Germans,
800,000+ Soviets,
50,000 Slovaks
Grand total: 2,650,000+[1]
Casualties
66,000 dead,[2]
133,700 wounded,
694,000 captured
Germany:
16,343 dead,[2]
27,280 wounded,
320 missing
Soviet Union:
737 dead or missing,
1,125 wounded

Template:Campaignbox Polish September Campaign

World War II[edit | edit source]

This battle was the first of many invasions by the German army. Hitler, in preparation for the attack, had signed a pact between the Soviet Union which stated that the Soviet Union would have control of East Poland, and Germany would have control of West Poland.




































































World War II
Participants Theatres Main events Specific articles

The Allies
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg United Kingdom
Flag of the Soviet Union.svg Soviet Union
US flag 48 stars.svg United States
Flag of the Republic of China.svg Republic of China
Flag of Poland.svg Poland
Flag of Free France 1940-1944.svg Free France
Flag of the Netherlands.svg Netherlands
Flag of Belgium.svg Belgium
Canadian Red Ensign 1921.svg Canada
Flag of Norway.svg Norway
Flag of Greece (1828-1978).svg Greece
Flag of SFR Yugoslavia.svg Yugoslavia
Flag of the Czech Republic.svg Czechoslovakia
Imperial-India-Blue-Ensign.svg India
Flag of Australia.svg Australia
Flag of El Salvador.svg El Salvador
Flag of New Zealand.svg New Zealand
Flag of South Africa 1928-1994.svg South Africa
20px Egypt
Flag of the Philippines.svg Philippines
Flag of Brazil.svg Brazil

more...

The Axis
Flag of Germany 1933.svg Germany
Flag of Japan - variant.svg Japan
Kingdom of Italy Italy
Flag of Vichy France.gif Vichy France
Flag of Hungary 1940.svg Hungary
Flag of Bulgaria (1878-1944).svg Bulgaria
Flag of Romania.svg Romania
Flag of Finland.svg Finland
Flag of Croatia Ustasa.svg Croatia
Slovakia WW2 flag.svg Slovakia
Flag of Thailand.svg Thailand

more...

Prelude
Causes
in Europe
in Asia

Main theatres
Europe
Eastern Europe
China
Africa
Middle East
Mediterranean
Asia and the Pacific
Atlantic

General timeline
Timeline

1939
Invasion of Poland
Winter War

1940
Invasion of Denmark/Norway
Battle of France
Battle of Britain

1941
Invasion of the Soviet Union
Battle of Moscow
Attack on Pearl Harbor

1942
Battle of Midway
Battle of Stalingrad
Second Battle of El Alamein

1943
Battle of Kursk
Guadalcanal campaign
Invasion of Italy

1944
Battle of Normandy
Operation Bagration
Battle of Leyte Gulf

1945
Battle of Okinawa
Battle of Berlin
End in Europe
Hiroshima and Nagasaki
Surrender of Japan

more...

Blitzkrieg
Cryptography
Equipment
Home Front
Military engagements
Production
Resistance
Technology

Civilian impact and atrocities
Nanking Massacre
Holocaust
Siege of Leningrad
Dutch famine of 1944
Hiroshima and Nagasaki
Strategic bombings
Comfort women
Allied war crimes
German war crimes
Japanese war crimes

Aftermath
Effects
Casualties
Expulsion of Germans
Cold War

See also

Category:World War II
Topics
Conferences
Total war
WWII in contemporary culture
Military awards of World War II
Attacks on North America
Comparative military ranks of World War II

  1. 1.0 1.1 Various sources contradict each other so the figures quoted above should only be taken as a rough indication of the strength estimate. The most common range differences and their brackets are: German personnel 1,500,000–1,800,000. This can be explained by inclusion (or lack of it) of Luftwaffe and Kriegsmarine forces alongside Heer personnel. Luftwaffe: 1,300–3,000 planes, this can be explained by inclusion of all Luftwaffe planes (including transport, communications, training and anything not stationed at Polish front) on the larger end. Similarly Polish Air Force is given at 400–800; as with total Luftwaffe, the 800 number includes virtually 'anything that can fly'. Polish tanks: 100–880, 100 is the number of modern tanks, 880 number includes older IWWs tanks and tankettes. For all numbers, primary source is [[wikipedia:Encyklopedia PWN|]], article on 'KAMPANIA WRZEŚNIOWA 1939'
  2. 2.0 2.1 Various sources contradict each other so the figures quoted above should only be taken as a rough indication of losses. The most common range brackets for casualties are: Polish casualties—63,000 to 66,300 KIA, 134,000 WIA; German KIA—8,082 to 16,343, with MIA from 320 to 5,029, total KIA and WIA given at 45,000. The discrepancy in German casualties can be attributed to the fact that some German statistics still listed soldiers as missing decades after the war. Today the most common and accepted number for German KIA casualties is 16,343. Soviet official losses are estimated at 737-1,475 killed or missing, and 1,859-2,383 wounded. The often cited figure of 420,000 Polish prisoners of war represents only those captured by the Germans, as Soviets captured about 250,000 Polish POWs themselves, making the total number of Polish POWs about 660,000–690,000. Equipment losses are given as 236 German tanks and approximately 1,000 other vehicles to 132 Polish tanks and 300 other vehicles, 107–141 German planes to 327 Polish planes (118 fighters) (Polish PWN Encyclopedia gives number of 700 planes lost), 1 German small minelayer to 1 Polish destroyer ([[wikipedia:ORP Wicher|]]), 1 minelayer ([[wikipedia:ORP Gryf|]]) and several support craft. Soviets lost approximately 42 tanks in combat while hundreds more suffered technical failures.