September 1st, 1939
After the loss of West Prussia, Poznan and Upper Silesia to Poland from the the post-WW1 treaty of Versailles, most of Germany held Poland in disdain. Naturally, the population of Germany responded with disappointment when Hitler signed a non-aggression pact with Poland in 1934. However, it was a military choice that was quintessential to Germany’s role in WW2. This non-aggression pact temporarily avoided a military Alliance between the Polish and the French, which gave Germany the time they needed to rebuild and rearm themselves.
The French and British policies of appeasement allowed Germany to take back much of the land they had lost in the aftermaths of WW1, which culminated in the German-Soviet agreement of 1939 to split Poland two ways between them. This agreement allowed Germany to attack Poland without the fear of Soviet retaliation.
On September 1st, 1939, Poland was invaded by Germany, defeating the opposing Polish forces within weeks. The capital city Warsaw surrendered to the Germans on September 27th of the same year. At the beginning of the German Polish conflict (September 3rd, 1939), England and France announced war on Germany in agreement with their declared defense of Poland. By October, Germany had reclaimed West Prussia, Poznan, Upper Silesia and the City of Danzig. In 1941, when they invaded the Soviet Union, Germany occupied the remainder of Poland thus taking hold of the entire country. They remained in control of Poland until 1945.
The French and British policies of appeasement allowed Germany to take back much of the land they had lost in the aftermaths of WW1, which culminated in the German-Soviet agreement of 1939 to split Poland two ways between them. This agreement allowed Germany to attack Poland without the fear of Soviet retaliation.
On September 1st, 1939, Poland was invaded by Germany, defeating the opposing Polish forces within weeks. The capital city Warsaw surrendered to the Germans on September 27th of the same year. At the beginning of the German Polish conflict (September 3rd, 1939), England and France announced war on Germany in agreement with their declared defense of Poland. By October, Germany had reclaimed West Prussia, Poznan, Upper Silesia and the City of Danzig. In 1941, when they invaded the Soviet Union, Germany occupied the remainder of Poland thus taking hold of the entire country. They remained in control of Poland until 1945.