# The First Casualty of WW2 in Poland....



## v2 (Aug 31, 2009)

Corporal Piotr Konieczka was the first Polish military casualty.
He was KIA at 1:40 during the night from 31st of August to 1st of September by German saboteurs from "V Column", who attacked his post in village Jeziorki at 1:20. At 1:35 after 15 minutes of fierce combat few Polish defenders withdrew, only Konieczka with his machine gun remained. Around 1:40 he was heavily WIA by a single enemy bullet and fell down. Soon after that German bayonets finished him off.


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## B-17engineer (Aug 31, 2009)

Wasn't a little Polish girl the first kill of WWII?


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## Thorlifter (Aug 31, 2009)

He looks old to be a corporal.

What does the tombstone say?


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## syscom3 (Aug 31, 2009)

So he was the first military casualty of WW2.


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## syscom3 (Aug 31, 2009)

Heres the Polish girl that might be considered as being among the first civilian casualties of the war.

Theres a story about this picture at:

http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?f=55&t=143295

http://www.flickr.com/photos/michellesoemoe/2903702661/


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## DerAdlerIstGelandet (Aug 31, 2009)




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## B-17engineer (Aug 31, 2009)

Thanks Sys!


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## vikingBerserker (Aug 31, 2009)




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## Lucky13 (Sep 1, 2009)




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## Vincenzo (Sep 1, 2009)

sure that first casualty was not german? in 20 minutes of fire no a mortal hit on enemyes?


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## Gnomey (Sep 1, 2009)




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## Clay_Allison (Sep 1, 2009)

Thorlifter said:


> He looks old to be a corporal.
> 
> What does the tombstone say?


Back then promotion was very slow in most armies. There were such things as career privates.


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## trackend (Sep 1, 2009)

I would have thought the shells from the battleship Schleswig Holstein fired at the Westerplatte polish troop barracks would have caused the first casualties


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## Glider (Sep 1, 2009)

Attached is a link that gives details of the attack by the Schleswig-Holstein. There can be no doubt that these 187 soldiers put up a fight.

BBC NEWS | Europe | Poland remembers World War start


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## B-17engineer (Sep 1, 2009)

"The 182 Polish troops defending the Polish fort were expected to resist for about 12 hours. Despite coming under fire from the air, sea and land, they held out against a force of more than 3,000 Germans for seven days." 

Wow


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## Lancaster630 (Sep 1, 2009)

to all those killed in these opening moments and for the rest of the war  lest we forget


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## Ferdinand Foch (Sep 2, 2009)

Should have done this yesterday.  To all those who lost their lives in Poland during the German/ Soviet invasion. Least we forget.


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## v2 (Sep 3, 2009)

B-17engineer said:


> "The 182 Polish troops defending the Polish fort were expected to resist for about 12 hours. Despite coming under fire from the air, sea and land, they held out against a force of more than 3,000 Germans for seven days."
> 
> Wow



Capt. Ignacy Skowron - one of three still living defenders of Westerplatte in 1939...


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## v2 (Sep 7, 2009)

syscom3 said:


> Heres the Polish girl that might be considered as being among the first civilian casualties of the war.
> 
> Theres a story about this picture at:
> 
> ...



Kazimiera Mika in 1939 with Julien Bryen and in 2009 in Warsaw....


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## Lucky13 (Sep 7, 2009)




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## syscom3 (Sep 7, 2009)

Thank you very much V2. I am glad she survived the war. I first saw that picture nearly 38 years ago and have always remembered it.


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