The Invasion of Poland, also known as the September Campaign or 1939 Defensive War, was an invasion of Poland by Nazi Germany, the Soviet Union, and a small Slovak contingent that marked the start of World War II. The invasion began on 1 September 1939, one week after the signing of the Molotov- Ribbentrop Pact, and ended 6 October 1939 with Germany and the Soviet Union dividing and annexing the whole of Poland.
I just started reading "A Question of Honor", which gives the obligatory couple of chapters of history leading up to the invasion of Poland and the mass exodus of Polish armed forces personnel (notably, in this case, their Air Forces). I'd always read that their Air Force was wiped out within three days, but never really knew the numbers behind that. With any less professional and skilled pilots, they would have been wiped out within three hours. They were up against something like 9 or 10 times the forces Germany was able to put in the air, and still kicked some major butt! Its a tragedy what France and Britain did with these guys when they volunteered to join and kick Nazi butt.
A superb post -- thank you. Poland was NOT a walk-in-the park or a cheap victory for the Werhmarcht. I am posting shortly a collection of Life magazine covers
from Germany 1939-40. The smugness of the Hitler gang really hits you and contrasts with the orchestrated violence of the German footage in this thread.