All German troops sent to Poland 1939. Polish campaign of the Red Army (RKKA)

On September 17, 1939, the Soviet invasion of Poland took place. The USSR was not alone in this aggression. Earlier, on September 1, by mutual agreement with the USSR, troops invaded Poland. Nazi Germany and this date marked the beginning of the Second World War.

It would seem that the whole world condemned Hitler's aggression, England and France about " they revealed the war to Germany as a result of allied obligations, but they were in no hurry to enter the war, fearing its growth and hoping for a miracle. We will find out later that the Second World War had already begun, and then ... then the politicians still hoped for something.

So Hitler attacked Poland and Poland from last strength fighting with the troops of the Wehrmacht. England and France condemned the Nazi invasion and declared war on Germany, that is, they sided with Poland. Two weeks later, another country, the USSR, invades Poland, with the last of its strength, repelling the aggression of Nazi Germany, from the east.

War on two fronts!

That is, the USSR, at the very beginning of the world fire, decided to take the side of Germany. Then, after the victory over Poland, the allies (USSR and Germany) will celebrate a joint victory and hold a joint military parade in Brest, spilling trophy champagne from the captured wine cellars of Poland. There are newsreels. And on September 17, Soviet troops moved from their western borders deep into the territory of Poland towards the "fraternal" troops of the Wehrmacht to Warsaw, engulfed in fire. Warsaw will still continue to defend until the end of September, confronting two strong aggressors and will fall in an unequal struggle.

The date of September 17, 1939 was marked by the entry of the USSR into World War II on the side of Nazi Germany. Later, after the victory over Germany, history will be rewritten and real facts will be hushed up, and the entire population of the USSR will sincerely believe that the "Great Patriotic War"began on June 22, 1941, and then .... then the countries anti-Hitler coalition received a severe blow and the world balance of power was sharply shaken.

September 17, 2010 was the 71st anniversary of the Soviet invasion of Poland. How did this event go in Poland:

Some history and facts

Heinz Guderian (center) and Semyon Krivoshein (right) watching the passage of the Wehrmacht and the Red Army troops during the transfer of Brest-Litovsk on September 22, 1939 to the Soviet administration

September 1939
Meeting of Soviet and German troops in the Lublin region

They were the first

who met the Nazi war machine with an open face - the Polish military command.The first heroes of World War II:

Commander-in-Chief of the VP Marshal Edward Rydz-Smigly

Brigadier General Vaclav Stakhevich, Chief of the General Staff of the VP

Armor General VP Kazimierz Sosnkowski

Divisional General VP Kazimierz Fabricy

Divisional General VP Tadeusz Kutsheba

The entry of the Red Army forces into the territory of Poland

At 5 am on September 17, 1939, the troops of the Belarusian and Ukrainian fronts crossed the Polish-Soviet border along its entire length and attacked the checkpoints of the KOP. Thus, the USSR violated at least four international agreements:

• Riga Peace Treaty of 1921 on Soviet-Polish borders
• The Litvinov Protocol, or the Eastern Pact on the Renunciation of War
• Soviet-Polish non-aggression pact of January 25, 1932, extended in 1934 until the end of 1945
• The London Convention of 1933, containing the definition of aggression, and which the USSR signed on July 3, 1933

The governments of England and France handed in Moscow notes of protest against the undisguised aggression of the USSR against Poland, rejecting all of Molotov's justifying arguments. On September 18, the London Times described the event as "a stab in the back of Poland." At the same time, articles began to appear explaining the actions of the USSR as having an anti-German orientation (!!!)

The advancing units of the Red Army practically did not meet the resistance of the border units. To top it all, Marshal Edward Rydz-Smigly gave the so-called. "Directive of General Content", which was read out on the radio:

Quote: The Soviets have invaded. I order to carry out a withdrawal to Romania and Hungary by the shortest routes. Do not conduct hostilities with the Soviets, only in the event of an attempt on their part to disarm our units. The task for Warsaw and Modlin, which must defend themselves against the Germans, is unchanged. The units, to which the Soviets have approached, must negotiate with them in order to withdraw the garrisons to Romania, or Hungary ...

The directive of the commander in chief led to the disorientation of the majority of the Polish military personnel, and their mass capture. In connection with the Soviet aggression, the President of Poland, Ignacy Mościcki, while in the town of Kosiv, addressed the people. He accused the USSR of violating all legal and moral norms and called on the Poles to maintain firmness of spirit and courage in the fight against soulless barbarians. Mościcki also announced the transfer of the residence of the President of the Republic of Poland and all supreme bodies authorities "into the territory of one of our allies". On the evening of September 17, the President and the Government of the Republic of Poland, headed by Prime Minister Felician Skladkovsky, crossed the Romanian border. And after midnight on September 17 / 18 - Commander-in-Chief of the Air Force Marshal Edward Rydz-Smigly. It was also possible to evacuate 30,000 troops to Romania and 40,000 to Hungary. Including a motorized brigade, a battalion of railway sappers and a police battalion "Golendzinow".

Despite the order of the commander-in-chief, many Polish units entered into battle with the advancing units of the Red Army. Particularly stubborn resistance was put up by part of the VP during the defense of Vilna, Grodno, Lvov (which defended itself from the Germans from September 12 to 22, and also from the Red Army from September 18) and near Sarny. On September 29-30, a battle took place near Shatsk between the 52nd Infantry Division and the retreating units of the Polish troops.

War on two fronts

The invasion of the USSR sharply worsened the already catastrophic situation Polish army. Under the new conditions, the main burden of resistance to the German troops fell on the Central Front of Tadeusz Piskor. On September 17-26, two battles near Tomaszow-Lubelski took place - the largest in the September campaign after the battle on Bzura. The task was to break through the German barrier in Rawa-Ruska, blocking the way to Lviv (3 infantry and 2 tank divisions of the 7th Army Corps of General Leonard Wecker). During the hardest battles waged by the 23rd and 55th infantry divisions, as well as the Warsaw tank-motorized brigade of Colonel Stefan Rowiecki, it was not possible to break through the German defenses. Huge losses were also suffered by the 6th Infantry Division and the Krakow Cavalry Brigade. On September 20, 1939, General Tadeusz Piskor announced the surrender of the Central Front. More than 20 thousand Polish soldiers were captured (including Tadeusz Piskor himself).

Now the main forces of the Wehrmacht were concentrated against the Polish Northern Front.

On September 23, a new battle began near Tomaszow-Lubelski. northern front was in difficult situation. From the west, the 7th Army Corps of Leonard Vecker pressed on him, and from the east - the troops of the Red Army. Parts of the Southern Front of General Kazimierz Sosnkovsky at that time tried to break through to the encircled Lvov, inflicting a number of defeats on the German troops. However, on the outskirts of Lvov, they were stopped by the Wehrmacht and suffered heavy losses. After the news of the surrender of Lvov on September 22, the troops of the front received an order to split into small groups and make their way to Hungary. However, not all groups managed to reach the Hungarian border. General Kazimierz Sosnkowski himself was cut off from the main parts of the front in the Bzhukhovits area. In civilian clothes, he managed to pass through the territory occupied by Soviet troops. First to Lviv, and then, through the Carpathians, to Hungary. September 23 was one of the last equestrian battles during the Second World War. The 25th regiment of the Wielkopolska Lancers, Lieutenant Colonel Bogdan Stakhlevsky, attacked the German cavalry in Krasnobrud and captured the city.

On September 20, Soviet troops crushed the last pockets of resistance in Vilna. About 10,000 Polish soldiers were taken prisoner. In the morning, the tank units of the Belorussian Front (the 27th tank brigade of the 15th tank corps from the 11th army) launched an offensive on Grodno and crossed the Neman. Despite the fact that at least 50 tanks took part in the assault, they failed to take the city on the move. Some of the tanks were destroyed (the defenders of the city widely used Molotov cocktails), and the rest retreated behind the Neman. Grodno was defended by very small units of the local garrison. All the main forces a few days earlier became part of the 35th Infantry Division and were transferred to the defense of Lvov, besieged by the Germans. Volunteers (including scouts) joined the garrison units.

The troops of the Ukrainian Front began preparations for the assault on Lvov, scheduled for the morning of September 21. Meanwhile, power went out in the besieged city. By evening, the German troops received Hitler's order to move 10 km away from Lvov. Since, under the agreement, the city departed to the USSR. The Germans made one last attempt to change this situation. The command of the Wehrmacht again demanded that the Poles surrender the city no later than 10 hours on September 21: “If you surrender Lviv to us, you will remain in Europe, if you surrender to the Bolsheviks, you will become Asia forever”. On the night of September 21, the German units that besieged the city began to withdraw. After negotiations with the Soviet command, General Vladislav Langner decided to surrender Lvov. He was supported by most of the officers.

The end of September and the beginning of October marked the end of the independent Polish state. Until September 28, Warsaw defended, until September 29 - Modlin. On October 2, the defense of Hel was completed. The defenders of Kock were the last to lay down their arms on October 6, 1939.

This ended the armed resistance of the regular units of the Polish Army in Poland. For further struggle against Germany and its allies were created armed formations made up of Polish citizens:

• Polish Armed Forces in the West
• Anders Army (2nd Polish Corps)
• Polish armed forces in the USSR (1943 - 1944)

The results of the war

As a result of the aggression of Germany and the USSR, the Polish state ceased to exist. September 28, 1939, immediately after the capitulation of Warsaw, in violation of the Hague Convention of October 18, 1907). Germany and the USSR determined the Soviet-German border on the territory of Poland occupied by them. The German plan was to create a puppet "Polish residual state" Reststaat within the borders of the Kingdom of Poland and Western Galicia. However, this plan was not accepted due to Stalin's disagreement. Who was not satisfied with the existence of any kind of Polish state entity.

The new border basically coincided with the "Curzon Line", recommended in 1919 by the Paris Peace Conference as the eastern border of Poland, since it demarcated areas densely populated by Poles, on the one hand, and Ukrainians and Belarusians, on the other.

The territories east of the Western Bug and San rivers were annexed to the Ukrainian SSR and the Byelorussian SSR. This increased the territory of the USSR by 196 thousand km², and the population - by 13 million people.

Germany expanded the borders of East Prussia, moving them close to Warsaw, and included the area up to the city of Lodz, renamed Litzmannstadt, in the Wart region, which occupied the territories of the old Poznanshchina. On October 8, 1939, by Hitler's decree, Poznan, Pomeranian, Silesian, Lodz, part of the Kielce and Warsaw voivodeships, where about 9.5 million people lived, were proclaimed German lands and annexed to Germany.

The small remnant Polish state was declared the "Governor General of the Occupied Polish Regions" under the German authorities, which a year later became known as the "Governor General of the German Empire". Krakow became its capital. Any independent policy of Poland ceased.

On October 6, 1939, speaking in the Reichstag, Hitler publicly announced the termination of the 2nd Commonwealth and the division of its territory between Germany and the USSR. In this regard, he turned to France and England with a proposal for peace. On October 12, this proposal was rejected by Neville Chamberlain at a meeting of the House of Commons.

Side losses

Germany- During the campaign, the Germans, according to various sources, lost 10-17 thousand killed, 27-31 thousand wounded, 300-3500 people missing.

the USSR - Combat losses The Red Army during the Polish campaign of 1939, according to the Russian historian Mikhail Meltyukhov, amounted to 1173 people killed, 2002 wounded and 302 missing. As a result of the hostilities, 17 tanks, 6 aircraft, 6 guns and mortars, and 36 vehicles were also lost.

According to Polish historians, the Red Army lost about 2,500 soldiers, 150 armored vehicles and 20 aircraft killed.

Poland- According to post-war studies by the Bureau of Military Losses, more than 66,000 Polish military personnel (including 2,000 officers and 5 generals) died in battles with the Wehrmacht. 133 thousand were wounded, and 420 thousand were captured by the Germans.

Polish losses in battles with the Red Army are not exactly known. Meltyukhov gives figures of 3,500 killed, 20,000 missing and 454,700 captured. According to the Polish Military Encyclopedia, 250,000 servicemen were taken prisoner by the Soviets. Almost the entire officer corps (about 21,000 people) was subsequently shot by the NKVD.

Myths that arose after the Polish campaign

The war of 1939 over the years has acquired myths and legends. This was the result of Nazi and Soviet propaganda, falsification of history and the lack of free access of Polish and foreign historians to archival materials during the time of the PPR. Some works of literature and art also played a decisive role in the creation of enduring myths.

"Polish cavalrymen in desperation rushed to the tanks with sabers"

Perhaps the most popular and tenacious of all myths. It arose immediately after the Battle of Kroyanty, in which the 18th regiment of the Pomeranian Lancers, Colonel Kazimierz Mastalezh, attacked the 2nd motorized battalion of the 76th motorized regiment of the 20th motorized division of the Wehrmacht. Despite the defeat, the regiment completed its task. The attack of the lancers brought confusion to the general course German offensive, knocked down his pace and disorganized the troops. It took the Germans some time to resume their advance. They never managed to get to the crossings that day. In addition, this attack had on the enemy and a certain psychological impact mentioned by Heinz Guderian.

The very next day, Italian correspondents who were in the combat area, referring to the testimonies of German soldiers, wrote that "Polish cavalrymen rushed with sabers to tanks." Some "eyewitnesses" claimed that the lancers cut down tanks with sabers, believing that they were made of paper. In 1941, the Germans filmed the propaganda film Kampfgeschwader Lützow on this subject. Even Andrzej Wajda did not escape the propaganda stamp in his “Lotna” of 1958 (the picture was criticized by war veterans).

The Polish cavalry fought on horseback but used infantry tactics. It was armed with machine guns and 75 and 35 mm carbines, Bofors anti-tank guns, a small number of Bofors 40 mm anti-aircraft guns, as well as a small number of UR 1935 anti-tank rifles. Of course, the cavalrymen carried sabers and lances, but these weapons were used only in mounted battles. Throughout the September campaign, there was not a single case of an attack by the Polish cavalry on German tanks. It should be noted, however, that there were moments when the cavalry rushed at a fast gallop in the direction of the tanks attacking it. With one single purpose - to pass them as quickly as possible.

"Polish aviation was destroyed on the ground in the first days of the war"

In fact, just before the start of the war, almost all aviation was relocated to small camouflaged airfields. The Germans managed to destroy only training and auxiliary aircraft on the ground. For two whole weeks, inferior to the Luftwaffe in numbers and quality of vehicles, Polish aviation inflicted significant losses on them. After the end of the fighting, many Polish pilots moved to France and England, where they joined the flight crew of the Allied Air Force and continued the war (having already shot down a lot of German aircraft during the Battle of England)

"Poland did not put up proper resistance to the enemy and quickly surrendered"

In fact, the Wehrmacht, surpassing the Polish Army in all major military indicators, received a strong and completely unplanned OKW rebuff. The German army lost about 1,000 tanks and armored vehicles (almost 30% of the total), 370 guns, over 10,000 military vehicles (about 6,000 vehicles and 5,500 motorcycles). The Luftwaffe lost over 700 aircraft (about 32% of the entire composition participating in the campaign).

Losses in manpower amounted to 45,000 killed and wounded. According to Hitler's personal confession, the Wehrmacht infantry "... did not live up to the hopes placed on it."

A significant number of German weapons received such damage that they needed major repairs. And the intensity of the hostilities was such that ammunition and other ammunition was enough for only two weeks.

In terms of time, the Polish campaign turned out to be only a week shorter than the French one. Although the forces of the Anglo-French coalition significantly outnumbered the Polish Army both in numbers and weapons. Moreover, the unforeseen delay of the Wehrmacht in Poland allowed the Allies to more seriously prepare for the German attack.

Read also about the heroic, which the Poles were the first to take on.

Quote: Immediately after the invasion of Poland on September 17, 1939, "" ... the Red Army committed a series of violence, murders, robberies and other lawlessness, both in relation to the captured units and in relation to the civilian population" "[http://www .krotov.info/libr_min/m/mackiew.html Józef Mackiewicz. "Katyn", Ed. Zarya, Canada, 1988] In total, according to general estimates, about 2,500 military and police personnel were killed, as well as several hundred civilians. Andrzej Frischke. "Poland. The fate of the country and the people 1939 - 1989, Warsaw, published by Iskra, 2003, p. 25, ISBN 83-207-1711-6] At the same time, the commanders of the Red Army called on the people to "beat the officers and generals" (from the appeal of Commander Semyon Timoshenko) [http://www.krotov.info/libr_min/m/mackiew.html] Polish servicemen who managed to find themselves in the West testified to the British military counterintelligence, which was carefully recorded and now constitutes a huge archive.

“When we were taken prisoner, we were ordered to put our hands up and so they drove us at a run of two kilometers. During the search, we were stripped naked, grabbing everything that was of any value ... after which they drove for 30 km, without rest and water. Who was weaker and did not keep up, he received a blow with a rifle butt, fell to the ground, and if he could not get up, they pinned him with a bayonet. I saw four such cases. I remember exactly that Captain Ksheminsky from Warsaw was shoved several times with a bayonet, and when he fell, another Soviet a soldier shot him twice in the head…" (from the testimony of a KOP soldier) [http://www.krotov.info/libr_min/m/mackiew.html Yuzef Matskevich. "Katyn", Ed. "Dawn", Canada, 1988] ]

The most serious war crimes of the Red Army took place in Rogatin, where prisoners of war were brutally murdered along with the civilian population (the so-called "Rogatin Massacre") Vladislav Pobug-Malinovsky. "The Recent Political History of Poland. 1939 - 1945", ed. "Platan", Krakow, 2004, volume 3, p. 107, ISBN 83-89711-10-9] Katyn crime in documents. London, 1975, pp. 9-11]] Wojciech Roszkowski. "Modern history of Poland 1914 - 1945". Warsaw, "The World of the Book", 2003, pp. 344-354, 397-410 (vol. 1) ISBN 83-7311-991-4] Vladislav Pobug-Malinovsky. "The Recent Political History of Poland. 1939 - 1945", ed. "Platan", Krakow, 2004, volume 3, p. 107, ISBN 83-89711-10-9] "...Terror and murders took on enormous proportions in Grodno, where 130 schoolchildren and cadets were killed, wounded defencists fought on the spot 12-year-old Tadzik Yasinsky was tied to a tank and dragged along the pavement. After the occupation of Grodno, repressions began; those arrested were shot on Dog Mountain and in the Secret Grove. A wall of corpses lay on the square near Fara ... Yulian Sedletsky. "The fate of the Poles in the USSR in 1939 - 1986", London, 1988, pp. 32-34] Karol Liszewski. "Polish-Soviet War 1939", London, Polish Cultural Foundation, 1986, ISBN 0-85065-170-0 (The monograph contains a detailed description of the battles on the entire Polish-Soviet front and the testimony of witnesses about the war crimes of the USSR in September 1939)] Institute of the National Memory of Poland. Investigation into the fact of the massacre of civilians and military defenders of Grodno by the Red Army soldiers, NKVD officers and saboteurs 22.09.39]

“At the end of September 1939, a part of the Polish army entered into battle with a Soviet unit in the vicinity of Vilna. The Bolsheviks sent truce with a proposal to lay down their arms, guaranteeing freedom and return home in return. The commander of the Polish unit believed these assurances and ordered to lay down their arms. The entire detachment immediately surrounded, and the liquidation of officers began ... "(from the testimony of a Polish soldier JL dated April 24, 1943) [http://www.krotov.info/libr_min/m/mackiew.html Józef Mackiewicz. "Katyn", Ed. "Dawn", Canada, 1988] ]

"I myself witnessed the capture of Ternopil. I saw how Soviet soldiers hunted Polish officers. For example, one of the two soldiers passing by me, leaving his comrade, rushed in the opposite direction, and when asked where he was in a hurry, answered: “I’ll be back now, I’ll just kill that bourgeois,” and pointed to a man in an officer’s overcoat without insignia ... "(from the testimony of a Polish soldier on the crimes of the Red Army in Ternopil) [http://www.krotov.info/libr_min/m/mackiew.html Yuzef Matskevich. "Katyn", Publishing House "Zarya", Canada, 1988]]

"Soviet troops entered at about four o'clock in the afternoon and immediately began a brutal massacre and brutal abuse of the victims. They killed not only the police and the military, but also the so-called "bourgeois", including women and children. Those military who escaped death and whom only disarmed, it was ordered to lie down in a wet meadow outside the city. There were about 800 people. Machine guns were installed in such a way that they could shoot low above the ground. Those who raised their heads perished. They kept them like that all night. The next day they were driven to Stanislavov and from there deep into Soviet Russia..." (from the testimony on the "Rogatin Massacre") [http://www.krotov.info/libr_min/m/mackiew.html Yuzef Matskevich. "Katyn", Publishing House "Zarya", Canada, 1988]]

"On September 22, during the battles for Grodno, at about 10 o'clock, the commander of the communications platoon, junior lieutenant Dubovik, received an order to escort 80-90 prisoners to the rear. Having moved 1.5-2 km from the city, Dubovik interrogated the prisoners in order to identify the officers and persons who took participation in the murder of the Bolsheviks.Promising to release the prisoners, he sought confessions and shot 29 people.The rest of the prisoners were returned to Grodno.This was known to the command of the 101st Infantry Regiment of the 4th Infantry Division, but no action was taken against Dubovik. Moreover, the commander of the 3rd battalion, Senior Lieutenant Tolochko, gave a direct order to shoot the officers ... "Meltyukhov M.I. [http://militera.lib.ru/research/meltyukhov2/index.html Soviet-Polish wars. Military-political confrontation 1918-1939] M., 2001.] end of quote

Often, Polish units surrendered, succumbing to the promises of freedom, which they were guaranteed by the commanders of the Red Army. In fact, these promises were never kept. As, for example, in Polissya, where some of the 120 officers were shot, and the rest were sent deep into the USSR [http://www.krotov.info/libr_min/m/mackiew.html Yuzef Matskevich. "Katyn", Ed. "Zarya", Canada, 1988]] On September 22, 1939, the commander of the defense of Lvov, General Vladislav Langner, signed an act of surrender, providing for the unhindered passage of military and police units to the Romanian border immediately after they lay down their arms. This agreement was violated by the Soviet side. All Polish servicemen and policemen were arrested and taken to the USSR. Wojciech Roszkowski. "Modern history of Poland 1914 - 1945". Warsaw, "The World of the Book", 2003, pp. 344-354, 397-410 (vol. 1) ISBN 83-7311-991-4]

The command of the Red Army did the same with the defenders of Brest. Moreover, all the captured border guards of the 135th KOP regiment were shot on the spot by Wojciech Roszkowski. "Modern history of Poland 1914 - 1945". Warsaw, "The World of the Book", 2003, pp. 344-354, 397-410 (vol. 1) ISBN 83-7311-991-4]

One of the most serious war crimes of the Red Army was committed in the Great Bridges on the territory of the School of sub-officers of the state police. At that time in this largest and most modern police station educational institution Poland were about 1,000 cadets. The commandant of the School, Inspector Vitold Dunin-Vonsovich, gathered the cadets and teachers on the parade ground and gave a report to the arriving NKVD officer. After that, the latter ordered to open fire from machine guns. Everyone died, including the commandant

Massacre of General Olshina-Vilchinsky

On September 11, 2002, the Institute of National Remembrance launched an investigation into the circumstances tragic death General Józef Olszyna-Wilczynski and Captain Mieczysław Strzemeski (Act S 6/02/Zk). During inquiries in Polish and Soviet archives, the following was established:

"On September 22, 1939, the former commander of the Grodno task force, General Jozef Olshina-Vilchinsky, his wife Alfreda, adjutant artillery captain Mechislav Strzemesky, the driver and his assistant ended up in the town of Sopotskin near Grodno. Here they were stopped by the crews of two tanks of the Red Army. The tankers ordered everyone to leave the car. The general's wife was taken to a nearby shed, where there were already more than a dozen other people. After which both Polish officers were shot on the spot. From the photocopies of Soviet archival materials in the Central Military Archive in Warsaw, it follows that on September 22, 1939, in near Sopotskin, a motorized detachment of the 2nd tank brigade of the 15th tank corps entered into battle with the Polish troops. The corps was part of the Dzerzhinsky cavalry-mechanized group of the Belorussian Front, commanded by commander Ivan Boldin ... "[http://www.pl.indymedia .org/pl/2005/07/15086.shtml

The investigation identified the persons directly responsible for this crime. This is the commander of a motorized detachment, Major Fedor Chuvakin and Commissar Polikarp Grigorenko. There are also testimonies of witnesses to the murder of Polish officers - the wife of General Alfreda Staniszewska, the driver of the car and his assistant, as well as local residents. On September 26, 2003, a request was submitted to the Military Prosecutor's Office of the Russian Federation for assistance in the investigation into the murder of General Olszyna-Wilchinsky and Captain Mieczysław Strzemeski (as a crime that does not have a statute of limitations in accordance with the Hague Convention of October 18, 1907). In the response of the Military Prosecutor's Office to the Polish side, it was stated that in this case we are talking not a war crime, but a common law crime that has already expired. The arguments of the prosecutor's office were rejected as having the sole purpose of stopping the Polish investigation. However, the refusal of the Military Prosecutor's Office to cooperate made further investigation pointless. On May 18, 2004, it was terminated. [http://www.pl.indymedia.org/pl/2005/07/15086.shtml Act S6/02/Zk - investigation into the assassination of General Olszyna-Wilczynski and Captain Mieczysław Strzemeski, Institute of National Remembrance of Poland]]

Why did Lech Kaczynski die?... The Polish Law and Justice Party, led by President Lech Kaczynski, is preparing a response to Vladimir Putin. The first step against "Russian propaganda praising Stalin" should be a resolution equating the Soviet invasion of Poland in 1939 with fascist aggression.

Officially, the Polish conservatives from the Law and Justice Party (PiS) proposed to equate the invasion of Soviet troops in Poland in 1939 with fascist aggression. The most representative party in the Sejm, to which Polish President Lech Kaczynski also belongs, submitted a draft resolution on Thursday.

According to Polish conservatives, every day of glorifying Stalin in the spirit of Soviet propaganda is an insult to the Polish state, the victims of World War II in Poland and around the world. To prevent this, they call on the leadership of the Sejm "to call on the Polish government to take steps to counter the falsification of history."

“We insist on revealing the truth,” Rzeczpospolita quotes the statement of the official representative of the faction, Mariusz Blaszczak. “Fascism and communism are the two great totalitarian regimes of the 20th century, and their leaders are responsible for the outbreak of World War II and its aftermath. The Red Army brought death and ruin to Polish territory. Its plans included genocide, murder, rape, looting and other forms of persecution,” the proposed PiS resolution says.

Blaszczak is sure that the date of September 17, 1939, when the Soviet troops entered Poland, until that time was not as well known as September 1, 1939 - the day of the invasion of the Nazi troops: “Thanks to the efforts of Russian propaganda, falsifying history, it remains so to this day”.

When asked whether the adoption of this document would harm Polish-Russian relations, Blashak spoke in the spirit that there would be nothing to harm. In Russia, "slander campaigns" are being waged against Poland, in which government agencies, including the FSB, take part, and official Warsaw "should put an end to this."

However, the passage of the document through the Sejm is unlikely.

The deputy head of the PiS faction, Gregory Dolnyak, generally opposed the draft resolution being made public until his group managed to agree on the text of the statement with the rest of the factions. “We must first try to agree on any resolution of historical content among us, and then make it public,” Rzeczpospolita quotes him.

His fears are justified. The ruling coalition, led by Prime Minister Donald Tusk's Civic Platform party, is frankly skeptical.

Deputy Speaker of the Parliament Stefan Nesiolowski, representing the Civic Platform, called the resolution "stupid, untruthful and detrimental to Poland's interests." “It does not correspond to the truth that the Soviet occupation was the same as the German one, it was softer. It also does not correspond to the truth that the Soviets carried out ethnic cleansing, the Germans did it,” he said in an interview with Gazeta Wyborcza.

In the socialist camp, they also categorically oppose the resolution. As Tadeusz Iwinski, deputy of the Left Forces and Democrats bloc, noted to the same publication, the LSD considers the draft resolution “anti-historical and provocative.” Poland and Russia succeeded in Lately to bring closer positions on the question of the role of the USSR in the destruction of the Polish state in 1939. In an article in Gazeta Wyborcza, timed to coincide with the 70th anniversary of the start of the war, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin called the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact "morally unacceptable" and had "no prospects from the point of view of practical implementation", not forgetting to reproach the historians who write for the sake of "momentary political conjuncture". The idyllic picture was blurred when, at the memorial celebrations at the Westerplatte near Gdansk, Prime Minister Putin compared attempts to understand the causes of World War II to "picking in a moldy bun." At the same time, Polish President Kaczynski announced that in 1939 “Bolshevik Russia” had stabbed his country in the back, and unequivocally accused the Red Army, which occupied the eastern Polish lands, of persecuting the Poles on ethnic grounds.

The Nuremberg military tribunal sentenced: Goering, Ribbentrop, Keitel, Kaltenbrunner, Rosenberg, Frank, Frick, Streicher, Sauckel, Jodl, Seyss-Inquart, Bormann (in absentia) - to death by hanging.

Hess, Funk, Reder - to life imprisonment.

Schirach, Speer - to 20, Neurath - to 15, Doenitz - to 10 years in prison.

Fritsche, Papen, Schacht were acquitted. Handed over to the court, Ley hanged himself in prison shortly before the start of the trial, Krup (the industrialist) was declared terminally ill, and the case was dismissed.

After the Control Council for Germany rejected the petitions of the convicts for clemency, those sentenced to death on the night of October 16, 1946 were hanged in Nuremberg prison (2 hours before that, G. Goering committed suicide). The Tribunal also declared the SS, SD, Gestapo, the leadership of the National Socialist Party (NDSAP) to be criminal organizations, but did not recognize the SA, the German government, the General Staff and the Wehrmacht high command as such. But a member of the tribunal from the USSR, R. A. Rudenko, declared in a “dissenting opinion” that he disagreed with the acquittal of the three defendants, spoke in favor of the death penalty against R. Hess.

The International Military Tribunal recognized aggression as the gravest crime of an international character, punished statesmen guilty of preparing, unleashing and waging aggressive wars as criminals, justly punished the organizers and executors of criminal plans to exterminate millions of people and subdue entire nations. And its principles, contained in the Charter of the Tribunal and expressed in the verdict, were confirmed by the resolution of the UN General Assembly of December 11, 1946, as universally recognized norms of international law and entered the minds of most people.

So, don't say that someone is rewriting history. It is beyond the power of man to change past history, to change what has already happened.

But it is possible to change the brains of the population by implanting political and historical hallucinations in them.

As for the accusations of the Nuremberg International Military Tribunal, don't you think that the list of the accused is not complete? Many have evaded responsibility and continue to go unpunished to this day. But it's not even about them themselves - their crimes, which are presented as valor, are not condemned, thereby distorting historical logic and distorting memory, replacing it with propaganda lies.

"You can't trust anyone's word, comrades.... (Stormy applause)." (I.V. Stalin. From speeches.)

Original taken from procol_harum September 17, 1939 - Soviet attack on Poland

Many people don't know this at all. And with time more less people remains who know about it. And there are others who believe that Poland attacked Germany on September 1, 1939, unleashed World War 2, but they are silent about the USSR. In general, there is no science of history. Think the way someone likes or profitable to think.

Original taken from maxim_nm How the USSR attacked Poland (photos, facts).

Exactly 78 years ago, September 17, 1939 the USSR following Nazi Germany, he attacked Poland - the Germans brought their troops from the west, this happened on September 1, 1939, and more than two weeks later, Soviet troops entered Poland from the east. The official reason for the introduction of troops was the alleged "protection of the Belarusian and Ukrainian population", which is located on the territory "of the Polish state, which revealed internal inconsistency".

A number of researchers of the events that began on September 17, 1939 are unequivocally assessed as the entry of the USSR into the Second world war on the side of the aggressor (Nazi Germany). Soviet and some Russian researchers consider these events as a separate episode.

So, in today's post - a big and interesting story about the events of September 1939, photos and stories of local residents. Go under the cut, it's interesting there)

02. It all started with the "Note of the Government of the USSR" handed over to the Polish ambassador in Moscow on the morning of September 17, 1939. I am quoting the text in full. Pay attention to speech turns, especially juicy of which I have highlighted in bold - to me personally, this is very reminiscent of modern events on the "annexation" of Crimea.

By the way, in history, in general, the aggressor himself very rarely called his actions actually "aggression." As a rule, these are "actions aimed at protection / prevention / non-admission" and so on. In short, they attacked a neighboring country in order to "nip aggression in the bud."

"Mr. Ambassador,

The Polish-German war revealed the internal failure of the Polish state. During ten days of military operations, Poland lost all its industrial areas and cultural centers. Warsaw as the capital of Poland no longer exists. The Polish government has collapsed and shows no signs of life. This means that the Polish state and its government actually ceased to exist. Thus, the treaties concluded between the USSR and Poland ceased to be valid. Left to itself and left without leadership, Poland has become a convenient field for all sorts of accidents and surprises that could pose a threat to the USSR. Therefore, having hitherto been neutral, the Soviet government cannot be more neutral in regard to these facts.

The Soviet government cannot also be indifferent to the fact that half-blooded Ukrainians and Belarusians living on the territory of Poland, left to the mercy of fate, remain defenseless. In view of this situation, the Soviet government ordered the High Command of the Red Army to order the troops to cross the border and take under their protection the lives and property of the population of Western Ukraine and Western Belarus.

At the same time, the Soviet government intends to take all measures to rescue the Polish people from the ill-fated war, into which they were thrown by their unreasonable leaders, and to give them the opportunity to live a peaceful life.

Please accept, Mr. Ambassador, the assurances of our highest consideration.

People's Commissar for Foreign Affairs of the USSR

V. Molotov."

03. In fact, immediately after the presentation of the note, the rapid entry of Soviet troops into Poland began. The Soviet Union introduced armored and armored vehicles, cavalry, infantry and artillery into the territory. In the photo - Soviet cavalry escort an artillery battery.

04. Armored car troops cross the Soviet-Polish border, the picture was taken on September 17, 1939:

05. Infantry units of the USSR in the border area. By the way, pay attention to the helmets of the fighters - these are the SSH-36 helmets, also known as the "hulkingolka". These helmets were widely used during the initial period of World War II, but in films (especially Soviet years) you almost never see them - maybe because this helmet resembles the German "Stalhelm".

06. Soviet tank BT-5 on the streets of the city http://maxim-nm.livejournal.com/42391.html, the former "behind the Polish hour" border town.

07. Shortly after the "attachment" of the eastern part of Poland to the USSR in the city of Brest (then called Brest-Litovsk), a joint parade of Wehrmacht troops and units of the Red Army took place on September 22, 1939.

08. The parade was timed to coincide with the creation of a demarcation line between the USSR and Nazi Germany, as well as the establishment of a new border.

09. Many researchers call this action not a "joint parade", but a "solemn procession", but as for me, the essence of this does not change. Guderian wanted to hold a full-fledged joint parade, but in the end agreed to the proposal of the commander of the 29th armored brigade, Krivoshein, which read: "At 16 o'clock, parts of your corps in a marching column, with standards in front, leave the city, my units, also in a marching column, enter the city, stop in the streets where German regiments pass, and salute the passing units with their banners. Bands perform military marches ". What is this if not a parade?

10. Nazi-Soviet negotiations on the "new frontier", photograph taken in Brest in September 1939:

11. New border:

12. Nazi and soviet tanks sta communicate with each other:

13. German and Soviet officers:

14. Immediately after arriving on the "attached lands", the Soviet units launched agitation and propaganda. Such stands were installed on the streets with a story about the Soviet armed forces and the advantages of living in.

15. It must be admitted that at first many local residents welcomed the Red Army soldiers with joy, but later many changed their minds about the "guests from the east." "Purges" began and the export of people to Siberia, there were also cases when a person was shot simply because there were no calluses on his hands - they say, "non-working element", "exploiter".

Here is what the inhabitants of the well-known Belarusian town told about the Soviet troops in 1939 Peace(yes, the one where the world famous castle is), quotes from the book "The World: Historical Minion, What Iago Zhykhary Told", translation into Russian is mine:
.

“When the soldiers were walking, no one gave them anything, they didn’t treat them. We asked them how they live there, do they have everything?” The soldiers answered - "Oh, we are good! We have everything there!". In Russia they said that it was bad to live in Poland. But it was good here - people had good costumes, clothes. They didn't have anything there. They took everything from Jewish stores - even those slippers that were "for death."

"The first thing that surprised Westerners was appearance Red Army soldiers, who were for them the first representatives of the "socialist paradise". When the Soviets came, you could immediately see how people live there. The clothes were bad. When they saw the "slave" of the prince, they thought that it was the prince himself, they wanted to arrest him. That's how well he was dressed - both the suit and the hat. Goncharikova and Manya Razvodovskaya walked in long coats, the soldiers began to point at them and say that "landowner's daughters" were coming.

"Shortly after the entry of troops, "socialist changes" began. They introduced a tax system. Taxes were large, some could not pay them, and those who paid were left with nothing. Polish money depreciated one day. We sold a cow, and the next day they were able to buy only 2-3 meters of fabric and shoes. The elimination of private trade led to a shortage of almost all consumer goods. When the Soviet troops arrived, at first everyone was happy, but when the night queues for bread began, they realized that everything was bad. "

“We didn’t know how people live in Russia. When the Soviets came, that was all we knew. We were glad for the Soviets. But when we lived under the Soviets, we were horrified. The deportation of people began. They will "sew" something to a person and take it out. Men were put in prisons, and their family remained alone. All those who were taken out did not return"

The original post for this post is located at

(Total 45 photos)

1. View of a Polish city not yet affected from the cockpit of a German aircraft, most likely a Heinkel He 111 P, in 1939. (Library of Congress)

2. In 1939, there were still many reconnaissance battalions in Poland that participated in the Polish-Soviet War of 1921. There were legends about the desperate Polish cavalry attacking the Nazi tank troops. Although the cavalry sometimes encountered panzer battalions on their way, their target was the infantry, and their attacks were quite often successful. Nazi and Soviet propaganda managed to fuel this myth of the famous but slow Polish cavalry. In this photo, a Polish cavalry squadron during maneuvers somewhere in Poland on April 29, 1939. (AP Photo)

3. Associated Press correspondent Alvin Steinkopf broadcasts from the Free City of Danzig, at that time a semi-autonomous city-state, part of a customs union with Poland. Steinkopf transmitted the tense situation in Danzig to America on July 11, 1939. Germany demanded the entry of Danzig into the countries of the Third Reich and, apparently, was preparing for military operations. (AP Photo)

4. Joseph Stalin (second from right) at the signing of a non-aggression pact by Foreign Minister Vyacheslav Molotov (sitting) with German Foreign Minister Joachim von Ribbentrop (third from right) in Moscow on August 23, 1939. Standing to the left is Marshal Boris Shaposhnikov, Deputy Minister of Defense and Chief of Staff of the Army. The non-aggression pact included a secret protocol dividing eastern Europe into spheres of influence in case of conflict. The pact guaranteed that Hitler's troops would meet no resistance from the USSR if they invaded Poland, which meant that the war was one step closer to reality. (AP Photo/File)

5. Two days after Germany signed the non-aggression pact with the USSR, Great Britain entered into a military alliance with Poland on August 25, 1939. This photo was taken a week later, on September 1, 1939, during one of the first military operations to invade Poland by Germany and start World War II. In this photo, the German ship Schleswig-Holstein shells a Polish military transit depot in the Free City of Danzig. At the same time, the German Air Force (Luftwaffe) and infantry (Heer) attacked several Polish targets. (AP Photo)

6. German soldiers on the Westerplatte peninsula after he surrendered to German troops from the ship "Schleswig-Holstein" on September 7, 1939. Less than 200 Polish soldiers defended the small peninsula, which held out against the German forces for seven days. (AP Photo)

7. Aerial view of the bombings during the bombing over Poland in September 1939. (LOC)

8. Two tanks of the 1st SS Panzer Division "Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler" cross the river Bzura during the invasion of Poland in September 1939. The Battle of the Bzura - the largest of the entire military campaign - lasted more than a week and ended with Germany taking most of western Poland. (LOC/Klaus Weill)

9. Soldiers of the 1st SS Panzer Division "Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler" on the side of the road on the way to Pabianice during the invasion of Poland in 1939. (LOC/Klaus Weill)

10. 10-year-old Polish girl Kazimira Mika cries over the body of her sister, who died under machine-gun fire while picking potatoes in a field near Warsaw in September 1939. (AP Photo/Julien Bryan)

11. Vanguard troops of Germany and intelligence in the Polish city under fire during the Nazi invasion of Poland in September 1939. (AP Photo)

12. German infantry advances cautiously on the outskirts of Warsaw on September 16, 1939. (AP Photo)

13. Prisoners of war with their hands up on the road during the German invasion of Poland in September 1939. (LOC)

14. British King George VI addresses his nation on the first evening of the war on September 3, 1939 in London. (AP Photo)

15. The conflict that will end with the explosion of two nuclear bombs, began with an announcement by the herald in the city center. In photo 6, herald W. T. Boston reads a declaration of war from the steps of the London Stock Exchange on September 4, 1939. (AP Photo/Putnam)

16. The crowd reads the headlines "The Bombing of Poland" in front of the US Department of State, where a conference was held on martial law in Europe, September 1, 1939. (AP Photo)

17. On September 17, 1939, the British battlecruiser HMS Courageous was hit by torpedoes from the German submarine U-29 and sank within 20 minutes. The submarine pursued the Courageous, which was on anti-war patrols off the coast of Ireland, for several hours and then fired three torpedoes. Two torpedoes hit the ship, sinking her along with 518 of her 1,259 crew. (AP Photo)

18. Devastation on the street in Warsaw March 6, 1940. The corpse of a dead horse lies among the ruins and rubble. While Warsaw was shelled almost non-stop, only on one day - September 25, 1939 - about 1150 combat aircraft flew over the Polish capital, dropping 550 tons of explosives on the city. (AP Photo)

19. German troops entered the city of Bromberg (the German name for the Polish city of Bydgoszcz) and lost several hundred of their own there from sniper fire. The snipers were supplied with weapons by the retreating Polish troops. In the photo: bodies lie on the side of the road on September 8, 1939. (AP Photo)

20. The injured Polish armored train with tanks captured by the 1st SS Panzer Division "Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler" near Blonie in September 39th. (LOC/Klaus Weill)

22. A young Pole returned to where his house once was, now in ruins, during a break in the air bombardment of Warsaw in September 39th. The Germans continued to attack the city until it surrendered on 28 September. A week later, the last Polish troops capitulated at Lublin, handing over complete control of Poland to Germany and the Soviet Union. (AP Photo/Julien Bryan)

23. Adolf Hitler welcomes Wehrmacht troops in Warsaw October 5, 1939 after the German invasion of Poland. Behind Hitler are (left to right): Colonel General Walther von Brauchitsch, Lieutenant General Friedrich von Kohenhausen, Field Marshal Gerd von Rundstedt and Field Marshal Wilhelm Keitel. (AP Photo)

24. Earlier in 1939, the Japanese army and military units continued to attack and advance into China and Mongolia. In this photo, Japanese soldiers advance further down the beach, landing at Svatov, one of the remaining ports in South China, which at that time still belonged to China, on July 10, 1939. After a brief conflict with Chinese forces, Japan entered the city without much opposition. (AP Photo)

25. On the border with Mongolia, Japanese tanks cross the vast plains of the steppe on July 21, 1939. The Manchukuo troops were fortified by the Japanese when hostilities suddenly broke out on the border with Soviet troops. (AP Photo)

26. A machine gun unit cautiously moves forward, past two Soviet armored personnel carriers abandoned in the battle near Mongolian border in July 1939. (AP Photo)

27. After the demands of the USSR to Finland remained unanswered, and he asked for some Finnish lands and the destruction of fortifications on the border, the USSR invaded Finland on November 30, 1939. 450 thousand Soviet soldiers crossed the border, starting a fierce battle, dubbed the Winter War. In this photo, a member of the Finnish anti-aircraft unit in white camouflage uniform works with a rangefinder on December 28, 1939. (AP Photo)

28. A burning house after the bombing of the Finnish port city of Turku by Soviet troops in southwestern Finland on December 27, 1939. (AP Photo)

29. Finnish soldiers run for cover during aerial bombardment "somewhere in the forests of Finland" January 19, 1940. (AP Photo)

30. Representatives of one of the Finnish ski battalions that fought with Russian soldiers, with deer on March 28, 1940. (Editor's note - the photo was retouched manually, apparently for clarity). (AP Photo)

31. Military booty - captured Soviet tanks in the snow on January 17, 1940. Finnish troops have just defeated the Soviet division. (LOC)

32. Swedish volunteer "somewhere in Northern Finland" in a protective mask at the post on February 20, 1940 in sub-zero temperatures. (AP Photo)

33. The winter of 1939-1940 was especially cold in Finland. Temperatures dropped below 40 degrees Celsius in some places in January. Frost was a constant threat, and the corpses of soldiers frozen to death were often found on the battlefield in eerie poses. This photo on January 31, 1940 shows a frozen Russian soldier. After 105 days of fighting, the USSR and Finland signed a peace treaty, according to which Finland retained sovereignty, giving 11% of the territory to the Soviet Union. (LOC)

34. The German heavy cruiser Admiral Graf Spee burns off Montevideo, Uruguay, December 19, 1939. The cruiser's crew had just been at the Battle of La Plata after three British cruisers found it and attacked it. The ship did not sink, it had to be sent to the harbor of Montevideo for repairs. Not wanting to stay under repair for a long time and not being able to go to battle, the crew took the ship out to sea and sank it. In the photo, the cruiser is a few minutes before the flood. (AP Photo)

35. Restaurant manager Fred Horak of Somerville, Massachusetts, USA, points to a sign in the window of his establishment on March 18, 1939. The inscription on the sign: "We do not serve the Germans." Horak was a native of Czechoslovakia. (AP Photo)

36. Production of Curtiss P-40 fighters, probably in Buffalo, New York, around 1939. (AP Photo)

37. While the German troops concentrated in Poland, excitement increased on the Western Front - France welcomed the British soldiers who landed near the border with Germany. In this photo, French soldiers pose in France on December 18, 1939. (AP Photo)

38. A crowd of Parisians gathered at the Sacré-Coeur Basilica on the Mormatre hill for a religious service and prayer for peace. Part of the crowd gathered outside a church in France on August 27, 1939. (AP Photo)

39. French soldiers with a coordinate manipulator on January 4, 1940. This device was one of many experiments designed to record the sound of aircraft engines and locate them. The introduction of radar technology made these devices obsolete rather quickly. (AP Photo)

40. A meeting of newspapermen on the Western Front somewhere on the Maginot Line in France on October 19, 1939. A French soldier points them to the "no man's land" separating France from Germany. (AP Photo)

41. British soldiers on the train at the first stage of the trip to western front in England on 20 September 39th. (AP Photo/Putnam)

42. London's Westminster Abbey and the Houses of Parliament, shrouded in darkness, after the first massive blackout on August 11, 1939. This was the first test power outage of the British Home Office in preparation for possible air attacks by German forces. (AP Photo)

43. A scene at London City Hall where children were reacting to respirators designed to protect against poisonous gases, March 3, 1939. Several children under the age of two were given "baby helmets". (AP Photo)

44. German chancellor and dictator Adolf Hitler inspects geographical map with generals including Heinrich Himmler (left) and Martin Bormann (right) at an undisclosed location in 1939. (AFP/Getty Images)

45. A man looks at a photograph of Johann Georg Elser on a monument in Freiburg, Germany, October 30, 2008. German citizen Elser tried to kill Adolf Hitler with a pipe bomb at the Buergerbraukeller in Munich on November 8, 1939. Hitler ended his speech early, avoiding the explosion by 13 minutes. As a result of the assassination attempt, eight people were killed, 63 were injured, and Elzer was caught and imprisoned. Shortly before the end of World War II, he was executed in the Nazi concentration camp at Dachau. (AP Photo/Winfried Rothermel)

September 1, 1939. This is the day of the beginning of the greatest catastrophe that claimed tens of millions human lives, destroyed thousands of cities and villages and eventually led to a new redistribution of the world. It was on this day that the troops of Nazi Germany crossed the western border of Poland. The Second World War began.

And on September 17, 1939, Soviet troops hit the back of defending Poland from the east. Thus began the last partition of Poland, which was the result of a criminal conspiracy between the two greatest totalitarian regimes XX century - Nazi and communist. The joint parade of Soviet and Nazi troops on the streets of the occupied Polish Brest in 1939 became a shameful symbol of this collusion.

Before the storm

The end of the First World War and the Treaty of Versailles created even more contradictions and points of tension in Europe than before. And if you add to this the rapid strengthening of the communist Soviet Union, which, in fact, was turned into a giant weapons factory, then it becomes clear - new war on the European continent was practically inevitable.

After the First World War, Germany was crushed and humiliated: it was forbidden to have a normal army and navy, it lost significant territories, huge reparations caused economic collapse and poverty. Such a policy of the victorious states was extremely short-sighted: it was clear that the Germans, a talented, hardworking and energetic nation, would not tolerate such humiliation and would strive for revenge. And so it happened: in 1933, Hitler came to power in Germany.

Poland and Germany

After graduation great war Poland regained its statehood. In addition, the Polish state is still seriously "grown up" with new lands. Part of Poznan and the Pomeranian lands, which had previously been part of Prussia, went to Poland. Danzig received the status of a "free city". Part of Silesia became part of Poland, the Poles seized part of Lithuania by force along with Vilnius.

Poland, together with Germany, took part in the annexation of Czechoslovakia, which in no way can be attributed to deeds that should be proud of. In 1938, the Teszyn region was annexed under the pretext of protecting the Polish population.

In 1934, a ten-year non-aggression pact was signed between the countries, and a year later, an agreement on economic cooperation. In general, it should be noted that with the advent of Hitler to power, German-Polish relations improved significantly. But it didn't last long.

In March 1939, Germany demanded that Poland return Danzig to it, join the Anti-Comintern Pact and provide a land corridor for Germany to the Baltic coast. Poland did not accept this ultimatum and early in the morning on September 1, German troops crossed the Polish border, Operation Weiss began.

Poland and the USSR

Relations between Russia and Poland have traditionally been difficult. After the end of the First World War, Poland gained independence and almost immediately the Soviet-Polish war began. Fortune was changeable: first, the Poles reached Kiev and Minsk, and then the Soviet troops reached Warsaw. But then there was the "miracle on the Vistula" and the complete defeat of the Red Army.

According to the Riga Peace Treaty, the western parts of Belarus and Ukraine were part of the Polish state. The new eastern border of the country passed along the so-called Curzon Line. In the early 1930s, a treaty of friendship and cooperation and a non-aggression agreement were signed. But, despite this, Soviet propaganda painted Poland as one of the main enemies of the USSR.

Germany and USSR

Relations between the USSR and Germany in the period between the two world wars were contradictory. Already in 1922, an agreement was signed on cooperation between the Red Army and the Reichswehr. Germany had serious restrictions under the Treaty of Versailles. Therefore, part of the development of new weapons systems and the training of personnel was carried out by the Germans on the territory of the USSR. A flight school was opened and tank school, among the graduates of which were the best German tankers and pilots of the Second World War.

After Hitler came to power, relations between the two countries deteriorated, military-technical cooperation was curtailed. Germany again began to be portrayed by official Soviet propaganda as an enemy of the USSR.

On August 23, 1939, the Non-Aggression Pact between Germany and the USSR was signed in Moscow. In fact, in this document, the two dictators Hitler and Stalin divided between themselves Eastern Europe. According to the secret protocol of this document, the territories of the Baltic countries, as well as Finland, parts of Romania were included in the sphere of interests of the USSR. Eastern Poland belonged to the Soviet sphere of influence, and its western part was to go to Germany.

Attack

On September 1, 1939, German aircraft began bombing Polish cities, and ground troops crossed the border. The invasion was preceded by several provocations on the border. The invasion force consisted of five army groups and a reserve. Already on September 9, the Germans reached Warsaw, and the battle for the Polish capital began, which lasted until September 20.

On September 17, practically without resistance, Soviet troops entered Poland from the east. This immediately made the position of the Polish troops almost hopeless. On September 18, the Polish high command crossed the Romanian border. Separate pockets of Polish resistance remained until the beginning of October, but it was already agony.

Part of the Polish territories, which were previously part of Prussia, went to Germany, and the rest was divided into governor-generals. Polish territories occupied by the USSR became part of Ukraine and Belarus.

Poland suffered huge losses during World War II. The invaders banned the Polish language, all national educational and cultural institutions, newspapers were closed. Representatives of the Polish intelligentsia and Jews were massively exterminated. In the territories occupied by the USSR, Soviet punitive bodies worked tirelessly. Tens of thousands of captured Polish officers were destroyed in Katyn and other similar places. Poland lost about 6 million people during the war.

He demanded that Poland cede the port of Gdansk and provide Germany with free communication with the enclave of East Prussia along the highway and railway. Hitler also ordered the occupation of the port of Memel (now Klaipeda), located in Lithuania near the Prussian border. France and Great Britain, realizing that their previous policy of appeasement (see the article on the Munich Agreement) did not bring results, on March 31, 1939 warned Hitler that they would intercede for Poland if Germany dared to attack her.

Stalin was alarmed by the deteriorating international situation no less than France and England. In April 1939, he proposed that these two countries enter into an alliance with the USSR in order to prevent German-Italian expansion. Talk about him lasted all summer, but did not give results. The parties equally did not trust each other, and Poland refused to provide its territory for the deployment of Soviet soldiers. Realizing the inevitability of an armed conflict, France and Great Britain tried to speed up their rearmament.

In May, Hitler and Mussolini consolidated their alliance by signing " steel pact”, according to which both states guaranteed each other support in case of war. However, Hitler presented the main diplomatic sensation to the world on August 23, 1939. Stalin, frustrated by the fruitless negotiations with France and Britain, decided to take the opposite external course. The Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the USSR and Germany, Molotov and Ribbentrop signed a non-aggression pact in Moscow and. According to the secret protocol attached to this pact, Poland was to be divided between Germany and Soviet Union. Stalin also received freedom of action in the Baltic states, which he had long dreamed of. Having eliminated the danger of a military clash with the Soviet Union, Hitler ordered his troops to attack Poland on August 26.

But on the night of August 25-26, when the German troops were already deploying, taking up their starting positions for the attack, Mussolini suddenly announced that Italy was not yet ready for war. Hitler urgently sent an order to cancel the offensive, which got to the advanced units, already when they moved forward. Actually, several sabotage groups nevertheless crossed the border and began small-scale battles with the Poles. The operational pause that arose in this way gave the Western allies a grain of hope that, after all, it might be possible to prevent the war. They desperately and unsuccessfully began to persuade the Polish government to negotiate with Hitler, and also turned to Mussolini, who wanted to delay entry into the war in order to settle the matter with his help by peace.

However, nothing came of this venture. Hitler had already made his final decision. On the evening of August 31, 1939, he summoned the Polish ambassador to Germany for a short conversation. The next day, at dawn, German aircraft attacked Polish targets. The German army crossed the border, and for the second time in twenty-five years, Europe was engulfed in the fire of a great war -