A few minutes before the attack on Westerplatte on 1st September 1939 German bombers attacked a small town called Wieluń (central Poland). They killed approximately 1,200 civilians. They also attacked a clearly marked hospital with a red cross painted on the roof, killing 37. The bombing of Wieluń was the first terror bombing of the war.
75 years ago today. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-29009120 Poland has marked the 75th anniversary of the start of World War Two with a wreath-laying ceremony at Gdansk port. Prime Minister Donald Tusk commemorated the dead of the war's first battle. Nazi Germany invaded Poland on 1 September 1939, shelling a Polish garrison at Gdansk. Britain and France declared war on Germany two days later. Polish and German presidents Bronislaw Komorowski and Joachim Gauck will also meet to honour the war dead and discuss the war with young Poles and Germans. Mr Tusk laid a wreath at a monument to Polish victims of WW2's first battle at 04:45 local time (02:45 GMT).
BBC ON THIS DAY | 1 | 1939: Germany invades Poland 1st September 1939: Germany invades Poland German forces have invaded Poland and its planes have bombed Polish cities, including the capital, Warsaw.
BBC ON THIS DAY | 1 | 1939: Germany invades Poland 1st September 1939 German forces have invaded Poland and its planes have bombed Polish cities, including the capital, Warsaw. The attack comes without any warning or declaration of war. Britain and France have mobilised their forces and are preparing to wage war on Germany for the second time this century. Just before dawn today, German tanks, infantry and cavalry penetrated Polish territory on several fronts with five armies, a total of 1.5 million troops.
German invasion of Poland on 1 September 1939. Britain and France declared war on Germany two days later. How Europe Went To War In 1939