09/01/2026
September 1, 1939, marked the beginning of the Second World War—a devastating conflict that left a profound and lasting scar on Poland and Europe. More than 6 million Poles lost their lives, while 52 Polish cities suffered near-total destruction. Today, we honour the millions of victims of the Second World War and pay tribute to the courage and sacrifice of those who fought for Poland’s freedom, independence, and sovereignty.
The Hell Broke Loose at 4:45 A.M.
🗓 87 years ago today, on 1 September 1939, Germany invaded Poland. WW2 - the bloodiest conflict in human history had begun.
➡️The photograph was taken in Gdańsk (Danzig) and shows a German uniformed official, probably a member of the Danzig Landespolizei, standing beside a chilling warning: “HALT! Gefahr! Es wird scharf geschossen” - “HALT! Danger! Live am******on will be fired.” It captures the atmosphere of a city in which political confrontation had suddenly become open war. The image is taken from the IPN Archives.
➡️At approximately 4:45 A.M. on 1 September 1939, the German pre-dreadnought battleship Schleswig-Holstein, anchored in Gdańsk harbour ostensibly on a ceremonial visit, opened fire on the Polish Military Transit Depot at Westerplatte. At around the same time, the Luftwaffe attacked Wieluń, killing civilians and devastating much of the town. The hell broke loose.
➡️In Gdańsk itself, German forces moved against Polish institutions. One of the most dramatic episodes took place at the Polish Post Office, where its employees defended the building for hours against forces of the SS, police and other German formations. Westerplatte, expected by the Germans to fall quickly, resisted for seven days, becoming one of the first symbols of Polish resistance.
➡️Across the country, Polish soldiers fought against overwhelming odds. Germany attacked from the west and north and, together with Slovakia, from the south. More than 1.5 million German troops took part in the campaign, supported by thousands of artillery pieces, tanks and aircraft.
➡️Poland, whose mobilisation had not been completed when the invasion began, fielded a considerably smaller and less mechanised force. Nevertheless, Polish units repeatedly offered fierce resistance.
➡️In the north, German armoured formations broke through Polish positions in Bory Tucholskie, while the Modlin Army fought a determined defensive battle around Mława. On the western front, the Wołyńska Cavalry Brigade stopped elements of the German 4th Panzer Division at Mokra, inflicting significant losses in one of the best-known Polish tactical successes of the opening days.
➡️In the southwest, the Kraków Army was forced to withdraw under mounting German pressure. After regular Polish troops left parts of Upper Silesia, local self-defence formations - including former Silesian insurgents and scouts - continued resistance in places such as Katowice and Chorzów.
➡️Then, on 17 September 1939, Poland was invaded from the east by the Soviet Union, acting in accordance with the secret protocol of the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact signed less than a month earlier. The Red Army crossed the Polish frontier without a formal declaration of war, confronting a country already fighting desperately against Germany.
➡️From the very first day, this was not merely a war between armies. German forces committed violence against civilians and prisoners of war, while the Luftwaffe attacked towns, roads and columns of refugees. Wieluń became one of the earliest symbols of the destruction that was about to engulf Europe.
📷The photograph from Gdańsk therefore captures something larger than a single armed man standing guard. It captures the beginning of an armageddon.
