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September 1: World War II breaks out in Europe with Nazi Germany's invasion of Poland. World War II was the biggest and deadliest war in history, involving more than 30 countries. Sparked by the 1939 Nazi invasion of Poland, the war dragged on for six bloody years until the Allies defeated the Axis powers of Nazi Germany, Japan and Italy in 1945.
The Battle of the Border begun around 05:00, as German troops started crossing the Polish border in numerous places. [2] The Battle of Westerplatte, which is often described as having begun at 04:45 with the salvos of SMS Schleswig-Holstein on Polish coastal fortifications, is commonly described as the first battle of the war.
3 September – The United Kingdom, France, New Zealand and Australia declare war on Germany. 3 September – British liner SS Athenia becomes the first civilian casualty of the war when she is torpedoed and sunk by U-30 in the eastern Atlantic. Of the 1,418 aboard, 117 are killed (98 passengers and 19 crew members). 4 September – Nepal ...
Hitler's secret decree of 4 October 1939 stated that all crimes committed by the Germans between 1 September 1939 and 4 October 1939 were not to be prosecuted. [ 25 ] The Wehrmacht War Crimes Bureau investigation in 1939–1940 claimed that the events were a result of panic and confusion among the Polish troops. [ 26 ]
The Royal Navy initiated a naval blockade of Germany on 4 September. Although Britain and France honoured these guarantees by declaring war two days after Germany's invasion of Poland on 1 September 1939, [6] and the dominions of the British Empire quickly followed suit, so little practical assistance was given to Poland, which was soon defeated, that in its early stages the war declared by ...
The Boryszew massacre, which took place on September 22, 1939, in the village of Boryszew (now a district of Sochaczew), was a war crime committed by the Wehrmacht during its invasion of Poland. On that day, 50 Polish prisoners of war from the "Bydgoszcz" Battalion [ pl ] of National Defense were executed following a kangaroo court trial.
The Prince of Wales speaks to veterans at the Government of Canada ceremony to mark the 80th anniversary of D-Day, at Juno Beach in Courseulles-sur-Mer, Normandy (Jordan Pettitt/PA)
However, shortly before the outbreak of World War II it was reinforced with a machine gun company from Osowiec Fortress under Captain Władysław Raginis, as well as numerous smaller detachments from a variety of units. [6] On September 2, 1939, the III/71 battalion departed for Osowiec, and Fober passed command over Wizna to Raginis and his men.