On September 1, 1939, the military invasion of Nazi Germany into Poland began. Formally, the reason for the attack was Poland’s unyielding position on the “Danzig Corridor” and the Glaiwice Incident. But Poland had agreements with England and France to provide military assistance in the event of aggression and hoped for the neutrality of the USSR. Poland refused Hitler's demands. On September 3, England and France declared war on Germany, but things never came to an armed uprising on the side of Poland. The country desperately defended itself, but the situation worsened even more after the Soviet Union sent its troops into Poland on September 17. On October 6, the last resistance was crushed. Poland was divided between Germany, Slovakia, the USSR and Lithuania. Groups of Polish partisans, as well as Polish units in the armies of other countries that fought Hitler, continued to resist.

German tanks enter Poland.

A Polish tank (French-made) Renault FT-17 stuck in the mud in Brest-Litovsky (now Brest, Belarus).

Polish German women treat German soldiers.

Soldiers of the Polish garrison of Westerplatte in German captivity.

View of a bomb-damaged street in Warsaw. 09/28/1939.

German soldiers escort Polish prisoners of war.

Polish envoys at the surrender of the Modlin fortress.

German dive bombers Junkers Ju-87 (Ju-87) in the skies of Poland.

Tent camp of German troops near the border with Poland.

Soviet soldiers study war trophies.

German troops in Warsaw greet Adolf Hitler who arrived in the city.

Execution of Polish citizens by the Germans during the occupation of Poland. On December 18, 1939, 56 people were shot near the Polish city of Bochnia.

German troops in Warsaw.

German and Soviet officers with a Polish railway worker during the invasion of Poland.

Polish cavalry in the city of Sochaczew, the Battle of Bzura.

The burning Royal Castle in Warsaw, set on fire by German artillery fire during the siege of the city.

German soldiers after the battle in Polish positions.

German soldiers near a damaged Polish tank 7TR.

German soldiers in the backs of trucks on the street of a destroyed Polish town.

Reich Minister Rudolf Hess inspects German troops at the front.

German soldiers pull out property from the captured Brest Fortress.

German soldiers of the 689th propaganda company talk with the commanders of the 29th Tank Brigade of the Red Army in Brest-Litovsk.

T-26 tanks from the 29th Tank Brigade of the Red Army enter Brest-Litovsk. On the left is a unit of German motorcyclists and Wehrmacht officers near an Opel Olympia.

Commanders of the 29th Tank Brigade of the Red Army near an armored car BA-20 in Brest-Litovsk.

German officers at the location of a Soviet military unit. Brest-Litovsk. 09/22/1939.

Soldiers of the 14th Wehrmacht Infantry Division near a broken Polish armored train near the city of Blonie.

German soldiers on the road in Poland.

A unit of the German 4th Panzer Division fights on Wolska Street in Warsaw.

German planes at the airfield during the Polish campaign.

German cars and motorcycles at the North-Western Gate of the Brest Fortress after the capture of the fortress by German troops on September 17, 1939.

BT-7 tanks of the Soviet 24th light tank brigade enter the city of Lvov.

Polish prisoners of war in Tysholski Bor by the side of the road.

A column of Polish prisoners of war passes through the town of Walubi.

German generals, including Heinz Guderian (far right), confer with battalion commissar Borovensky in Brest.

Navigator of the German Heinkel bomber.

Adolf Hitler with officers at a geographical map.

German soldiers fight in the Polish city of Sochaczew.

Meeting of Soviet and German troops in the Polish city of Stryi (now Lviv region of Ukraine).

Parade of German troops in the occupied Polish city of Stryi (now Lviv region, Ukraine).

A British newspaper seller stands near posters with newspaper headlines: “I will teach the Poles a lesson - Hitler,” “Hitler invades Poland,” “Invasion of Poland.”

Soviet and German military personnel communicate with each other in Brest-Litovsk.

Polish boy on the ruins in Warsaw. His house was destroyed by German bombing.

German Bf.110C fighter after an emergency landing.

German road sign “To the Front” (Zur Front) on the outskirts of Warsaw.

The German army marches through captured Warsaw, the capital of Poland.

German intelligence officers in Poland.

German soldiers and Polish prisoners of war.

Abandoned Polish tanks in the Lviv area.

Polish anti-aircraft gun.

German soldiers pose against the backdrop of a destroyed Polish 7TP tank.

Polish soldier in a temporary defensive position.

Polish artillerymen in position near anti-tank guns.

Meeting of Soviet and German patrols in the area of ​​the Polish city of Lublin.

German soldiers are fooling around. The inscription on the soldier’s back reads “Western Front 1939.”

German soldiers near the downed Polish fighter PZL P.11.

A damaged and burned-out German light tank

Downed Polish short-range bomber PZL P-23 "Karas" and German light reconnaissance aircraft Fieseler Fi-156 "Storch"

Rest of German soldiers before crossing the border and invading Poland.

US President Franklin Roosevelt addresses the nation by radio from the White House on the occasion of Germany's attack on Poland.

A monument made of gray boulders with a memorial plaque in memory of the Russian military leader was erected back in 1918 by former enemy A.V. Samsonova - German General Hindenburg, who commanded the Eighth German Army in August 1914, which then defeated the Russian troops. On the board there is an inscription in German: “To General Samsonov, Hindenburg’s opponent in the Battle of Tannenberg, August 30, 1914.”

German soldiers against the backdrop of a burning house in a Polish village.

Heavy armored car Sd.Kfz. 231 (8-Rad) reconnaissance battalion of one of the Wehrmacht tank divisions, destroyed by Polish artillery.

A Soviet artillery major and German officers in Poland are discussing the demarcation line on the map and the associated deployment of troops.

Polish prisoners of war in a temporary German camp on Polish territory.

Reichsmarschall Hermann Goering looks at a map during the invasion of Poland, surrounded by Luftwaffe officers.

Artillery crews of German 150-mm railway guns prepare their guns to open fire on the enemy during the Polish campaign.

Artillery crews of German 150 mm and 170 mm railway guns prepare to open fire on the enemy during the Polish campaign.

The artillery crew of a German 170-mm railway gun is ready to fire at the enemy during the Polish campaign.

A battery of German 210-mm “long” L/14 mortars at a firing position in Poland.

Polish civilians near the ruins of a house in Warsaw, destroyed during a Lutfwaffe raid.

Polish civilian near the ruins of houses in Warsaw.

Polish and German officers in a carriage during negotiations on the surrender of Warsaw.

A Polish civilian and his daughter wounded during a Luftwaffe raid in a hospital in Warsaw.

Polish civilians near a burning house on the outskirts of Warsaw.

The commandant of the Polish fortress of Modlin, Brigadier General Victor Tome, during negotiations on surrender with three German officers.

German prisoners of war escorted by a Polish officer on the streets of Warsaw.

A German soldier throws a grenade during a battle on the outskirts of Warsaw.

German soldiers run across a Warsaw street during the attack on Warsaw.

Polish soldiers escort German prisoners along the streets of Warsaw.

A. Hitler signs a document on the beginning of the war with Poland. 1939

Wehrmacht mortarmen fire mortars at positions of Polish troops in the vicinity of Radom.

A German motorcyclist on a BMW motorcycle and an Opel Olympia car on the street of a destroyed Polish town.

Anti-tank barriers near the road in the vicinity of Danzig.

A German sailor and soldiers near a column of Polish prisoners in the vicinity of Danzig (Gdansk).

A column of Polish volunteers on the march to dig trenches.

German prisoners escorted by a Polish soldier on the streets of Warsaw.

Polish prisoners board a truck surrounded by German soldiers and officers.

A. Hitler in a carriage with Wehrmacht soldiers wounded during the invasion of Poland.

British Prince George, Duke of Kent, with Polish General Wladyslaw Sikorski during a visit to Polish units stationed in Great Britain.

A T-28 tank fords a river near the town of Mir in Poland (now the village of Mir, Grodno region, Belarus).

Large masses of Parisians gathered in front of the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Montmartre for a peace service.

A Polish P-37 Los bomber captured by the Germans in a hangar.

A woman with a child on a destroyed street in Warsaw.

Warsaw doctors with newborn babies born during the war.

A Polish family on the ruins of their house in Warsaw.

German soldiers on the Westerplatte peninsula in Poland.

Residents of Warsaw collect their belongings after a German air raid.

A Warsaw hospital ward after a German air raid.

Polish priest collects church property after German air raid

Soldiers of the SS regiment "Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler" rest during a rest near the road towards Pabianice (Poland).

German dive bomber in the sky of Warsaw.

Ten-year-old Polish girl Kazimira Mika mourns her sister, who was killed by German machine gun fire in a field outside Warsaw.

German soldiers in battle on the outskirts of Warsaw.

Polish civilians detained by German troops walk along the road.

Panorama of the destroyed Ordynacka street in Warsaw.

Killed civilians, in Poland in the city of Bydogoszcz.

Polish women on the streets of Warsaw after a German air raid.

German soldiers captured during the invasion of Poland.

Residents of Warsaw are reading the Evening Express newspaper, issue dated September 10, 1939. On the newspaper page there are headlines: “The United States is joining the bloc against Germany. Combat actions of England and France"; “A German submarine sank a ship carrying American passengers”; “America will not remain neutral! Published Statement of President Roosevelt."

A captured wounded German soldier undergoing treatment in a Warsaw hospital.

Adolf Hitler hosts a parade of German troops in Warsaw in honor of the victory over Poland.

Warsaw residents are digging anti-aircraft trenches in the park on Malachowski Square.

German soldiers on the bridge over the Oslawa River near the city of Zagorz.

German tank crews on a medium tank PzKpfw IV

General Heinz Guderian and brigade commander Semyon Moiseevich Krivoshein during the transfer of the city of Brest-Litovsk (now Brest, Belarus) to units of the Red Army. On the left is General Moritz von Wiktorin.

On September 1, 1939, Hitler's Germany's military invasion of Poland began. Formally, the reason was Poland's uncompromising position on the Danzig Corridor, but in fact Hitler wanted to turn Poland into his satellite. But Poland had agreements with England and France on the provision of military assistance, and was also confident that the USSR would maintain neutrality. Therefore, Poland refused all of Hitler's demands. On September 3, England and France declared war on Germany. But it never came to hostilities. France and England practically refused to start a war. Poland desperately defended itself, but the situation worsened even more after the Soviet Union sent its troops into Poland on September 17, practically entering the war on the side of Germany. And on October 6, the last resistance was crushed. Poland was divided between Germany, Slovakia, the USSR and Lithuania. But groups of Polish partisans, as well as Polish units in other armies that fought Hitler, continued to resist.

General Heinz Guderian and brigade commander Semyon Moiseevich Krivoshein during the transfer of the city of Brest-Litovsk (now Brest, Belarus) to units of the Red Army. On the left is General Moritz von Wiktorin.

German soldiers break down the Polish border barrier.

German tanks enter Poland.

A Polish tank (French-made) Renault FT-17 stuck in the mud in Brest-Litovsky (now Brest, Belarus).

Women treat German soldiers.

Soldiers of the Polish garrison of Westerplatte in German captivity.

View of a bomb-damaged street in Warsaw. 09/28/1939.

German soldiers escort Polish prisoners of war.

Polish envoys at the surrender of the Modlin fortress.

German dive bombers Junkers Ju-87 (Ju-87) in the skies of Poland.

Tent camp of German troops near the border with Poland.

Soviet soldiers study war trophies.

German troops in Warsaw greet Adolf Hitler who arrived in the city.

Execution of Polish citizens by the Germans during the occupation of Poland. On December 18, 1939, 56 people were shot near the Polish city of Bochnia.

German troops in Warsaw.

German and Soviet officers with a Polish railway worker during the invasion of Poland.

Polish cavalry in the city of Sochaczew, the Battle of Bzura.

The burning Royal Castle in Warsaw, set on fire by German artillery fire during the siege of the city.

German soldiers after the battle in Polish positions.

German soldiers near a damaged Polish tank 7TR.

German soldiers in the backs of trucks on the street of a destroyed Polish town.

Reich Minister Rudolf Hess inspects German troops at the front.

German soldiers pull out property from the captured Brest Fortress.

German soldiers of the 689th propaganda company talk with the commanders of the 29th Tank Brigade of the Red Army in Brest-Litovsk.

T-26 tanks from the 29th Tank Brigade of the Red Army enter Brest-Litovsk. On the left is a unit of German motorcyclists and Wehrmacht officers near an Opel Olympia.

Commanders of the 29th Tank Brigade of the Red Army near an armored car BA-20 in Brest-Litovsk.

German officers at the location of a Soviet military unit. Brest-Litovsk. 09/22/1939.

Soldiers of the 14th Wehrmacht Infantry Division near a broken Polish armored train near the city of Blonie.

German soldiers on the road in Poland.

A unit of the German 4th Panzer Division fights on Wolska Street in Warsaw.

German planes at the airfield during the Polish campaign.

German cars and motorcycles at the North-Western Gate of the Brest Fortress after the capture of the fortress by German troops on September 17, 1939.

BT-7 tanks of the Soviet 24th light tank brigade enter the city of Lvov.

Polish prisoners of war in Tysholski Bor by the side of the road.

A column of Polish prisoners of war passes through the town of Walubi.

German generals, including Heinz Guderian (far right), confer with battalion commissar Borovensky in Brest.

Navigator of the German Heinkel bomber.

Adolf Hitler with officers at a geographical map.

German soldiers fight in the Polish city of Sochaczew.

Meeting of Soviet and German troops in the Polish city of Stryi (now Lviv region of Ukraine).

Parade of German troops in the occupied Polish city of Stryi (now Lviv region, Ukraine).

A British newspaper seller stands near posters with newspaper headlines: “I will teach the Poles a lesson - Hitler”, “Hitler invades Poland”, “Invasion of Poland”.

Soviet and German military personnel communicate with each other in Brest-Litovsk.

Polish boy on the ruins in Warsaw. His house was destroyed by German bombing.

German Bf.110C fighter after an emergency landing.

German road sign “To the Front” (Zur Front) on the outskirts of Warsaw.

The German army marches through captured Warsaw, the capital of Poland.

German intelligence officers in Poland.

German soldiers and Polish prisoners of war.

Abandoned Polish tanks in the Lviv area.

Polish anti-aircraft gun.

German soldiers pose against the backdrop of a destroyed Polish 7TP tank.

Polish soldier in a temporary defensive position.

Polish artillerymen in position near anti-tank guns.

Meeting of Soviet and German patrols in the area of ​​the Polish city of Lublin.

German soldiers are fooling around. The inscription on the soldier’s back reads “Western Front 1939.”

German soldiers near the downed Polish fighter PZL P.11.

A damaged and burned-out German light tank

Downed Polish short-range bomber PZL P-23 "Karas" and German light reconnaissance aircraft Fieseler Fi-156 "Storch"

Rest of German soldiers before crossing the border and invading Poland.

US President Franklin Roosevelt addresses the nation by radio from the White House on the occasion of Germany's attack on Poland.

A monument made of gray boulders with a memorial plaque in memory of the Russian military leader was erected back in 1918 by former enemy A.V. Samsonova - German General Hindenburg, who commanded the Eighth German Army in August 1914, which then defeated the Russian troops. On the board there is an inscription in German: “To General Samsonov, Hindenburg’s opponent in the Battle of Tannenberg, August 30, 1914.”

German soldiers against the backdrop of a burning house in a Polish village.

Heavy armored car Sd.Kfz. 231 (8-Rad) reconnaissance battalion of one of the Wehrmacht tank divisions, destroyed by Polish artillery.

A Soviet artillery major and German officers in Poland discuss the demarcation line on the map and the associated deployment of troops.

Polish prisoners of war in a temporary German camp on Polish territory.

Reichsmarschall Hermann Goering looks at a map during the invasion of Poland, surrounded by Luftwaffe officers.

Artillery crews of German 150-mm railway guns prepare their guns to open fire on the enemy during the Polish campaign.

Artillery crews of German 150 mm and 170 mm railway guns prepare to open fire on the enemy during the Polish campaign.

The artillery crew of a German 170-mm railway gun is ready to fire at the enemy during the Polish campaign.

A battery of German 210-mm “long” L/14 mortars at a firing position in Poland.

Polish civilians near the ruins of a house in Warsaw, destroyed during a Lutfwaffe raid.

Polish civilian near the ruins of houses in Warsaw.

Polish and German officers in a carriage during negotiations on the surrender of Warsaw.

A Polish civilian and his daughter wounded during a Luftwaffe raid in a hospital in Warsaw.

Polish civilians near a burning house on the outskirts of Warsaw.

The commandant of the Polish fortress of Modlin, Brigadier General Victor Tome, during negotiations on surrender with three German officers.

German prisoners of war escorted by a Polish officer on the streets of Warsaw.

A German soldier throws a grenade during a battle on the outskirts of Warsaw.

German soldiers run across a Warsaw street during the attack on Warsaw.

Polish soldiers escort German prisoners along the streets of Warsaw.

A. Hitler signs a document on the beginning of the war with Poland. 1939

Wehrmacht mortarmen fire mortars at positions of Polish troops in the vicinity of Radom.

A German motorcyclist on a BMW motorcycle and an Opel Olympia car on the street of a destroyed Polish town.

Anti-tank barriers near the road in the vicinity of Danzig.

A German sailor and soldiers near a column of Polish prisoners in the vicinity of Danzig (Gdansk).

A column of Polish volunteers on the march to dig trenches.

German prisoners escorted by a Polish soldier on the streets of Warsaw.

Polish prisoners board a truck surrounded by German soldiers and officers.

A. Hitler in a carriage with Wehrmacht soldiers wounded during the invasion of Poland.

British Prince George, Duke of Kent, with Polish General Wladyslaw Sikorski during a visit to Polish units stationed in Great Britain.

A T-28 tank fords a river near the town of Mir in Poland (now the village of Mir, Grodno region, Belarus).

Large masses of Parisians gathered in front of the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Montmartre for a peace service.

A Polish P-37 Los bomber captured by the Germans in a hangar.

A woman with a child on a destroyed street in Warsaw.

Warsaw doctors with newborn babies born during the war.

A Polish family on the ruins of their house in Warsaw.

German soldiers on the Westerplatte peninsula in Poland.

Residents of Warsaw collect their belongings after a German air raid.

A Warsaw hospital ward after a German air raid.

Polish priest collects church property after German air raid

Soldiers of the SS regiment "Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler" rest during a rest near the road towards Pabianice (Poland).

German fighter in the skies of Warsaw.

Ten-year-old Polish girl Kazimira Mika mourns her sister, who was killed by German machine gun fire in a field outside Warsaw.

German soldiers in battle on the outskirts of Warsaw.

Polish civilians detained by German troops walk along the road.

Panorama of the destroyed Ordynacka street in Warsaw.

Killed civilians, in Poland in the city of Bydogoszcz.

Polish women on the streets of Warsaw after a German air raid.

German soldiers captured during the invasion of Poland.

Residents of Warsaw are reading the Evening Express newspaper, issue dated September 10, 1939. On the newspaper page there are headlines: “The United States is joining the bloc against Germany. Combat actions of England and France"; “A German submarine sank a ship carrying American passengers”; “America will not remain neutral! Published Statement of President Roosevelt."

A captured wounded German soldier undergoing treatment in a Warsaw hospital.

Adolf Hitler hosts a parade of German troops in Warsaw in honor of the victory over Poland.

Warsaw residents are digging anti-aircraft trenches in the park on Malachowski Square.

German soldiers on the bridge over the Oslawa River near the city of Zagorz.

German tank crews on a medium tank Pz.Kpfw.

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

Many people don't know this at all. And over time, even fewer people remain 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. They think the way someone likes or benefits to think.

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

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

A number of researchers clearly assess the events that began on September 17, 1939 as the entry of the USSR into World War II on the side of the aggressor (Nazi Germany). Soviet and some Russian researchers view these events as a separate episode.

So, today’s post contains a long and interesting story about the events of September 1939, photos and stories from local residents. Go to the cut, it’s interesting)

02. It all started with the “Note of the USSR Government”, presented to the Polish ambassador in Moscow on the morning of September 17, 1939. I quote its text in full. Pay attention to the figures of speech, especially the juicy ones I have highlighted in bold - personally, this reminds me very much of the modern events regarding the “annexation” of Crimea.

By the way, in history, in general, it is very rare that the aggressor himself called his actions “aggression.” As a rule, these are “actions aimed at protecting/preventing/preventing” 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. Within ten days of military operations, Poland lost all of 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 virtually ceased to exist. Thus, the agreements concluded between the USSR and Poland were terminated. Left to its own devices and left without leadership, Poland turned into a convenient field for all sorts of accidents and surprises that could pose a threat to the USSR. Therefore, being hitherto neutral, the Soviet government cannot be more neutral in its attitude towards these facts.

The Soviet government cannot also be indifferent to the fact that half-blooded Ukrainians and Belarusians living on the territory of Poland, abandoned 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 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 plunged by their foolish leaders, and to give them the opportunity to live a peaceful life.

Please accept, Mr. Ambassador, the assurances of our utmost respect.

People's Commissar for Foreign Affairs of the USSR

V. Molotov."

03. In fact, immediately after the delivery of the note, the rapid entry of Soviet troops into Polish territory began. The Soviet Union introduced armored tanks and armored vehicles, cavalry, infantry and artillery into the territory. In the photo - Soviet cavalrymen accompany an artillery battery.

04. Armored vehicles crossing the Soviet-Polish border, photograph taken September 17, 1939:

05. Infantry units of the USSR in the border area. By the way, pay attention to the fighters’ helmets - these are SSh-36 helmets, also known as “Halkingolka”. These helmets were widely used in the early period of World War II, but in films (especially of the Soviet era) they are almost never seen - perhaps because this helmet resembles the German "stahlhelm".

06. Soviet tank BT-5 on the streets of the city http://maxim-nm.livejournal.com/42391.html, which was a border town “beyond the Polish hour”.

07. Soon after the “annexation” of the eastern part of Poland to the USSR, a joint parade of Wehrmacht troops and units of the Red Army took place in the city of Brest (then called Brest-Litovsk), this happened 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 “ceremonial procession”, but as for me, the essence 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 on 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 border”, photograph taken in Brest in September 1939:

11. New Frontier:

12. Nazi and Soviet tank crews communicate with each other:

13. German and Soviet officers:

14. Immediately after arriving in the “annexed lands,” Soviet units launched agitation and propaganda. These kinds of stands were installed on the streets with stories about the Soviet armed forces and the advantages of living in.

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

This is what residents of a well-known Belarusian town said about Soviet troops in 1939 World(yes, the same one where the world famous castle is), quotes from the book "The World: Historic Myastechka, What the Yago Zhykhars Told", translation into Russian is mine:
.

“When the soldiers walked, no one gave them anything or treated them. We asked them how life was there, did they have everything?” The soldiers answered - “Oh, we are good! We have everything there!” In Russia they said that life in Poland is bad. But it was good here - people had good suits and 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 the appearance of the Red Army soldiers, who were for them the first representatives of the “socialist paradise.” When the Soviets arrived, you could immediately see how people lived there. The clothes were bad. When they saw the prince’s “slave,” they thought it was the prince himself and 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 “landowners’ daughters” were coming.

“Soon after the entry of troops, “socialist changes” began. They introduced a tax system. The taxes were large, some could not pay them, and those who paid had nothing left. Polish money depreciated in one day. We sold a cow, and the next "They were able to buy only 2-3 meters of fabric and shoes per day. The liquidation 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 lines for bread began, they realized that everything was bad."

“We didn’t know how people lived in Russia. When the Soviets came, that’s when we found out. We were happy about the Soviets. But when we lived under the Soviets, we were horrified. The removal of people began. They will “sew” something onto a person and take him away. The men were sent to prison, and their family was left alone. All those who were taken out did not return."

The original of this post is located at

When the Red Army crossed the Soviet-Polish border on September 17, 1939, the bulk of the armed forces of the Second Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth were fighting against the Wehrmacht in the west. However, the irretrievable losses of the Red Army (killed, died from wounds and missing) during the 2 weeks of fighting of the “liberation campaign” amounted, according to Soviet data, to almost one and a half thousand people. Who did Soviet soldiers encounter in the west of modern Belarus and Ukraine?

Difference in Point of View

On September 17, 1939, the Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, with the forces of the Belarusian and Ukrainian fronts, deployed the day before on the basis of the border Belarusian Special and Kyiv Special Military Districts, invaded the territory of Poland. In Soviet historiography, this operation is usually called the “Liberation Campaign of the Workers’ and Peasants’ Red Army,” and it is fundamentally separated from the German invasion of Poland, which began on September 1.

Moreover, both in Polish and Western historical literature, the German and Soviet invasions are often considered parts of a single whole. The general name for the events of the autumn of 1939 in Poland is the term “September Campaign” (along with it, “Polish Campaign of 1939”, “Defensive War of 1939”, “Polish War of 1939” can be used). In English-language literature, the term “Invasion of Poland” is often used to unite German and Soviet operations. As often happens, views and opinions greatly influence the assessment of what happened in the past and even its name.

From the Polish point of view, there really was no fundamental difference between the attacks of Germany and the USSR. Both countries attacked without an official declaration of war. Both states also found suitable reasons for invasion. The Germans justified their aggression by the intransigence of Poland on the issue of the Danzig Corridor, the infringement of the rights of the German minority and, in the end, organized the Gleiwitz provocation, which allowed Hitler to declare a Polish attack on Germany.

One of the surviving Polish-built bunkers in Belarus
http://francis-maks.livejournal.com/47023.html

The USSR, in turn, justified the invasion by the collapse of the Polish government and state, which “showing no signs of life”, caring about "oppressed" in Poland “half-blooded Ukrainians and Belarusians abandoned to the mercy of fate” and even about the Polish people themselves, who "was cast" their "unreasonable leaders" V "ill-fated war"(as stated in the note handed to the Polish Ambassador in Moscow on the morning of September 17, 1939).

It should be remembered that "showing no signs of life" The Polish state, whose government at that time was not yet in exile, continued resistance on its soil. The Polish president, in particular, left the country only on the night of September 17-18, after the Red Army had crossed the border. However, even after complete occupation, Poland did not stop resisting. Its government did not capitulate, and its ground units, air force and navy fought on the fronts of World War II until its very end in Europe.

A very important caveat must be made here. Undoubtedly, responsibility for the outbreak of World War II lies with the military-political leadership of Germany. The Soviet-German Non-Aggression Pact, signed on August 23, 1939, was one of many similar treaties signed between European states during the interwar period. And even the notorious additional protocol to it on the delimitation of spheres of interest was not something unique.

The division of the world into spheres of influence between the great powers by the first half of the 20th century was an established practice in international relations, dating back to the 15th century, when Spain and Portugal, having concluded the Treaty of Tordesillas, divided the entire planet along the “Papal Meridian”. Moreover, sometimes spheres of influence were established without any agreements, unilaterally. This is what the United States did, for example, with its “Monroe Doctrine,” according to which its sphere of interests defined both American continents.

Neither the Soviet-German treaty nor the secret protocol contained obligations on the part of the states that concluded it to start an aggressive war or participate in it. The Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact only to some extent freed Germany's hands, securing it from one of the flanks. But that’s why non-aggression treaties are concluded. The Soviet Union cannot bear any responsibility for the way in which Germany used the opportunities that arose as a result.

Let's use an appropriate analogy. In 1938, during the annexation of the Czechoslovak Sudetenland, Germany had a non-aggression pact with Poland. Moreover, Poland itself took part in the division of Czechoslovakia, sending troops into Cieszyn Silesia. Such actions, of course, do not look good on the Polish government. But all this in no way refutes the historical fact that it was Germany that initiated the division of Czechoslovakia and that it was she who was responsible for it.

But let's return to the September events of 1939.

In the famous speech of the People's Commissar for Foreign Affairs Vyacheslav Mikhailovich Molotov on June 22, 1941, there are these words about the German attack on the USSR:

« This unheard of attack on our country is a treachery unparalleled in the history of civilized nations. The attack on our country was carried out despite the fact that a non-aggression treaty was concluded between the USSR and Germany...»

Unfortunately, such treachery was far from unprecedented in the history of civilized peoples. Treaties between states were violated with enviable regularity. For example, in the 19th century, in the Treaties of Paris and Berlin, European states guaranteed the territorial integrity of the Ottoman Empire. But this did not prevent France from subsequently capturing Tunisia, Italy from Libya and the Dodecanese archipelago, and Austria-Hungary from Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The first articles of the Non-Aggression Pact between Poland and the Soviet Union, signed on July 25, 1932 and extended in 1934 until the end of 1945

In legal terms, the significant difference between the German attack and the “liberation campaign” of the Soviet Union was the following. At the beginning of 1939, Poland had signed non-aggression treaties with both the USSR and Germany. But on April 28, 1939, Hitler broke the agreement with Poland, using this demarche as leverage for pressure. The Soviet-Polish non-aggression pact in May 1934 was extended until 1945. And as of September 1939, it remained in force.

It is beyond the scope of this article to assess the expediency, legality, and, especially, the moral component of the Soviet invasion. Let us only note that, as Polish Ambassador to Great Britain Edward Raczynski noted in his communique dated September 17,

“The Soviet Union and Poland agreed to a definition of aggression, according to which an act of aggression is considered any invasion of the territory of one of the parties by armed military units of the other party. It was also agreed that none[emphasis added] considerations of a political, military, economic or other nature can in no case serve as a pretext or justification for an act of aggression.”

Defense plan in the east

While the composition of the Red Army forces that took part in the Polish campaign is fairly well described in Russian literature, the situation with the Polish units opposing them in the Eastern Kresy is murkier. Below we will consider the composition of the Polish units located on the eastern border in September 1939, and also (in the following articles) describe the nature of the combat operations of these formations when they came into contact with Red Army formations.

By September 1939, the bulk of the Polish armed forces were deployed against Germany and its satellite, Slovakia. Note that such a situation was not typical for the Polish army of the 1930s - most of the time since gaining independence, the Second Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth was preparing for war against the USSR.

Polish reinforced concrete dam on the river. Shara, designed to quickly flood an area. Minichi village, Lyakhovichi district, Brest region, Belarus
http://francis-maks.livejournal.com/48191.html

Until the beginning of 1939, the Soviet Union was regarded by the Poles as the most likely source of military danger. In the east, most of the military exercises were carried out and long-term fortifications were erected, many of which are still well preserved. The usual bunkers in the swampy lowlands of Polesie were supplemented by a system of hydraulic structures (dams and dams), which made it possible to quickly flood large areas and create obstacles for the advancing enemy. However, like the fortified areas located “opposite” of the much more famous “Stalin Line” in 1941, Polish fortifications on the eastern border in 1939 met the enemy with extremely weakened garrisons and were unable to have a significant impact on the course of hostilities.

The length of the Polish border with the USSR was 1,412 kilometers (for comparison, the Polish border with Germany was 1,912 kilometers long). In the event of a war with the USSR, the Poles planned to deploy five armies in the east of the country in the first line of defense (Vilno, Baranovichi, Polesie, Volyn and Podolia, a total of 18 infantry divisions, 8 cavalry brigades). Two more armies (“Lida” and “Lvov”, a total of 5 infantry divisions and 1 cavalry brigade) were supposed to be in the second line. The strategic reserve was to consist of 6 infantry divisions, 2 cavalry and 1 armored brigade, concentrated in the Brest-nad-Bug area. Deployment in accordance with these plans required the involvement of almost the entire Polish army - 29 out of 30 divisions available by March 1939, 11 out of 13 (two were missing!) cavalry brigades and a single armored brigade.

Only from the beginning of 1939, when Germany began to demonstrate determination to bring the Danzig Corridor issue to an end by any means, did the Poles, in addition to the East defense plan, begin to develop a West defense plan. They hastily transferred units to the western border, and mobilized in August. As a result, by the beginning of World War II, the most significant armed structure in the Eastern Kresy turned out to be the Border Protection Corps (KOP, Korpus Ochrony Pogranicza).

All that's left

The territorial divisions of the Corps, an approximate Polish analogue of the more familiar border detachments for us, were regiments and brigades. In total, there were eight such units on the eastern border after the mobilization on August 30 (listed from north to south):

• regiment "Glubokoye"
• Regiment "Vileika"
• regiment “Snov” (indicated on the map below as “Baranovichi”),
• brigade "Polesie"
• "Sarny" regiment
• regiment "Rivne"
• Regiment "Podolia"
• Regiment "Chortkiv".

A group of non-commissioned officers of the 24th Sejny battalion of the Polish Border Guard Corps, guarding the border with Lithuania
wizajnyinfo.pl

Another regiment of the Corps, “Vilno,” was deployed on the Polish-Lithuanian border. Considering the geographical position of the Vilna Voivodeship, which was “stretched” in a narrow strip to the north relative to the main territory of what was then Poland, it was also in close proximity to the border with the Soviet Union.

KOP regiments and brigades had variable composition. In addition, since March 1939, individual units of the Corps were transferred from the eastern border to the west. As a result, by the end of August 1939, the Vilno regiment consisted of four infantry battalions, the Glubokoe regiment and the Polesie brigade - of three, and the Snov regiment - of two. The Vileyka regiment and the Podillya regiment each included three infantry battalions and a cavalry squadron, the Sarny regiment included two infantry battalions, two special battalions and a cavalry squadron. Finally, the Chortkov regiment consisted of three infantry battalions and an engineering company.

The total strength of the headquarters (transferred from Warsaw to Pinsk at the beginning of the war), eight regiments and the KOP brigade on September 1, 1939 was about 20 thousand people. There were few career military personnel among them, since these were primarily “removed” to recruit new divisions. Basically, the border units were staffed by reservists, many of whom belonged to the ethnic minorities of the Second Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, mainly Ukrainians, Belarusians, Jews and Germans.

The disposition of Polish, German, Slovak and Soviet troops at the beginning of World War II and the general course of the September 1939 campaign. In the eastern part, the areas of deployment of regiments and brigades of the Polish Border Guard Corps and the places of the most important battles between Polish and Soviet units are indicated

The personnel of the Polish border guard units located on the border with Germany and Slovakia were entirely used to staff the newly formed four infantry divisions (33rd, 35th, 36th and 38th) and three mountain brigades (1st, 2nd -th and 3rd).

In addition to the Border Guard Corps, units that arrived in the east to reorganize after heavy battles with the Germans, as well as newly formed territorial divisions, were involved in combat operations against Soviet units in the first days of the Soviet invasion. Their total strength in Eastern Kresy on September 17 is estimated at 10 infantry divisions of incomplete strength. Subsequently, with the advance to the west, the number of Polish troops that the Red Army had to face increased: more and more Polish units were on the way, retreating before the Nazis.

According to data published by Grigory Fedorovich Krivosheev in the statistical study “Russia and the USSR in the wars of the 20th century: losses of the armed forces,” the irretrievable losses of the Belarusian and Ukrainian fronts during the “liberation campaign” amounted to 1,475 people. This figure includes 973 killed, 102 died from wounds, 76 died as a result of disasters and accidents, 22 died from disease and 302 missing. Sanitary losses of the Red Army, according to the same source, amounted to 2002 people. Polish historians consider these figures to be greatly underestimated, citing figures of 2.5–6.5 thousand dead and 4–10 thousand wounded. For example, Professor Czeslaw Grzelak in his publication estimates Soviet losses at 2.5–3 thousand killed and 8–10 thousand wounded.

Patrol of the Polish Border Guard Corps at the modern Kolosovo station (Stolbtsovsky district, Minsk region, Belarus)

Small, disorganized and weakened Polish units, of course, could not provide serious resistance to the numerous, fresh and well-equipped units of the Red Army. However, as can be seen from the above loss figures, the “liberation campaign” was by no means an easy walk.

The military clashes between units of the Border Guard Corps and the Polish Army with the Red Army in September 1939 will be discussed in the next article.

Literature:

• Paweł Piotr Wieczorkiewicz, Kampania 1939 roku, Krajowa Agencja Wydawnicza, Warszawa 2001
• Rajmund Szubański, Plan operation "Wschód" Warsaw 1994
• Dr Jerzy Prochwicz, Walki oddziałów KOP na obszarach północno-wschodniej Polski http://kamunikat.fontel.net/www/czasopisy/bzh/13/13art_prochwicz.htm
• Toland, John. Adolf Gitler. Chapter “A disaster such as history has never known (August 24 – September 3, 1939)”
• Krivosheev G.F. Russia and the USSR in the wars of the 20th century: losses of the armed forces. Statistical research. Liberation campaign in Western Ukraine and Western Belarus http://rus-sky.com/history/library/w/w04.htm#007
• Newspaper PRAVDA, December 23, 1939 and December 25, 1939 http://www.histdoc.net/history/ru/stalin60.htm
• Potemkin V.P. History of diplomacy. diphis.ru

He demanded that Poland cede the port of Gdansk and provide Germany with free communications with the East Prussian enclave by highway and rail. 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 article on the Munich Agreement) had not brought results, warned Hitler on March 31, 1939 that they would stand up for Poland if Germany dared to attack it.

Stalin was no less alarmed by the deteriorating international situation 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. Negotiations about him continued all summer, but did not produce results. The parties equally distrusted each other, and Poland refused to provide its territory for housing Soviet soldiers. Realizing the inevitability of armed conflict, France and Great Britain tried to speed up their rearmament.

In May, Hitler and Mussolini strengthened their alliance by signing Pact of Steel", 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 fruitless negotiations with France and Great Britain, decided to take the opposite foreign course. Foreign Ministers 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 the 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 gave the order to his troops to attack Poland on August 26.

But on the night of August 25-26, when 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 reached the advanced units even as they moved forward. Actually, several sabotage groups nevertheless crossed the border and began small battles with the Poles. The operational pause that thus arose gave the Western allies a glimmer of hope that, after all, perhaps war could be averted. 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 peacefully with his help.

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 planes attacked Polish targets. The German army crossed the border, and for the second time in twenty-five years Europe found itself engulfed in the fire of a major war -