On September 17, once it was clear that Poland was close to defeat, Red Army units moved into Poland and met up with victorious German troops along a prearranged frontier. The terms of the German-Soviet pact, signed in August 1939, gave Joseph Stalin a sphere of influence in eastern Poland. German invasion also triggered Soviet Union intervention. There was little popular enthusiasm for war, but a strong wave of anti-German and anti-Fascist sentiment produced a resigned recognition that Adolf Hitler would only stop if he was faced by force.Īlmost immediately, the British and French empires (except for Ireland) joined the contest, turning it into a worldwide war, fought not only in Europe but across the oceans. In Britain and France, the populations had braced themselves for war in the closing weeks of the summer. Britain and France declared war on Nazi Germany on September 3 when it became clear that negotiating a German withdrawal was hopeless.
But in addition to the localized conflict with Poland, the German invasion provoked a global conflict. This was the war Adolf Hitler had hoped for in 1939. Klukowski two weeks later, "to discuss the causes of our defeat.This is a fact, but we just can't believe it." Ten days later, after a devastating air assault, Warsaw surrendered. By September 17, the war was virtually over. Polish air forces were eliminated, and the Polish army was split and encircled. By September 7, forward units were only 25 miles from Warsaw, the Polish capital. Within five days, German forces occupied all of the frontier zones.
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