1939 Defensive War

E22728

The 1939 Defensive War was Poland’s military campaign to resist the German and Soviet invasions at the start of World War II.


Statements (47)
Predicate Object
instanceOf Polish military history event
World War II campaign
military campaign
alsoKnownAs 1939 September Campaign in Poland
Kampania wrześniowa
Polish Defensive War
September Campaign
belligerent Nazi Germany
Second Polish Republic
Soviet Union
cause German invasion of Poland
Soviet invasion of Poland
characterizedBy blitzkrieg tactics by Germany
two-front war for Poland
commandersSideGermany Fedor von Bock
Gerd von Rundstedt
Walther von Brauchitsch
commandersSidePoland Edward Rydz-Śmigły
commandersSideSovietUnion Mikhail Kovalyov
Semyon Timoshenko
country Second Polish Republic
endDate 1939-10-06
followedBy German occupation of Poland
Soviet occupation of Eastern Poland
hasMajorEvent Battle of Bzura
Battle of Hel
Battle of Kock (1939)
Battle of Westerplatte
Siege of Warsaw (1939)
historicalSignificance ended the independence of the Second Polish Republic
marked the beginning of World War II in Europe
legalBasis Polish–British Common Defense Pact
location Poland
Second Polish Republic
militaryAllianceInvolved Polish–British alliance
opponent Red Army
Wehrmacht
partOf World War II
precededBy Interwar period in Poland
result defeat of Poland
occupation of Poland by Germany and the Soviet Union
partition of Polish territory between Germany and the Soviet Union
startDate 1939-09-01
treatyContext German–Soviet Boundary and Friendship Treaty
Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact
triggered British declaration of war on Germany
French declaration of war on Germany

Referenced by (1)
Subject (surface form when different) Predicate
September Campaign
alsoKnownAs

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