Bombing of Wieluń

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The Bombing of Wieluń was a devastating German air raid on the Polish town of Wieluń on 1 September 1939, widely regarded as one of the first attacks of World War II and an early example of terror bombing against civilians.


Statements (46)
Predicate Object
instanceOf aerial bombing
event of World War II
mass killing
war crime
belligerent Nazi Germany
Poland
civilianDeaths hundreds
often estimated between 1,000 and 2,000
combatantCommand German Luftwaffe high command
commemoratedOn 1 September
conflict World War II
coordinateLocation 51.2167°N 18.5667°E
country Poland
date 1 September 1939
endTime 1 September 1939
followedBy Battle of Westerplatte
wider German air attacks on Polish cities
hasCause German decision to invade Poland
hasLanguageOfSources German
Polish
historicalPeriod 20th century
isConsidered early example of deliberate bombing of civilians
one of the first attacks of World War II
one of the first bombings of World War II
location Second Polish Republic
Wieluń
Łódź Voivodeship
memorialType war memorials in Wieluń
natureOfAttack terror bombing
notableFor being carried out against a town with no significant military targets
high proportion of civilian victims
symbolic beginning of World War II in Poland
operator Luftwaffe
partOf European theatre of World War II
Invasion of Poland
perpetrator Nazi Germany
precededBy German invasion of Poland (planned for 1 September 1939)
result destruction of much of Wieluń
heavy civilian casualties
significance example cited in discussions of international humanitarian law
example of civilian suffering at the outset of World War II
startTime 1 September 1939
target Wieluń
civilian population
timeOfDay around dawn
early morning

Referenced by (2)
Subject (surface form when different) Predicate
Battle of the Border ("Battle of Wieluń (bombing of Wieluń)")
hasPart
Plan White
involvedEvent

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