Germany invades Poland
September 1, 1939
At dawn Luftwaffe planes screamed over the border and Panzer columns rolled east in the world's first blitzkrieg. The Polish army fought hard with cavalry and obsolete aircraft. Warsaw held out for four weeks before surrendering. Britain and France declared war on September 3. The Second World War had begun.
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In context
Also in 1939 (4 other events on record)
- Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact shocks the world · Europe · Politics
- Einstein warns Roosevelt about atom bomb · North America · Science
- Spanish Civil War ends · Europe · War
- The Wizard of Oz and Gone with the Wind · North America · Culture
Before and after in Europe
Before and after in War
Era
Modern Era (1901–2000), one of 590 events from that era on Saeculum.