On the 80th anniversary of the outbreak of the Second World War, military historians and scholars will explore the 1939 Nazi Germany – Soviet invasion of Poland and the Polish defensive effort (aka the September Campaign) at a special conference on Saturday, 12 October 2019 at the Polish Embassy in London.

The conference, organised by the Polish Heritage Society UK in cooperation with the Polish Institute and Sikorski Museum in London, and the Polish Embassy, is the next instalment in a series of high-profile symposiums which previously covered topics such as operations of the Silent Unseen ”Cichociemni”, and General Stanisław Maczek’s command during military offensive in Belgium.

The conference will feature distinguished historians and scholars: author Roger Moorhouse, Dr Paul Latawski of the Department of War Studies at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, Dr Andrzej Suchcitz of the Polish Institute and Sikorski Museum in London, Jarek Garliński, Dr Chris Mann and Maj Gen John Drewienkiewicz. Throughout the day the speakers will deliver deep insight into the history of the September Campaign, examine the campaign’s largest battle and the defence of Warsaw, cover comparisons between the Polish campaign and the French campaign of 1940 as well as British perspectives of 1939.

The Second World War began on 1 September 1939 when, without declaring war, Nazi Germany attacked Poland. Hitler’s forces moved across the Polish frontier from the north, west and south. The German attack envisaged a blitzkrieg aimed at breaking Polish defence and then encircling and destroying its forces within a week. On 3 September, Great Britain and France declared war on Germany, but did not take any significant military action. On 17 September, the Soviet army attacked Poland from the east, sealing its fate. The Polish defensive war lasted until 6 October 1939, when the Polish army capitulated.

Overall, some 200,000 people died in the September Campaign, with nearly 6 milion Poles – one in five of the population – dying as a result of the Second World War.

You can find out more about the Polish experience of the September Campaign and the Second World War by visiting the exhibition ”Fighting and suffering. Polish citizens during World War II” at the National Army Museum in London until October 11th.

Polish Embassy UK Press Office/NB