Soviet invasion of Poland
Part of the invasion of Poland in World War II
Red Army cavalry in Lwów, 1939
Date 17 September 1939 – 6 October 1939 Location Poland Result Soviet victory
Belligerents
Poland	Soviet Union
Commanders
Edward Rydz-Śmigły	Mikhail Kovalov (Belarusian Front), Semyon Timoshenko (Ukrainian Front)
Strength
Over 20,000[a] 20 understrength battalions of Border Protection Corps[1] and improvised parts of the Polish Army. The Invasion of Poland (1939 precipitated World War II. It was carried out by Nazi Germany, the Soviet Union, and a small German-allied World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including The Red Army ( Russian: Рабоче-Крестьянская Красная Армия R aboche- K rest'yanskaya K rasnaya A rmiya Lviv ( Ukrainian: Львів, L’viv, Lwów Lemberg Львов L'vov; see also other names) is a major city in western Events 1176 - The Battle of Myriokephalon is fought 1462 - The Battle of Świecino (or Battle of Żarnowiec Year 1939 ( MCMXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Events 105 BC - Battle of Arausio: The Cimbri inflict the heaviest defeat on the Roman army of Gnaeus Mallius Maximus Year 1939 ( MCMXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Poland (Polska officially the Republic of Poland The Second Polish Republic or interwar Poland is the Republic of Poland between World War I and World War II. The Military history of the Soviet Union began in the days following the 1917 October Revolution that brought the Bolsheviks to power Edward Rydz-Śmigły ( pronounced rɨts ɕmigwɨ sometimes Edward Śmigły-Rydz ( March 11 1886 Colonel-General Mikhail Prokofievich Kovalyov (Михаил Прокофьевич Ковалёв (- 31 August 1967) was a Soviet military officer The Soviet order of battle for the invasion of Poland in 1939 details the major combat units arrayed for Soviet invasion of Poland on 7 September 1939 Semyon Konstantinovich Timoshenko (Семё́н Константи́нович Тимоше́нко Semën Konstantinovič Timošenko; &ndash March 31, 1970 The Soviet order of battle for the invasion of Poland in 1939 details the major combat units arrayed for Soviet invasion of Poland on 7 September 1939 Border Protection Corps (Korpus Ochrony Pogranicza KOP) was a Polish military unit created in 1924 for defence of the eastern border against armed Soviet Polish Land Forces (Wojska Lądowe RP is a branch of Poland 's Armed Forces. [2]	Estimates vary from 466,516[3] to over 800,000[2] 33+ divisions, 11+ brigades
Casualties and losses
Estimates range from 3,000 dead and 20,000 wounded[4] to about 7,000 dead or missing,[1] not counting about 2,500 POWs executed in immediate reprisals or by anti-Polish OUN bands. Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists or OUN (Організація Українських Націоналістів Orhanizatsiya Ukrayins’kykh Natsionalistiv [4] 250,000[1]	Estimates range from 737 dead and under 1,862 total casualties (Soviet estimates)[4][5] through 1,475 killed and missing and 2,383 wounded[6] to about 2,500 dead or missing[2] or 3,000 dead and under 10,000 wounded (Polish estimates). [4]

The 1939 Soviet invasion of Poland was a military operation that started without a formal declaration of war on 17 September 1939, during the early stages of World War II, sixteen days after the beginning of the Nazi German attack on Poland. Events 1176 - The Battle of Myriokephalon is fought 1462 - The Battle of Świecino (or Battle of Żarnowiec Year 1939 ( MCMXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including Nazi Germany and the Third Reich are the common English names for Germany under the regime of Adolf Hitler and the National Socialist German Workers The Invasion of Poland (1939 precipitated World War II. It was carried out by Nazi Germany, the Soviet Union, and a small German-allied It ended in a decisive victory for the Soviet Union's Red Army. The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR was a constitutionally Socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991 The Red Army ( Russian: Рабоче-Крестьянская Красная Армия R aboche- K rest'yanskaya K rasnaya A rmiya

In early 1939, the Soviet Union tried to form an alliance against Nazi Germany with the United Kingdom, France, Poland, and Romania; but several difficulties arose, including the refusal of Poland and Romania to allow Soviet troops transit rights through their territories as part of collective security. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. The Second Polish Republic or interwar Poland is the Republic of Poland between World War I and World War II. See also Kings of Romania The Kingdom of Roumania (or ' Romania ' in post-1969 and also current spelling was the old Romanian state based on a form of Collective Security, according to Inis Claude's article "Collective Security as an Approach to Peace" is seen as a compromise between the concept of world government and a nation-state ^[7] With the failure of the negotiations, the Soviets shifted from their anti-German stance and on 23 August 1939 signed the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact with Nazi Germany. Events 79 - Mount Vesuvius begins stirring on the feast day of Vulcan the Roman god of fire Year 1939 ( MCMXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. As a result, on 1 September, the Germans invaded Poland from the west; and on 17 September, the Red Army invaded Poland from the east. Events 462 - Possible start of first Byzantine indiction cycle. Events 1176 - The Battle of Myriokephalon is fought 1462 - The Battle of Świecino (or Battle of Żarnowiec ^[8] The Soviet government announced that it was acting to protect the Ukrainians and Belarusians who lived in the eastern part of Poland, because the Polish state had collapsed in the face of the German attack and could no longer guarantee the security of its own citizens. Ukrainians (Українці Ukrayintsi,) are an East Slavic Ethnic group primarily living in Ukraine, or more broadly— Citizens Belarusians or Belorussians (Беларусы Biełarusy previously also spelled Belarussians, Byelorussians and Belorusians, also The term Kresy, meaning Outskirts or Borderlands, was first used to define the Polish eastern frontier ^[9][10]

The Red Army quickly achieved its targets, vastly outnumbering Polish resistance. ^[1] About 230,000 Polish soldiers or more (452 500^[11]) were taken prisoners of war. ^[12] The Soviet government annexed the territory newly under its control and in November declared that the 13. 5 million Polish citizens who lived there were now Soviet citizens. The Soviets quelled opposition by executions and by arresting thousands. Extrajudicial punishment is Punishment by the state or some other official authority without the permission of a Court or legal authority ^[13] They sent hundreds of thousands (estimates vary) to Siberia and other remote parts of the USSR in four major waves of deportations between 1939 and 1941. Siberia (Сиби́рь Sibir) is the name given to the vast region constituting almost all of Northern Asia and for the most part currently serving Deportation, not to be confused with Extradition, generally means the expulsion of someone from a place or Country. ^[b]

The Soviet invasion, which the Politburo called "the liberation campaign", led to the incorporation of millions of Poles, western Ukrainians and western Belarusians into the Soviet Ukrainian and Byelorussian republics. In law an offence is a violation of the Penal law. An offence can range from a simple Misdemeanor (e Politburo, short for Political Bureau, Russian Politicheskoye Buro, is the executive organization for a number of Political parties, most notably The Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic or the Ukrainian SSR was one of the 15 constituent republics that made up the Former Soviet Union from its The Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic (abbreviated as Byelorussian SSR or BSSR) (Беларуская Савецкая Сацыялістычная Рэспубліка ^[14] During the existence of the People's Republic of Poland, the invasion was considered a delicate subject, almost taboo, and was often omitted from official history in order to preserve the illusion of "eternal friendship" between members of the Eastern Bloc. The People's Republic of Poland or Polish People's Republic ( Polish: Polska Rzeczpospolita Ludowa, PRL Russian A taboo is a strong Social prohibition (or ban) against words objects actions or discussions that are considered undesirable or offensive by a group culture During the Cold War, the term Communist Bloc (or Soviet Bloc) was used to refer to the Soviet Union and countries it either controlled or that were ^[15]

Prelude

Deployment of Polish divisions on 1 September 1939. Events 462 - Possible start of first Byzantine indiction cycle. Year 1939 ( MCMXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The majority of Polish forces were concentrated on the German border; the Soviet border had been mostly stripped of units.

In the late 1930s, the Soviet Union tried to form an anti-German alliance with the United Kingdom, France and Poland. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. The Second Polish Republic or interwar Poland is the Republic of Poland between World War I and World War II. ^[h] The negotiations, however, proved difficult. The Soviets insisted on a sphere of influence stretching from Finland to Romania and asked for military support not only against anyone who attacked them directly but against anyone who attacked the countries in their proposed sphere of influence. ^[16] From the beginning of the negotiations with France and Britain it was clear that Soviet Union demanded the right to occupy the Baltic States (Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania). The Baltic states (Balti riigid Baltijas valstis Baltijos valstybės or Baltic countries are three countries in Northern Europe, all members of the Latvia ( Latvija officially the Republic of Latvia (Latvijas Republika is a Country in Northern Europe in the Baltic region. Estonia, officially the Republic of Estonia ( Eesti or Eesti Vabariik) is a Country in Northern Europe in the Baltic region Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania (Lietuvos Respublika is a Country in Eastern often referred to as Northern Europe or in the ^[17] Finland was to be included in Soviet sphere of influence as well^[18] and the Soviets finally also demanded the right to enter Poland, Romania and the Baltic States whenever they felt their security was threatened. Finland, officially the Republic of Finland ( is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of northern Europe. See also Kings of Romania The Kingdom of Roumania (or ' Romania ' in post-1969 and also current spelling was the old Romanian state based on a form of The governments of those countries rejected the proposal because, as Polish foreign minister Józef Beck pointed out, they feared that once the Red Army entered their territories, it might never leave. Structural organisation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland Foreign affairs administration covers Poland’s relations with other Beck J expose 5051939jpg|200px|thumb|right|Józef Beck delivers a speech on May 5, 1939 in Polish Sejm rejecting Hitler's demands towards Poland]] Józef Beck ( ^[7] The Soviets did not trust the British and French to honour collective security, since they had failed to assist Spain against the Fascists or protect Czechoslovakia from the Nazis. Collective Security, according to Inis Claude's article "Collective Security as an Approach to Peace" is seen as a compromise between the concept of world government and a nation-state The Spanish Civil War was a major conflict in Spain that started after an attempted Coup d'état committed by parts of the army against the government of This article is about the Spanish political party For the Lebanese Phalange see the Kataeb Party. The Munich Agreement (Mnichovská dohoda Mníchovská dohoda Münchner Abkommen Accords de Munich was an agreement regarding the Sudetenland, which were areas along borders They also suspected that the Western Allies would prefer the Soviet Union to fight Germany by itself, while they watched from the sidelines. The Western Allies were the democracies and their colonial peoples within the broader coalition of Allies during World War II. ^[19] In view of these concerns, the Soviet Union abandoned the talks and turned instead to negotiations with Germany.

On 23 August 1939, the Soviet Union signed the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact with Nazi Germany, taking the allies by surprise. Events 79 - Mount Vesuvius begins stirring on the feast day of Vulcan the Roman god of fire Year 1939 ( MCMXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The two governments announced the agreement merely as a non-aggression treaty. See also Non-aggression Pact (band A non-aggression pact is an international Treaty between two or more states agreeing to avoid war As a secret appendix reveals, however, they had actually agreed to partition Poland between themselves and divide Eastern Europe into Soviet and German spheres of influence. Eastern Europe is a general term that refers to the Geopolitical region encompassing the easternmost part of the European continent. A sphere of influence ( SOI) is an area or region over which an organization or state exerts some kind of indirect cultural economic military or political domination ^[d] The Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, which has been described as a license for war, was a key factor in Hitler’s decision to invade Poland. The Invasion of Poland (1939 precipitated World War II. It was carried out by Nazi Germany, the Soviet Union, and a small German-allied ^[7][20]

Planned and actual divisions of Europe, according to the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, with later adjustments

The treaty provided the Soviets with extra defensive space in the west. ^[21] It also offered them a chance to regain territories ceded to Poland twenty years earlier and to unite the eastern and western Ukrainian and Belarusian peoples under a Soviet government, for the first time in the same state. The Battle of Warsaw (Russian Варшáвское сражéние Polish: Bitwa Warszawska sometimes referred to as the Miracle at the Vistula, Polish ^[22] Soviet leader Joseph Stalin saw advantages in a war in western Europe, which might weaken his ideological enemies and open up new regions to the advance of communism. Joseph Stalin ( ნამდვილი გვარი ჯუღაშვილი|Iosif Vissarionovich Dzhugashvili; March 5 1953 was General Secretary of the Communist Party Communism is a Socioeconomic structure that promotes the establishment of an egalitarian, classless, stateless Society based ^[23][f]

Soon after the Germans invaded Poland on 1 September 1939, the Nazi leaders began urging the Soviets to play their agreed part and attack Poland from the east. The Invasion of Poland (1939 precipitated World War II. It was carried out by Nazi Germany, the Soviet Union, and a small German-allied Events 462 - Possible start of first Byzantine indiction cycle. Year 1939 ( MCMXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The German ambassador to Moscow, Friedrich Werner von der Schulenburg, and the Soviet foreign minister, Vyacheslav Molotov, exchanged a series of diplomatic communiqués on the matter. Moscow (Москва́ romanised: Moskvá, IPA: see also other names) is the Capital and the largest city of Friedrich-Werner Graf von der Schulenburg ( 20 November 1875 – 10 November 1944) was a German diplomat who This page lists foreign ministers of Russian Empire, Soviet Union, and Russian Federation: Heads of Posolsky Prikaz, 1549-1699 Molotov redirects here For other uses see Molotov (disambiguation. ^[9]

Then Molotov came to the political side of the matter and stated that the Soviet Government had intended to take the occasion of the further advance of German troops to declare that Poland was falling apart and that it was necessary for the Soviet Union, in consequence, to come to the aid of the Ukrainians and the White Russians "threatened" by Germany. This argument was to make the intervention of the Soviet Union plausible to the masses and at the same time avoid giving the Soviet Union the appearance of an aggressor.

—Friedrich Werner von der Schulenburg, German ambassador to Moscow in a telegram to the German Foreign Office, Moscow, September 10 1939

^[24]

The Soviets delayed their intervention for several reasons. They were distracted by crucial events in their border disputes with Japan; they needed time to mobilise the Red Army; and they saw a diplomatic advantage in waiting until Poland had disintegrated before making their move. ^[25][26] On 17 September 1939, Molotov declared on the radio that all treaties between the Soviet Union and Poland were now void,^[g] because the Polish government had abandoned its people and effectively ceased to exist. Events 1176 - The Battle of Myriokephalon is fought 1462 - The Battle of Świecino (or Battle of Żarnowiec Year 1939 ( MCMXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. ^[27] On the same day, the Red Army crossed the border into Poland. The Red Army ( Russian: Рабоче-Крестьянская Красная Армия R aboche- K rest'yanskaya K rasnaya A rmiya ^[25][4]

Military campaign

Situation after 14 September 1939

The Red Army entered the eastern regions of Poland with seven field armies and between 450,000 and 1,000,000 troops. Events 81 - Domitian becomes Emperor of the Roman Empire upon the death of his brother Titus. Year 1939 ( MCMXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The term Kresy, meaning Outskirts or Borderlands, was first used to define the Polish eastern frontier A Field Army, usually referred to simply as an Army, is a term used by many national Military forces for a formation superior to a Corps and beneath an ^[4] These were deployed on two fronts: the Belarusian Front under Mikhail Kovalyov, and the Ukrainian Front under Semyon Timoshenko. A Front (фронт was a major Military organization in the Soviet Army, roughly equivalent to an Army group in the military terminology of other countries The Soviet order of battle for the invasion of Poland in 1939 details the major combat units arrayed for Soviet invasion of Poland on 7 September 1939 Colonel-General Mikhail Prokofievich Kovalyov (Михаил Прокофьевич Ковалёв (- 31 August 1967) was a Soviet military officer The Soviet order of battle for the invasion of Poland in 1939 details the major combat units arrayed for Soviet invasion of Poland on 7 September 1939 Semyon Konstantinovich Timoshenko (Семё́н Константи́нович Тимоше́нко Semën Konstantinovič Timošenko; &ndash March 31, 1970 ^[4] By this time, the Poles had failed to defend their western borders, and in response to German incursions had launched a major counter-offensive in the Battle of the Bzura. The Battle of the Border (Bitwa graniczna refers to the battles that occurred in the first days of the Nazi Germany invasion of Poland in September 1939 The Battle of the Bzura (or Kutno or Battle of Kutno - German name was a battle in the opening campaign of World War II during the 1939 The Polish Army originally had a well-developed defensive plan to deal with the threat of the Soviet Union, but they were unprepared to face two invasions at once. Plan Wschód ( Plan East) was a Polish defensive Military plan, created in the 1920s and 1930s in case of war with the Soviet Union ^[28] By the time the Soviets invaded, the Polish commanders had sent most of their troops west to face the Germans, leaving the east protected by only 20 under-strength battalions. These battalions consisted of about 20,000 troops of border defence corps (Korpus Ochrony Pogranicza), under the command of general Wilhelm Orlik-Rueckemann. Border Protection Corps (Korpus Ochrony Pogranicza KOP) was a Polish military unit created in 1924 for defence of the eastern border against armed Soviet Wilhelm Orlik-Rueckemann (sometimes referred to as Wilhelm Rückemann; 1894-1986 was a Polish general military commander and one of the pioneers of armoured ^[1][4]

Soviet and German officers meet after the Soviet invasion of Poland. From German propaganda newsreel. The German officer shows a leaflet in Russian, informing on desire of the Wehrmacht «to enter with soldiers of Red Army into good soldier's attitudes» and about deep respect which «at us the Russian soldier always used»

At first, the Polish commander-in-chief, Marshal of Poland Edward Rydz-Śmigły, ordered the border forces to resist the Soviets. A commander-in-chief is the Commander of a nation's Military forces or significant element of those forces Marshal of Poland ( Marszałek Polski) is the highest rank in the Polish Army. Edward Rydz-Śmigły ( pronounced rɨts ɕmigwɨ sometimes Edward Śmigły-Rydz ( March 11 1886 He then changed his mind after consulting with Prime Minister Felicjan Sławoj Składkowski and ordered them to fall back and engage the Soviets only in self-defense. The Prime Minister of the Republic of Poland represents the Council of Ministers (the Cabinet and directs their work supervises territorial self-government Felicjan Sławoj Składkowski ( 9 July 1885 - 31 August 1962) was a Polish physician general and politician who served as Polish ^[1][5]

The Soviets have entered. I order a general retreat to Romania and Hungary by the shortest route. Do not fight the Bolsheviks unless they assault you or try to disarm your units. The Bolsheviks, originally also Bolshevists ( Большевик Большевист (singular, derived from bolshe, "more" were a faction The tasks for Warsaw and cities which were to defend themselves from the Germans - without changes. Cities aproached by Bolsheviks should negotiate the issue of withdrawing the garrison to Hungary or Romania.

—Edward Rydz-Śmigły, Commander-in-Chief of the Polish armed forces, September 17 1939

^[29]

The two conflicting sets of orders led to confusion,^[4] and when the Red Army attacked Polish units, clashes and small battles inevitably broke out. ^[1] The response of non-ethnic Poles to the situation added a further complication. In some cases, Ukrainians,^[m] Belarusians^[30] and Jews^[31] welcomed the invading troops as liberators. Ukrainians (Українці Ukrayintsi,) are an East Slavic Ethnic group primarily living in Ukraine, or more broadly— Citizens Belarusians or Belorussians (Беларусы Biełarusy previously also spelled Belarussians, Byelorussians and Belorusians, also PLEASE TAKE NOTE************ The Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists rose against the Poles, and communist partisans organised local revolts, for example in Skidel. Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists or OUN (Організація Українських Націоналістів Orhanizatsiya Ukrayins’kykh Natsionalistiv Skidel is a Belarusian village that is located 31 kilometers from Grodno. ^[4][j]

The Polish military's original fall-back plan was to retreat and regroup along the Romanian Bridgehead, an area in south-east Poland near the border with Romania. The Romanian Bridgehead (Przedmoście rumuńskie was an area in southeastern Poland, now located in Ukraine. The idea was to adopt defensive positions there and wait for a promised French and British attack in the west. This plan assumed that Germany would have to reduce its operations in Poland in order to fight on a second front. ^[4] The allies expected Polish forces to hold out for up to several months, but the Soviet attack made this strategy obsolete.

Dominant nationalities in Poland and surrounding regions, 1931

Generals Heinz Guderian (center) and Semyon Krivoshein (right) at the common parade in Brest. Heinz Wilhelm Guderian ( 17 June, 1888 – 14 May, 1954) was a military theorist and innovative General of the German Semyon Moiseevich Krivoshein ( November 28, 1899, Voronezh, Russian Empire - September 16, 1978, Moscow,

The Polish political and military leaders knew that they were losing the war against Germany even before the Soviet invasion settled the issue. ^[4] Nevertheless, they refused to surrender or negotiate a peace with Germany. Instead, the Polish government ordered all military units to evacuate Poland and reassemble in France. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. ^[4] The government itself crossed into Romania at around midnight on 17 September 1939 through the border-crossing in Zaleszczyki. Romania ( dated: Rumania, Roumania Events 1176 - The Battle of Myriokephalon is fought 1462 - The Battle of Świecino (or Battle of Żarnowiec Year 1939 ( MCMXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Zalischyky (Залiщики also Zalishchyky, Zaleszczyki is a small City located on the Dniester River in the southern part of the Ternopil Oblast Polish units proceeded to manoeuvre towards the Romanian bridgehead area, sustaining German attacks on one flank and occasionally clashing with Soviet troops on the other. In the days following the evacuation order, the Germans defeated the Polish Armies Kraków and Lublin at the Battle of Tomaszów Lubelski, which lasted from 17 September to 20 September. Kraków Army (Armia Kraków was one of the Polish armies to take part in the Polish Defensive War of 1939 Lublin Army (Armia Lublin was an improvised Polish Army created on September 4 1939 from 1 motorized brigade and various smaller units concentrated around cities Battle of Tomaszów Lubelski took place from 17 September to 26 September 1939 near the town of Tomaszów Lubelski. Events 1176 - The Battle of Myriokephalon is fought 1462 - The Battle of Świecino (or Battle of Żarnowiec Events 451 - The Battle of Chalons takes place in North Eastern France. ^[32]

Soviet units often met their German counterparts advancing from the opposite direction. Several notable examples of co-operation occurred between the two armies in the field. The Wehrmacht passed the Brest Fortress, which had been seized after the Battle of Brześć Litewski, to the Soviet 29th Tank Brigade on 17 September. Wehrmacht (literally "defense force" was the name of the unified Armed forces of Germany from 1935 to 1945 Brest Fortress (Брэсцкая крэпасць ISO 9:; Брестская крепость ISO 9:) in Brest Belarus, formerly Battle of Brześć Litewski (otherwise known as the Siege of Brześć, Battle of Brest-Litovsk or simply Battle of Brześć) was a World Events 1176 - The Battle of Myriokephalon is fought 1462 - The Battle of Świecino (or Battle of Żarnowiec ^[33] German General Heinz Guderian and Soviet Brigadier Semyon Krivoshein then held a joint parade in the town. Heinz Wilhelm Guderian ( 17 June, 1888 – 14 May, 1954) was a military theorist and innovative General of the German Semyon Moiseevich Krivoshein ( November 28, 1899, Voronezh, Russian Empire - September 16, 1978, Moscow, A parade (also called march or marchpast) is a procession of people usually organized along a street often in Costume, and often accompanied by Fire ^[33] Lwów (Lviv) surrendered on 22 September, days after the Germans handed the siege operations over to the Soviets. Lviv ( Ukrainian: Львів, L’viv, Lwów Lemberg Львов L'vov; see also other names) is a major city in western The Battle of Lwów (sometimes called the Siege of Lwów) was a battle for the control over the Polish city of Lwów between the Polish Army Events 66 - Emperor Nero creates the Legion I Italica. 1236 - The Lithuanians ^[34][35] Soviet forces had taken Wilno on 19 September after a two-day battle, and they took Grodno on 24 September after a four-day battle. Events 335 - Dalmatius is raised to the rank of Caesar by his uncle Constantine I. Battle of Wilno (Vilnius Vilna was one of the major Battles during the Soviet invasion of Poland that accompanied the larger German invasion. Events 622 - Prophet Muhammad completes his hegira from Mecca to Medina. The Battle of Grodno took place between September 21 and September 24, 1939, during the Polish Defensive War. By 28 September, the Red Army had reached the line of the rivers Narew, Western Bug, Vistula and San—the border agreed in advance with the Germans. Events 48 BC - Pompey the Great is assassinated on orders of King Ptolemy of Egypt after landing in Egypt.

Despite a tactical Polish victory on 28 September at the Battle of Szack, the outcome of the larger conflict was never in doubt. Events 48 BC - Pompey the Great is assassinated on orders of King Ptolemy of Egypt after landing in Egypt. Battle of Szack was one of the major battles between the Polish Army and the Red Army fought in 1939 in the beginning the Second World War. ^[36] Civilian volunteers, militias, and reorganised retreating units held out in the Polish capital, Warsaw, till 28 September. The term militia is commonly used today to refer to a military force composed of ordinary Citizens to provide defense emergency law enforcement or Paramilitary service The 1939 Battle of Warsaw was fought between the Polish Warsaw Army ( Armia Warszawa) garrisoned and entrenched in the Capital Warsaw (Warszawa; also known by other names) is the Capital and Largest city of Poland. Events 48 BC - Pompey the Great is assassinated on orders of King Ptolemy of Egypt after landing in Egypt. The Modlin Fortress, north of Warsaw, surrendered the next day after an intense sixteen-day battle. Modlin Fortress ( Polish Twierdza Modlin) is one of the biggest 19th century Fortresses in Poland The Battle of Modlin took place during the German invasion of Poland at the beginning of the Second World War. On 1 October, Soviet troops drove Polish units into the forests at the battle of Wytyczno, one of the last direct confrontations of the campaign. Events 331 BC - Alexander the Great defeats Darius III of Persia in the Battle of Gaugamela. The battle of Wytyczno took place on October 1, 1939 near the village of Wytyczno near Włodawa in Poland. ^[37]

Soviet invasion of Poland 17 September 1939 - Polish-Soviet border

Some isolated Polish garrisons managed to hold their positions long after being surrounded; but the last operational unit of the Polish Army to surrender was General Franciszek Kleeberg's Independent Operational Group Polesie (Samodzielna Grupa Operacyjna "Polesie"). Events 1176 - The Battle of Myriokephalon is fought 1462 - The Battle of Świecino (or Battle of Żarnowiec Year 1939 ( MCMXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Garrison (various spellings (from the French garnison, itself from the verb garnir, "to equip" is the collective term for a body of Troops Franciszek Kleeberg ( February 1, 1888 in Tarnopol - April 5, 1941 near Dresden) was a Polish general Independent Operational Group Polesie ( Samodzielna Grupa Operacyjna Polesie, SGO Polesie) was one of the Polish Army Corps ( Operational Kleeberg surrendered on 6 October after the four-day Battle of Kock (near Lublin), which ended the September Campaign. Events 105 BC - Battle of Arausio: The Cimbri inflict the heaviest defeat on the Roman army of Gnaeus Mallius Maximus The Battle of Kock, was the final battle of the Invasion of Poland at the beginning of World War II. Lublin is the largest city in eastern Poland and the capital of Lublin Voivodeship with a population of 355954 The Soviets were victorious. On 31 October, Molotov reported to the Supreme Soviet: "A short blow by the German army, and subsequently by the Red Army, was enough for nothing to be left of this ugly creature of the Treaty of Versailles". Events 445 BC – Ezra reads the Book of the Law to the Israelites in Jerusalem (see Nehemiah 91 NLTse Molotov redirects here For other uses see Molotov (disambiguation. The Supreme Soviet of the USSR (Верхо́вный Сове́т СССР Verkhóvnyj Sovét SSSR) was the highest legislative body in the Soviet Union in The Treaty of Versailles was one of the peace treaties at the end of World War I. ^[38]

Allied reaction

Rendezvous. David Low's cartoon, published in the Evening Standard on 20 September 1939, shows Hitler greeting Stalin, following their joint invasion of Poland, with the words, "The scum of the earth, I believe?". David Low may refer to David Low (cartoonist David Low (professor (1786–1859 G The London Evening Standard is an English Tabloid regional local newspaper published and sold in London and surrounding areas of southeast Events 451 - The Battle of Chalons takes place in North Eastern France. Year 1939 ( MCMXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The Invasion of Poland (1939 precipitated World War II. It was carried out by Nazi Germany, the Soviet Union, and a small German-allied To which Stalin replies, "The bloody assassin of the workers, I presume?"

The reaction of France and Britain to Poland's plight was muted, since neither wanted a confrontation with the Soviet Union at that stage. ^[39] Under the terms of the Anglo-Polish Agreement of 25 August 1939, the British had promised Poland assistance if attacked by a European power;^[k] but when Polish Ambassador Edward Raczyński reminded Foreign Secretary Lord Halifax of the pact, he was bluntly told that it was Britain's business whether to declare war on the Soviet Union. The Anglo-Polish military alliance refers to agreements reached between the United Kingdom and the Polish Second Republic for mutual assistance in case of military Events 1248 - The Dutch city of Ommen receives city rights and fortification rights from Otto III the Year 1939 ( MCMXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Edward Bernard Raczyński ( July 19, 1891 &ndash July 30, 1993) was a Polish aristocrat diplomat writer politician and President The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, commonly referred to as the Foreign Secretary, is a member of the United Kingdom Government heading the Edward Frederick Lindley Wood 1st Earl of Halifax, KG, OM, GCSI, GCMG, GCIE, PC ( 16 April 1881 &ndash ^[39] British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain considered making a public commitment to restore Polish statehood, but in the end he issued only general statements of condemnation. The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the political leader of the United Kingdom Arthur Neville Chamberlain (18 March 1869 &ndash 9 November 1940 was a British Conservative Politician and Prime Minister of the United Kingdom ^[39]

The French had also made promises to Poland, including the provision of air support, and these were not honoured. Once the Soviets moved into Poland, the French and the British decided there was nothing they could do for Poland in the short term and began planning for a long-term victory instead. The French had advanced tentatively into the Saar in early September, but after the Polish defeat, they retreated behind the Maginot Line on 4 October. The Saar Offensive was a French operation into the Saarland on the German 1 The Maginot Line (IPA, Ligne Maginot named after French Minister of Defense André Maginot, was a line of concrete Fortifications tank obstacles artillery Events 610 - Heraclius arrives by ship from Africa at Constantinople, overthrows Byzantine Emperor Phocas ^[40] Many Poles resented this lack of support from their western allies, which aroused a lasting sense of betrayal. Western betrayal or Yalta betrayal are popular terms in many Central European countries especially in Poland and the Czech Republic which refers

Aftermath

Main article: Occupation of Poland (1939–1945)

Further information: History of Poland (1939-1945), Polish prisoners of war in Soviet Union (after 1939)

"Second Ribbentrop-Molotov Pact" of 28 September 1939. This article deals with the occupation of Poland by Germany and the Soviet Union during the Second World War (1939–1945 The history of Poland from 1939 to 1945 encompasses the German invasion of Poland through to the end of World War II As a result of the Soviet invasion of Poland in 1939, hundreds of thousands of Polish soldiers became prisoners of war in the Soviet Union. Map of Poland signed by Stalin and Ribbentrop adjusting definitive German-Soviet border in the aftermath of German and Soviet invasion of Poland. The Invasion of Poland (1939 precipitated World War II. It was carried out by Nazi Germany, the Soviet Union, and a small German-allied

Polish prisoners of war captured by the Red Army during the Soviet invasion of Poland

Polish policemen and civilians ( "enemies of the people") captured by the Red Army after the Soviet invasion of Poland

Note of Lavrenty Beria accepted by members of Politburo of Communist Party of the Soviet Union - Document of decision of mass executions of Polish officers - POW - dated 5 March 1940 - their final fate. The term enemy of the people is a fluid designation of political or class opponents of the group using the term Lavrentiy Pavlovich Beria (ლავრენტი პავლეს ძე ბერია Lavrenti Pavles dze Beria; Russian: Лаврентий Павлович Politburo, short for Political Bureau, Russian Politicheskoye Buro, is the executive organization for a number of Political parties, most notably Events 363 - Roman Emperor Julian moves from Antioch with an army of 90000 to attack the Sassanid Empire, in a Year 1940 ( MCMXL) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full 1940 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Note that this image shows only the 1st page of the document, in which there is no mentioning of mass executions. The Russian text in this document only tells about the alleged resistance movement among captured Polish officers.

A Soviet propaganda poster depicting the Red Army's advance into Western Ukraine as a liberation of the Ukrainians. The Ukrainian text reads: "We stretched our hand to our brothers so that they could straighten their backs and throw off the despised rule of the whips that lasted for centuries. " The person thrown off the peasants' backs, shown wearing a Polish military uniform and holding the whip, could be interpreted as a caricature of Piłsudski.

In October 1939, Molotov reported to the Supreme Soviet that the Soviets had suffered 737 deaths and 1,862 casualties during the campaign, though Polish specialists claim up to 3,000 deaths and 8,000 to 10,000 wounded. ^[e] On the Polish side, between 6,000 and 7,000 soldiers died fighting the Red Army, with 230,000 to 450,000 taken prisoner. ^[1][41] The Soviets often failed to honour terms of surrender. In some cases, they promised Polish soldiers freedom and then arrested them when they laid down their arms. ^[4]

The Soviet Union had ceased to recognise the Polish state at the start of the invasion. ^[9][10] As a result, the two governments never officially declared war on each other. The Soviets therefore did not classify Polish military prisoners as prisoners of war but as rebels against the new legal government of Western Ukraine and Western Byelorussia. ^[n] The Soviets killed tens of thousands of Polish prisoners of war. As a result of the Soviet invasion of Poland in 1939, hundreds of thousands of Polish soldiers became prisoners of war in the Soviet Union. Some, like General Józef Olszyna-Wilczyński, who was captured, interrogated and shot on 22 September, were executed during the campaign itself. Józef Konstanty Olszyna-Wilczyński ( 1890-1939 was a Polish General and one of the high-ranking commanders of the Polish Army. Events 66 - Emperor Nero creates the Legion I Italica. 1236 - The Lithuanians ^[42][43] On 24 September, the Soviets killed forty-two staff and patients of a Polish military hospital in the village of Grabowiec, near Zamość. Events 622 - Prophet Muhammad completes his hegira from Mecca to Medina. Zamość is a town in southeastern Poland with 66633 inhabitants (2004 situated in the Lublin Voivodeship (since 1999 ^[44] The Soviets also executed all the Polish officers they captured after the Battle of Szack, on 28 September 1939. Battle of Szack was one of the major battles between the Polish Army and the Red Army fought in 1939 in the beginning the Second World War. Events 48 BC - Pompey the Great is assassinated on orders of King Ptolemy of Egypt after landing in Egypt. Year 1939 ( MCMXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. ^[36] Over 20,000 Polish military personnel and civilians perished in the Katyn massacre. ^[33][4] About 300 Poles were executed after the Battle of Grodno [3].

The Poles and the Soviets re-established diplomatic relations in 1941, following the Sikorski-Mayski Agreement; but the Soviets broke them off again in 1943 after the Polish government demanded an independent examination of the recently discovered Katyn burial pits. The Sikorski-Mayski Agreement was a treaty between Soviet Union and Poland signed in London on August 17, 1941. ^[45] The Soviets then lobbied the Western Allies to recognise the pro-Soviet Polish puppet government of Wanda Wasilewska in Moscow. Union of Polish Patriots ( Society of Polish Patriots, Związek Patriotów Polskich ZPP Союз Польских Патриотов СПП was a political body created Wanda Wasilewska ( 21 January 1905 &ndash 29 July 1964) was a Polish and Soviet novelist and left wing political activist ^[46]

On 28 September 1939, the Soviet Union and Germany had changed the secret terms of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact. Events 48 BC - Pompey the Great is assassinated on orders of King Ptolemy of Egypt after landing in Egypt. Year 1939 ( MCMXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. They moved Lithuania into the Soviet sphere of influence and shifted the border in Poland to the east, giving Germany more territory. Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania (Lietuvos Respublika is a Country in Eastern often referred to as Northern Europe or in the A sphere of influence ( SOI) is an area or region over which an organization or state exerts some kind of indirect cultural economic military or political domination ^[2] By this arrangement, often described as a fourth partition of Poland,^[4] the Soviet Union secured almost all Polish territory east of the line of the rivers Pisa, Narew, Western Bug and San. The Partitions of Poland or Partitions of the Polish Lithuanian Commonwealth took place in the second half of the 18th century and ended the existence of the This amounted to about 200,000 square kilometres of land, inhabited by 13. 5 million Polish citizens. ^[5]

The Red Army had originally sown confusion among the locals by claiming that they were arriving to save Poland from the Nazis. ^[47] Their advance surprised Polish communities and their leaders, who had not been advised how to respond to a Soviet invasion. Polish and Jewish citizens may at first have preferred a Soviet regime to a German one. ^[48] However, the Soviets were quick to impose their ideology on the local ways of life. For instance, the Soviets quickly began confiscating, nationalising and redistributing all private and state-owned Polish property. Nationalization, also spelled nationalisation, is the act of taking an industry or assets into the Public ownership of a national government ^[49] During the two years following the annexation, the Soviets also arrested approximately 100,000 Polish citizens^[50] and deported between 350,000 and 1,500,000, of whom between 250,000 and 1,000,000 died, mostly civilians. ^[b][51]

Territories of Second Polish Republic annexed by Soviet Union

Further information: Polish areas annexed by the Soviet Union

Small-town residents of Western Byelorussia depicted welcoming the Red Army. After the Soviet invasion of Poland following the corresponding German invasion that marked the start of World War II in 1939 the Soviet Union annexed The banner reads "Long Live the great theory of Marx, Engels, Lenin-Stalin". Friedrich Engels (28 November 1820 – 5 August 1895 was a German social scientist and philosopher, who Joseph Stalin ( ნამდვილი გვარი ჯუღაშვილი|Iosif Vissarionovich Dzhugashvili; March 5 1953 was General Secretary of the Communist Party Such manifestations were not spontaneous, but usually organised by activists of Communist Party of Poland. This article is about the 1918-1938 Communist Party of Poland ^[52]

]]]]

Of the 13. 5 million civilians living in the newly annexed territories, Poles were the largest single ethnic group; but Belarusians and Ukrainians together made up over 50% of the population. After the Soviet invasion of Poland following the corresponding German invasion that marked the start of World War II in 1939 the Soviet Union annexed ^[c] The annexation did not give the Soviet Union control of all the areas where Belarusians or Ukrainians lived, some of which fell west of the new German–Soviet border. ^[l] Nonetheless, it united the vast majority of the two peoples within the expanded Soviet Byelorussian and Ukrainian republics. The Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic (abbreviated as Byelorussian SSR or BSSR) (Беларуская Савецкая Сацыялістычная Рэспубліка The Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic or the Ukrainian SSR was one of the 15 constituent republics that made up the Former Soviet Union from its

A Sovietization propaganda poster addressed to the Western Ukrainian population. Sovietization is term that may be used with two distinct (but related meanings the adoption of a political system based on the model of soviets (workers' councils The Ukrainian text reads: "Electors of the working people! Vote for the joining of Western Ukraine with Soviet Ukraine, for a united, free and thriving Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic. Lets forever eliminate the border between Western and Soviet Ukraine. Long Live the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic!"

On 26 October 1939, "elections" to Byelorussian and Ukrainian assemblies were held, to give the annexation an appearance of validity. Events 740 - An Earthquake strikes Constantinople, causing much damage and death Year 1939 ( MCMXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. ^[i] The Belarusians and Ukrainians in Poland had been increasingly alienated by the Polonization policies of the Polish government and its repression of their separatist movements, so they felt little loyalty towards the Polish state. Polonization (polonizacja is the acquisition or imposition Separatism refers to the advocacy of a state of cultural ethnic tribal religious racial or gender separation from the larger group often with demands for greater political autonomy ^[53][52] Not all Belarusians and Ukrainians, however, trusted the Soviet regime responsible for the Ukrainian Famine of 1932–33. The Holodomor (Голодомор is the famine that took place in Soviet Ukraine during the 1932-1933 agricultural season ^[47] In practice, the poor generally welcomed the Soviets, and the elites tended to join the opposition, despite supporting the reunification itself. ^[52][54]

The Soviets quickly introduced Sovietization policies in Western Byelorussia and Western Ukraine, including compulsory collectivization of the whole region. Sovietization is term that may be used with two distinct (but related meanings the adoption of a political system based on the model of soviets (workers' councils Collective farming is an organization of agricultural production in which the holdings of several farmers are run as a joint enterprise In the process, they ruthlessly broke up political parties and public associations and imprisoned or executed their leaders as "enemies of the people". ^[47] The authorities even suppressed the anti-Polish Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists, which had actively resisted the Polish regime since the 1920s; despite their change of overlord, Ukrainian nationalists continued to aim for an independent, undivided Ukrainian state. The terms Polonophobia, anti-Polonism, antipolonism and anti-Polish sentiment refer to a spectrum of hostile attitudes toward Poles. Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists or OUN (Організація Українських Націоналістів Orhanizatsiya Ukrayins’kykh Natsionalistiv ^[55][54] The unifications of 1939 were nevertheless a decisive event in the history of Ukraine and Belarus, because they produced two republics which eventually achieved independence in 1991 after the fall of the Soviet Union. Ukraine (Україна Ukrayina, /ukrɑˈjinɑ/ is a country in Eastern Europe. Belarus ( Belarusian Беларусь / Biełaruś is a Landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered by Russia to the north and east The Soviet Union 's collapse into independent nations began early in 1985 ^[56]

Since 1654, when the tsars began steadily to extend their control over Ukraine, Ukrainians had lived in two distinct worlds: one ruled by the Russians and the other by Poles or Austrians. As a result of the Second World War, the East/West Ukrainian dichotomy finally ceased to exist, at least on the political level. The process of amalgamation—of unification of two long-separated branches of the Ukrainian people—was not only a major aspect of the post-war period, but an event of epochal significance in the history of Ukraine.

—Orest Subtelny a Canadian historian of Ukrainian descent

^[57]

Censorship

Soviet censors later suppressed many details of the 1939 invasion and its aftermath. Orest Subtelny (b 1943 in Kraków) - is a Canadian Historian of Ukrainian descent Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page See also History An historian is an individual who studies and writes about History, and is regarded as an Authority on it Ukrainians (Українці Ukrayintsi,) are an East Slavic Ethnic group primarily living in Ukraine, or more broadly— Citizens Censorship is the suppression of speech or deletion of communicative material which may be considered objectionable harmful or sensitive as determined by a censor ^[58] The Politburo had from the first called the operation a "liberation campaign", and later Soviet statements and publications never wavered from that line. Politburo, short for Political Bureau, Russian Politicheskoye Buro, is the executive organization for a number of Political parties, most notably ^[59] On 30 November 1939, Stalin stated that it was not Germany who had attacked France and England, but France and England who had attacked Germany;^[60] and the following March, Molotov claimed that Germany had tried to make peace and been turned down by "Anglo-French imperialists". Events 1700 - Battle of Narva — A Swedish army of 8500 men under Charles XII defeats Year 1939 ( MCMXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Joseph Stalin ( ნამდვილი გვარი ჯუღაშვილი|Iosif Vissarionovich Dzhugashvili; March 5 1953 was General Secretary of the Communist Party ^[o] All subsequent Soviet governments denied that there had ever been a secret protocol to the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact; but when the document was "found" in the Soviet archives in 1989, the truth was finally acknowledged. ^[7] Censorship was also applied in the People's Republic of Poland, to preserve the image of "Polish-Soviet friendship" promoted by the two communist governments. The People's Republic of Poland or Polish People's Republic ( Polish: Polska Rzeczpospolita Ludowa, PRL Russian Official policy allowed only accounts of the 1939 campaign that portrayed it as a reunification of the Belarusian and Ukrainian peoples and a liberation of the Polish people from "oligarchic capitalism. ” The authorities strongly discouraged any further study or teaching on the subject. ^[33][15] However, various underground publications (bibuła) addressed the issue,^[37] as did other media, such as the 1982 protest song of Jacek Kaczmarski (Ballada wrześniowa. Polish underground press ( sl bibuła lit flimsy blotter blotting paper or drugi obieg lit A protest song is a Song which Protests against perceived problems in Society. Jacek Kaczmarski ( March 22, 1957, Warsaw - April 10, 2004, Gdańsk) was a Polish Singer, songwriter )^[61]

Orders of battle

See articles:

• Polish army order of battle in 1939
• Soviet order of battle for invasion of Poland in 1939

Notes

a. Polish OOB during the Invasion of Poland. In the late thirties Polish headquarters prepared "Plan Zachód" ( Plan "West) a plan of mobilization of Polish The Soviet order of battle for the invasion of Poland in 1939 details the major combat units arrayed for Soviet invasion of Poland on 7 September 1939 ^{^}  Increasing numbers of KOP units, as well as most Polish Army units stationed in the East during peacetime, were sent to the Polish-German border before or during the German invasion. KOP forces guarding the eastern border numbered around 20,000. ^[4] On 21 September 1939, an improvised KOP "army" had a strength of 8,700 troops. Events 1217 - The Estonian tribal leader Lembitu of Lehola was killed in a battle against Teutonic Knights. Year 1939 ( MCMXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Polish army units which fought the Soviets had mostly been disrupted and weakened by their retreat from the Germans, making estimates of their strength problematic; it is estimated about 250,000 of such troops found themselves in the line of Soviet advance and offered sporadic resistance. ^[4] The total Polish army on 1 September 1939, counting un-mobilised (and sometimes, never mobilised) units, numbered about 950,000. Events 462 - Possible start of first Byzantine indiction cycle. Year 1939 ( MCMXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. ^[2] Historians agree that the vast majority of these forces never saw action against the Soviets.

b. ^{1  2}  The exact number of people deported in the period 1939–1941 remains unknown, and estimates vary from between 350,000^[62] and (old WWII estimates by the Underground) over two million. The first figure is based on NKVD records and does not include the roughly 180,000 prisoners of war in Soviet captivity. Most modern historians estimate the number of all people deported from areas taken by the Soviet Union during this period at between 800,000 and 1,500,000. For example, Rummel estimates the number at 1,200,000 and Kushner and Knox at 1,500,000. Rudolph Joseph Rummel (born October 21, 1932) is Professor emeritus of Political science at the University of Hawaii. ^[63] Bernd Wegner quotes Norman Davies's estimate that half of an approximately one million deported Polish citizens were dead by the time the Sikorski-Mayski Agreement was signed in 1941. Ivor Norman Richard Davies Fellow of the British Academy (born 8 June 1939 to Richard and Elizabeth Davies The Sikorski-Mayski Agreement was a treaty between Soviet Union and Poland signed in London on August 17, 1941. ^[64]

The mass deportations were motivated by class warfare—Soviet propaganda hammered home the message that they were fighting a war against barbarism on behalf of civilization—and obsessive security concerns. Less openly admitted advantages of the deportations were the redistribution of deportees' housing and land, the establishment of a back-up labour force prior to the inevitable war with Germany, and the radical alteration of the ethnic demographic of the annexed region. ^[51]

c. ^{^}  Among the population of Eastern territories were circa 38% Poles, 37% Ukrainians, 14. 5% Belarusians, 8. 4% Jewish, 0. 9% Russians and 0. 6% Germans. ^[65]

d. ^{^}  Estonia and Latvia were placed in the Soviet sphere of influence and Lithuania in the German. According to Joachim von Ribbentrop, Germany had agreed to what Britain had refused: a free hand in the Baltic and a free hand in the Balkan states. Ulrich Friedrich Wilhelm Joachim von Ribbentrop (30 April 1893 – 16 October 1946 was Foreign Minister of Germany from 1938 until 1945 On 28 September, the border was redefined by adding the area between the Vistula and Bug to the German sphere and moving Lithuania into the Soviet sphere. Events 48 BC - Pompey the Great is assassinated on orders of King Ptolemy of Egypt after landing in Egypt. ^[66]

e. ^{^}  "Polish specialists claim up to 3000 killed and 8,000–10,000 wounded. "^[67]

f. ^{^}  On 7 September 1939, Stalin told the secretary general of the Comintern, Georgi Dimitrov: "War is going on between two groups of capitalist countries. Events 1251 BC - A Solar eclipse on this date might mark the birth of legendary Heracles at Thebes Greece. Year 1939 ( MCMXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The Comintern ( Com munist Intern ational also known as the Third International) was an international Communist organisation founded in Moscow Georgi Dimitrov Mikhaylov (Георги Димитров Михайлов also known as Georgi Mikhaylovich Dimitrov (Георгий Михайлович Димитров . . for the division of the world, for domination of the entire world. We are not against their tearing one another to pieces and weakening one another. " He called Poland a fascist state which had oppressed Ukrainians, Byelorussians and others, and stressed that "the liquidisation of this government under present conditions would mean one fascist government less. Fascism is a totalitarian nationalist and corporatist ideology It wouldn’t be so bad if as a result of the destruction of Poland we extended the socialist system to new territories and populations. "^[68]

g. ^{^}  The Soviets in effect repudiated the Riga Peace Treaty and the Soviet-Polish Non-Aggression Pact. The Peace of Riga, also known as the Treaty of Riga; (Ри́жский ми́рный договóр -- Romanisation Rízhsky Mírny dogovór --, Rīgas They also violated the 1919 Covenant of the League of Nations (to which the USSR subscribed in 1934), the Briand-Kellog Pact of 1928 and the 1933 London Convention on the Definition of Aggression. The Covenant of the League of Nations is the Charter of the League of Nations. The Kellogg-Briand Pact, also known as the Pact of Paris, after the city where it was signed on August 27, 1928, was an international treaty "providing ^[69]

h. ^{^}  "The USSR proposed a ten-year Anglo-French-Soviet alliance which would include Rumania and Poland. "^[70]

i. ^{^}  The voters had a choice of only one candidate for each position of deputy; the communist party commissars then provided the assemblies with resolutions that would push through nationalization of banks and heavy industry and transfers of land to peasant communities. ^[71]

j. ^{^}  For other examples, described by an officer witness, see: Bronisław Konieczny, in Mój wrzesień 1939. Pamiętnik z kampanii wrześniowej spisany w obozie jenieckim and Moje życie w mundurze. Czasy narodzin i upadku II RP.

k. ^{^}  The "Agreement of Mutual Assistance between the United Kingdom and Poland" (London, 25 August 1939) states in Article 1: "Should one of the Contracting Parties become engaged in hostilities with a European Power in consequence of aggression by the latter against that Contracting Party, the other Contracting Party will at once give the Contracting Party engaged in hostilities all the support and assistance in its power. Events 1248 - The Dutch city of Ommen receives city rights and fortification rights from Otto III the Year 1939 ( MCMXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. "^[72]

l. ^{^}  Some Ukrainians and Belarusians lived in the areas traded to Germany by the Soviets in the agreement of 28 October. Events 306 - Maxentius is proclaimed Roman Emperor. 312 - Battle of Milvian Bridge: Constantine For example, Chełm and Lemkivshchyna (Łemkowszczyzna), both with significant Ukrainian populations, were among the Ukrainian enclaves left in German-occupied Poland (see maps). Chełm (Холм Kholm) is a city in eastern Poland with 72595 inhabitants (2005 Lemkivshchyna sometimes called Lemkovyna Lemkivshchyna or Łemkowszczyzna, is the region traditionally inhabited by the Lemkos ( Lemki)

m. ^{^}  "How are we . . . to explain the phenomenon of Ukrainians rejoicing and collaborating with the Soviets? Who were these Ukrainians? That they were Ukrainians is certain, but were they communists, Nationalists, unattached peasants? The answer is "yes—they were all three". ^[73]

n. ^{^}  "The Soviet Union's invasion and occupation of Eastern Poland in September 1939 was a clear act of aggression in international law. . . But the Soviets did not declare war, nor did the Poles respond with a declaration of war. As a result there was confusion over the status of soldiers taken captive and whether they qualified for treatment as PoWs. Jurists consider that the absence of a formal declaration of war does not absolve a power from the obligations of civilised conduct towards PoWs. On the contrary, failure to do so makes those involved, both leaders and operational subordinates, liable to charges of War Crimes and Crimes against Humanity. "^[74]

o. ^{^}  "It is generally known, however, that the British and French governments turned down German peace efforts, made public by her already at the end of last year, which for its part, owed to preparations to escalate the war. " Vyacheslav Molotov, 29 March 1940. Molotov redirects here For other uses see Molotov (disambiguation. Events 1461 - Wars of the Roses: Battle of Towton - Edward of York defeats Queen Margaret to become King Year 1940 ( MCMXL) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full 1940 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. ^[75]

References

Notes

This section lists full details for web sources cited in this article and shortened references for printed books. For full book details, see Bibliography below.

Bibliography

This section lists printed references used for this article. For inline citations, see references section above.

External links

• The Soviet invasion of Poland during World War II.
• (Polish) Documents related to the Soviet invasion of Poland (II wojna światowa: Źródła do historii Polski).
• (Polish) IPN investigation concerning Grodno crimes