Начало Второй мировой войны (1 сентября 1939 г.)

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Following German advances that started in early 1939, Soviet Foreign Commissar Vyacheslav Molotov, after the failure to find a diplomatic agreement with the Allies, agrees to specific diplomatic talks with the Germans.

Joachim von Ribbentrop, the foreign minister of Germany, arrives in Moscow for negotiations.

The scheduled invasion (see 25 August) is called off at the last possible moment to buy the Germans more time. The cancellation of the invasion orders fail to reach all German units in time; German saboteurs carry out a bombing attack at the Jablunkov Pass in what becomes known as the Jabłonków incident.

The Polish inspector general requests the President to issue orders for general mobilization.

Polish general mobilization orders are called off under pressure by the Western Allies. The Polish navy launches the Peking Plan to evacuate its three main destroyers to the United Kingdom. At 04:45, Schleswig Holstein opens fire against the Polish defenders at Westerplatte, beginning the Battle of Westerplatte. Luftwaffe forces undertake the Bombing of Wieluń. At 05:00, 50,000 Slovak soldiers cross the Polish border, beginning the Slovak invasion of Poland. German 3rd Army advances with its left flank (I Corps, Corps Wodrig) against Polish defenses at Mlawa ("Battle of Mlawa"), defended by the Polish 20th Infantry Division. German 8th Army and German 10th Army advance from Silesia and are delayed by rearguard actions of withdrawing Polish defenders. XVI Corps (10th Army) meets the Volhynian Cavalry Brigade (supported by armored train Śmiały) in the Battle of Mokra and inflicts large casualties. German public reactions to the outbreak of war are less than enthusiastic. Soviet Union allowed the Germans to use radio stations in Minsk to enable them to covertly instruct German pilots bombing Poland.

German naval forces under Günter Lütjens exchange fire with Wicher, Gryf and Polish coastal batteries; Leberecht Maaß (Ger.) damaged, Wilk (Pol.) damaged by bombs, Mazur (Pol.) sunk by Stukas of the 1st Air Division. German 3rd Army regroups after surprising Polish resistance in the northern sector (during the Battle of Mlawa); Panzer Division Kempf assigned to Wodrig Corps to shift the gravity of attack. German 4th Army crosses the Brda river. German troops perpetrated massacres in Bukownica, Gostyń, Łaziska Dolne, Łaziska Średnie, Parzymiechy and Zimnowoda, killing over 170 Poles, including women and children. The Luftwaffe bombed a train with civilian refugees from Krotoszyn in Koło, killing 300 people.

During the withdrawal of Polish troops from Bydgoszcz, local Germans opened fire on Polish soldiers and civilians, forcing them into a defensive battle in which several hundred people were killed on both sides. The event was referred to as the Bloody Sunday by the propaganda of Nazi Germany, with number of German victims upped to 58,000 by German propagandists. Bombing of Skierniewice by the Luftwaffe begins. German troops perpetrated massacres in Albertów, Imielin, Jankowice, Kobielice, Krzepice, Lędziny, Mysłów, Nierada, Pińczyce, Święta Anna, Zawiść, Zgoń and Zrębice, killing 320 Poles, including women and children. Soviet Defense Commissar Voroshilov orders seven military districts in the western Soviet Union to increase their combat readiness.

Schleswig Holstein intensifies its bombardment (supported through 21cm howitzers brought from East Prussia) against Polish defenders at Westerplatte as the Battle of Westerplatte continues. German 8th Army captures five bridges across the Warta river intact and begins its river crossing. The Luftwaffe bombed a train with civilian refugees from Ciechanów in Łukowo.

Edward Rydz Śmigły orders a general withdrawal by Army Prusy, Army Kraków, Army Poznań and Army Łódź to the east bank of the Vistula and behind the Dunajec. Krakow is captured by German forces. Decision of the German Ministry of the Interior to dissolve the Union of Poles in Germany and close Polish minority schools, printing houses, and financial and cooperative institutions.

German 14th Army forces its way across the river San on both sides of Przemyśl. The gros of the 11th Polish Infantry Division is trapped inside Przemyśl. German troops capture Skierniewice and Kostrzyn. German troops perpetrated massacres in Bądków, Gniazdowo, Kłecko, Laski Szlacheckie, Piaseczno, Rawa Mazowiecka, Stare Rogowo and Zdziechowa, killing around 190 Poles, including 21 POWs.

Poland's submarines are ordered via radio to attempt the breakout to British waters, or to otherwise seek internment in neutral ports. Germans capture Sandomierz. German troops carried out massacres in Bartoszewice, Koźmice Wielkie, Kraków, Łagiewniki, Parma, Sadówka, Stare Kozłowice and Szczucin, killing some 150 Poles, including over 40 POWs, and 42 Jews.

The German Group Kaupisch enters Gdynia (Polish remnant resistance in the city continues until 19 September). The majority of Poland's gold reserve stored by the Polish government in Śniatyn on the border with Romania. Poland's gold reserve evacuated from Śniatyn to Romania. Krakow Army attempts a breakout towards the Romanian frontier through Tomaszow Lubelski. Reinhard Heydrich issues a directive to begin the concentration of Poland's Jews in the major cities to prepare the formation of ghettos and to ease subsequent deportations to concentration camps. Germans carried out the first mass execution of 88 patients of the Kocborowo psychiatric hospital at the Forest of Szpęgawsk.

Soviets carried out a massacre of 25 Polish POWs in Husynne. Polish general Tadeusz Kutrzeba meets with Johannes Blaskowitz to discuss the terms of surrender. Germans carried out the second mass execution, this time of 16 patients of the Kocborowo psychiatric hospital, at the Forest of Szpęgawsk. Soviets carried out a massacre of 18 Polish POWs from the Riverine Flotilla of the Polish Navy in Mokrany.

Around 02:00 at night, a Polish vanguard of the Border Protection Corps meets a column of Soviet tanks near Wytyczno and destroys four of them. As the BPC crosses the Bug river south of Włodawa to catch up with Independent Operational Group Polesie forces, a Soviet counterattack ("Battle of Wytyczno") commences in the early morning. General Wilhelm Orlik Rückemann decides to break up his force into small units and send them into various directions. Several massacres are subsequently committed by the Soviet pursuers against Polish groups of soldiers.

Command of the Defenders of Poland (Komenda Obrońców Polski) Polish resistance organization founded in Warsaw.

Gerd von Rundstedt becomes military commander in German occupied Poland. German massacres of Poles in Paterek, committed as part of the Intelligenzaktion campaign begin.

The Germans hold the first of their victory campaigns in Warsaw, which is filmed by Leni Riefenstahl. Around 19:30, General Kleeberg (the commander of the last active Polish formations in the Kock sector) gives orders to cease fighting. The Germans carried out an execution of 39 Poles, defenders of the Polish Post Office in Gdansk in Zaspa. On 5–6 October, the Germans perpetrated a massacre of Poles from Koronowo and adjacent villages at Buszkowo.

The final Polish resistance (around two divisions in strength, under General Kleeberg around Kock) surrender, ending the campaign.