Poland marks 87th anniversary of World War II outbreak

The 87th anniversary of the outbreak of World War II marks the beginning of the conflict that started with the German invasion of Poland on September 1, 1939, followed by the Soviet Union's entry on September 17. Under the Ribbentrop-Molotov Pact, the two powers divided Central and Eastern Europe, making Poland the first victim of a global war.

The occupation involved systematic terror, including the execution of elites, the establishment of concentration camps, and the Holocaust. The Soviet occupation was characterized by deportations and massacres, such as the Katyn massacre. Amidst this, the Polish countryside served as both a victim of pacification and a center of resistance, providing food and shelter to partisans.

In 1944, East Prussia, which had served as a strategic base for German operations against Poland and the USSR, faced direct threats from the advancing Red Army. This led to frantic defensive preparations, including the mobilization of the Volkssturm. Historically, the province was geographically separated from the rest of Germany by the Polish Corridor and maintained a significant agricultural economy.