532. Hitler's War on Poland: The Fall of Warsaw (Part 3)
whatshot 207 snips
Jan 20, 2025
The podcast delves into the harrowing Nazi invasion of Poland, showcasing Warsaw's tragic fall under relentless bombing. It captures the indomitable spirit of the Polish people and highlights a valiant stand at Westerplatter, where 200 soldiers faced overwhelming odds. The discussion unmasks myths around Polish cavalry while revealing the brutal shift in warfare. Personal accounts and military strategies illustrate the devastating impact on civilians, particularly the Jewish community, turning Poland into a scene of chaos and destruction.
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question_answer ANECDOTE
Westerplatte Defense
Roughly 200 Polish soldiers defended the Westerplatte depot for a week against German attacks.
This heroic stand, exceeding expectations, became known as the "Polish Thermopylae".
question_answer ANECDOTE
Danzig Post Office Attack
The Polish post office in Danzig, defended by postmen and families, was brutally attacked by the SS.
After setting the building on fire, the SS executed the defenders, marking a dark contrast to events at Westerplatte.
question_answer ANECDOTE
Breaking the News
Claire Hollingworth, a young Daily Telegraph journalist, broke the news of the German invasion.
Her report was initially met with disbelief by the British embassy, highlighting the slower pace of communication at the time.
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The Tin Drum, the first book of Günter Grass's Danzig Trilogy, tells the story of Oskar Matzerath, born in 1924 in the Free City of Danzig. Oskar decides to stop growing at the age of three after receiving a tin drum as a gift. With an adult's capacity for thought and perception, he witnesses the upheaval of World War II and its aftermath, retaining the stature of a child. The novel employs magical realism to explore themes of guilt, complicity, and absurdity, reflecting on German identity and history. Oskar's unique narrative voice and his treasured tin drum serve as symbols of resistance against societal pressures and oppression.
The eagle unbowed
Poland and the Poles in the Second World War
Halik Kochanski
In this book, Halik Kochanski provides a detailed and comprehensive history of Poland's involvement in World War II. The narrative includes the country's betrayal by both allies and enemies, the deportations and executions by the Soviets and Germans, and the significant contributions of exiled Poles to the Allied war effort. The book also discusses the Warsaw uprising and the post-war period, offering a fair-minded introduction to the complex and often overlooked history of Poland during the war.
The Third Reich at War
How the Nazis Led Germany from Conquest to Disaster
Richard J. Evans
This final volume in Richard J. Evans’s trilogy on the history of Nazi Germany chronicles the major events of World War II from the Nazi perspective. It interweaves a broad narrative of the war’s progress with personal testimony from a wide range of people, including generals, front-line soldiers, Hitler Youth activists, and middle-class housewives. The book details the daily experience of ordinary Germans in wartime, the mass bombing of Germany’s towns and cities, and the Nazi extermination of Europe’s Jews within the context of Hitler’s genocidal plans. Evans provides a detailed account of key battles, such as the Battle of Stalingrad, and Hitler’s eventual suicide, offering a masterful historical narrative that serves as a warning for the future as much as a judgment on the past.
The Nazi invasion of Poland is one of the most harrowing episodes of the Second World War, which saw terrible scenes of abuse take place. Though long threatened, Poland was in no way prepared to face Hitler’s war machine when it finally attacked. Replete with tanks and planes, his would be a new kind of warfare. So, on the 10th of September 1939, Warsaw became the first capital in Europe to face relentless bombing raids, with Hitler - delighted by war - a spectator to the whole thing. The breaking point came when Stalin, whose troops had been fighting in Japan, agreed to send in his Red Army into Poland to reinforce the Germans. Before long, and despite their heroic resistance, the Poles had been decimated by German machinery, and nine days later the Nazis entered Danzig in triumph. With Warsaw an apocalyptic wasteland, Nazi occupied Poland became a hell of random brutality, discrimination, and horrific violence, particularly for the Jewish members of the population.
Join Dominic and Tom for the tragic conclusion of their journey into the dark depths of the fall of Poland, including the invasion of the German war machine, Russian participation, and Poland's inspiring defence.
The Rest Is History 
