The Battle of Westerplatte was the very first battle that took place after Germany invaded Poland and World War II began in Europe.
During the first week of September 1939, a completely surrounded Military Transit Depot (Wojskowy Skład Transportowy, WST) on the peninsula of Westerplatte, manned by only less than 200 Polish soldiers, held out for seven days (several times longer than they were ordered to) in the face of an overwhelming force of th...
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The Battle of Westerplatte was the very first battle that took place after Germany invaded Poland and World War II began in Europe.
During the first week of September 1939, a completely surrounded Military Transit Depot (Wojskowy Skład Transportowy, WST) on the peninsula of Westerplatte, manned by only less than 200 Polish soldiers, held out for seven days (several times longer than they were ordered to) in the face of an overwhelming force of thousands of German troops attacking from land, sea and air.
The heroic defense of Westerplatte served as an inspiration for the country when the successful German advances continued elsewhere in Poland and nowadays is still regarded as a symbol of the invasion.
In 1925 the Council of the League of Nations allowed Poland to keep only 88 soldiers on Westerplatte, but secretly the garrison was gradually expanded to 176 men and six officers. The WST was separated from Free City of Danzig (Gdańsk) city by the harbour channel, with only a small pier...
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