01/09/2026
🇵🇱 Westerplatte — where one of the first battles of the Second World War began.
At 4:45am on 1 September 1939, the German battleship Schleswig-Holstein opened fire on the Polish Military Transit Depot at Westerplatte in Gdańsk. It became one of the symbolic opening acts of Germany’s invasion of Poland.
A small Polish garrison suddenly found itself facing German attacks from land, sea and air.
Despite being heavily outnumbered, the Polish defenders resisted for seven days — from 1 to 7 September. They fought from guardhouses, trenches and defensive positions while enduring artillery fire, infantry assaults and aerial bombing.
By 7 September, after days of fighting, casualties and dwindling supplies, the defenders surrendered.
But by then Westerplatte had already become far more than a military outpost.
It became a symbol of Polish resistance, courage and determination in the face of overwhelming force.
Today, Westerplatte remains one of the most important places associated with the beginning of the Second World War in Poland.
🇵🇱 Cześć i chwała Bohaterom.
