Westerplatte

[19TSW06]

hitlerland!!

scheisse deutschland!!

[hussar2343]

just because Germany attacked Polish territory and decided to make a nest there, that won't make it German. Just like Kaliningrad. It was called Krolewiec, but is now Russian. Poland will even take that back, it's only a matter of time...

[alanheath]

@hussar2343 Poland will not attack Russia over Kaliningrad. The fact that there is a word for it in the Polish language does not mean that the Russians have to expect an assault. Incidentally it was German before 1945.

[hussar2343]

This WAS the place, cause their ship docked peacefully, then started the war.

Gdansk will always be Polish! how can you have a German territory inside another country! (i know that's how it was for a while)

Look back in history.

And why is it that Poland never attacked Germany, despite ITS strenth throughout the ages.

[MrThorn88]

@hussar2343 yeaa look back history idiot.Gdańsk throughout history was for 730 years Polish and for 270 prussian.That is fact.Some brief info u will find in wikipedia,hard to check it out german retard??

[MrThorn88]

@hussar2343 Also we didnt attack germany because we wasnt and we are not agressive,unable to feel apes as u are.Poland could smash germany many times.

[stevedn1]

The Free City of Danzig Alan - this was a fully German speaking city in 1939. It's as if the real German name of this city - Danzig - can never pass your lips. You must be some sort of sycophant. I have just told you the TRUTH. This is German territory.

[alanheath]

@stevedn1 The Free City of Danzig as such ceased to exist on 1 September 1939 when it was annexed into the Nazi Reich. I agree that Danzig is the original German name. Claiming that I do not use the word is not correct as I have a film where I use the word in the title even. The TRUTH is that this is now the Polish city of Gdańsk which is sometimes referred to in German translation as Danzig. However it is true that when speaking German I usually refer to it as Gdańsk (but not always)

[MrThorn88]

@alanheath Original name of the city is Gdańsk(997 A.D)

[IanHunedoara8]

The defense of the Polish post office in Gdansk was well portrayed in the movie Tin Drum. Are there any other sources of information about that battle

[alanheath]

I did a little film on it which you can see here. Does that count?

[IanHunedoara8]

yes, good job!

[henrykk11]

Gratuluję, znakomite opowiadanie o agresji niemieckiej w 1939 r i sowieckiej na Polskę.

Historia bombardowania i ataku na Westerplatte oraz salwy krązownika, który przybył z wizytą przyjaźni do Gdańska. Podobnie jak po przyjacielsku UE demontuje i niszczy  Polskę.

[Riince]

@henrykk11: naprawdę trzeba mieć zryty beret, żeby porównywać II Wojnę Światową z Unią Europejską. To już nie jest nawet głupota historyczna (choć też), ale po prostu kliniczny debilizm głoszących takie poglądy.

[profumo7777]

Thank you for doing this movie!

[alanheath]

Thanks for your comment. There is a lot more on WW2 on this channel if you are interested!

[mancubwwa]

We'll never forget and we'll NEVER FORGIVE

[alanheath]

And that is how all wars start.

[sexyxrs]

not rly , some starts becouse people are idiots

[innit27]

I work next to a young German and she is openly racist about the Poles, which is very depressing to hear, especially after what the Poles suffered in the past.

The Westerplatte looked like a WW1 obliterated battleground after it surrendered. Its said the captured Polish radio operator was tortured and killed after he refused to reveal the radio codes to the Germans.

[alanheath]

Yes, this is something forgotten. The most heroic person in this action was the radio operator who was brutally murdered.

[DulciJubilo]

Thank you. It is very moving to see this place, especially now as it is 70 years to the day (1 September 2009 ) and your talk was extremely informative, giving life to such a monumental event. It changed the lives of my parents and everyone of their generation --and still resonates in our present history. Some family members still refer to 'our gallant Polish allies'.

[alanheath]

Thank you for your comment. In order to 'commemorate' this day, I have just posted another film from the site of where the first shots were fired.

[bagniewski]

how many polish soliders die? and how many german soldiers die?

[alanheath]

The number of Germans who died is not known.

Polish casualties were over 200 including 15 fatalities.

[arrowman9]

Germans had 1500 soldiers, bombers, fighters, cruiser and very much other equipments. Polish soldiers has only one small cannon but they had some Polsih prototype of weapons :-) We have very less prototypes but it was greatest in the beginnig of WW2!

[arrowman9]

Mistake: We had a few !pieces! of prototype weapons!

[mikolajoskierko]

?

There was not even that much Poles there. Usually the casualties means "fatal" or injuried, if someone is loosing a battle it`s clear that the rest is considered as a "captured". Germans didn`t published thier casualties, but are estimated about 100-200 killed/wounded.

Arrowman9:

Germans had about 3.500 soldiers there. Which "prototypes" you mean? Do you mean by the "other equipement" heavy artilerry?

[arrowman9]

I am sorry for mistake :( Prototype, for example anti-tank rifle in Westerplatte and our bombers "łosoś" or tanks 7-TP, I wrote prototypes besause there were a few these things! I am sorry for inaccuracy!

[arrowman9]

but "losoś" and 7-TP not in Westerplatte!!! I am sory...

[mikolajoskierko]

Haha not "łosoś", but "łoś" (moose). 7-TP was best light tank at the beginning of war, much better than Pzkw1 or 2 which Germans had, but most of the tanks were some peugeots or just tanketes. Poland had 880 tanks and 400 planes Germany 2,500 tanks, 2,315 planes (and Soviet Union - 4,736 tanks, 3,300 planes)... and of course 3 Slovak divisions. Sorry for my English.

[alanheath]

Losses always includes killed, wounded and unable to fight and prisoners lost.

[deus262]

Westerplatte was the same for Poles that Alamo for Americans and Termopile for Greeks

[ferdovit]

German training battleship Schleswig-Holstein come with "goodwill" visit to Gdańsk in 1939. This is a German kind of friendship.

[bartek564]

great video:) thx for this.the defense of westerplatte-->great of polish heroes

[miko2095]

Germany is death!!!! fuck HITLER!!!!!PW!!!!

[dowgal]

Glory poland !!!

[openplumbing]

Hi, great video, could you tell me the place were you were stood as we are going to visit in the near future and would like to go and have a look. Thanks

[alanheath]

This is filmed just below the monument which is meant to represent the sword plunged into the ground looking up river. There is an artificial mound created for the monument which gives a good vantage over the whole site as you can see here!

[jakilcz]

it's a dagger not a sword

[batalion01]

buheheheh :D westerplatte po angielsku :D

[agatakaczarowska]

excellent video

[przedpelski]

WOLNE Miasto Gdańsk (the FREE city danzig) Frei keine deutche stadt! kernerschreiber13 This is whelming of nations league! You remember...

[TashuncaUitco2]

I like your videoes Alan very nice, thank you for posting them. I assume you live in Poland as you posted so many clips about Warsaw bla, bla...

I can't agree with your point that Polish army was destroyed before Soviet Union attacked, the biggest battle of September started on 18th, at Bzura, was initially very succesful till luftwaffe came back from French border and literally burned everything on the ground...

[TashuncaUitco2]

There was no defence against it as remainings of Polish Air Force escaped to Romania on news about Soviet agression. I am not saying that it would make any significant difference but it might...

Considering that German advance was slowed significantly and in some points stopped like in Lwów by gen Langner campiagn would last a lot longer

[TashuncaUitco2]

Who knows what would be a situation if nice sunny weather was finally gone (it was supposed to be the sunniest September in many years - the best for air and panzer attacks), tanks would be stuck in mud and Luftwaffe couldn't be used... Who knows?

I hope you don't believe in Polish cavalry charging tanks nonsense or Polish air Force destroyed on the ground...

Regards

[alanheath]

Thank you for your comments. All witnesses remember above all how hot is was - although mud in September is rare - this year there it could have happened though. I spoke on the Bzura battle although maybe I did not post it.

As for the cavalry charging tanks, well I will answer this way - I think I am a serious historian!!

[kernerschreiber13]

to be quite frankly: I am not. You guys are incapable to distinguish between a "Nazi" and a Patriotic German. For you everyone who speaks his mind for German interests or is mentioning atrocities committed by the victor´s side of WWII is a Nazi, anyway, right ?!?

[alanheath]

The fact is that nearly all atrocities in WW2 were committed by the Nazis and their initial allies the Soviet Union.

I am a neutral historian. You are what you claim to be a 'patriotic' German. That makes you biased and therefore unable to make a rational decision.

[Sonderbarr]

Wow, Alan, you are neither very "neutral', nor much of a historian. You have a narrow understanding of the topic, and you use irrelevant (Brest Litovsk) topics to distract from your inability to argue your case. For example, How does the existence of Brest Litovsk make the Versailles Treaty ok?

[alanheath]

If does not. But if nationalist Germans accept Brest Litovsk as a fair treaty, I fail to see how the same people can attack Versailles.

[Sonderbarr]

Alan, who are these "nationalist Germans" who claim Brest Litovsk as a fair treaty? More specifically, what are your arguements that counter their points (if "they" even exist). Most interestingly, here you go again - off on a tangent because you can't argue your point.

[alanheath]

Those that negotiated it together with various nationalist partied in post WW1 Germany including the Nazi party.

[alanheath]

I would also add that it is very easy to throw out comments like 'you have a narrow understanding of the topic' or 'my inability to argue the case' without giving one single point. I suspect that you are one of these characters who hiding behind a false name likes to go round insulting others. That is very cowardly but that is what one expects of the extreme right.

I wonder if you are part of the extreme right?

On the other hand your English is good so maybe you are not.

[Sonderbarr]

Alan, it's very easy for anybody to say anything - just look again at your own posts. So what's your real point? And why do you feel insulted by my expressing my POV. Is it because you can't defend yourself and have to resort to ad hominem attacks.

[alanheath]

You are the one who starts insulting because you cannot find any facts which are incorrect so you resort to personal attacks.

There is no point here. It is the description of a site - something you obviously find offensive.

[alanheath]

I have better things to do that respond to people who have a need to insult me and others. Go somewhere else and bother other people.

[Sonderbarr]

Alan, while you may be correct the Nazis committed most of the atrocities, and certainly the worst, you expose your lack of neutrality and scholarship with the "nearly all". Do you even know that some 600K German civilian (women and child and the old) were murdered by Britain's fire-bombing of German inner cities. It was agreed internally in the UK government it was such a scandal, the fire Bomber Harris before the war was even over.

[alanheath]

I have never once heard of the UK government before the war ended agreeing that it was such a scandal. The bombing casualties were not murdered as you claim and you also seem to forget that the Nazis started this with the unprovoked attack on Wielun in the early hours of 1 September 1939 before war was declared. Although this has nothing to do with the Westerplatte - the subject of the film.

[kernerschreiber13]

Bottom line is: Danzig was an OVERWHELMING German city which should never ever have been separated from the German mainland in the first place. To do so was blatant victor´s justice !! A fact that cannot be denied by any means as it is indisputable.......

P.S.: Not that the fact of being labeled "Nazi" does constitute a real bad mouthing for me but

[alanheath]

Gdansk was overwhelmingly German as is said in this film made several months ago. But the Corridor was not so the separation would have occured anyway.

I have yet to hear a revanchist point out the bad points of Brest Litovsk and when I do I might take them a bit more seriously.

[kernerschreiber13]

Even some English participants in Versailles did feel the injustice of that "Treaty" already in 1919 !! ("Without enormous modifications in favor of Germany, we will have another war in 20 years....").Your reference "theoretical rights" ( of German population) make it very, very crystal-clear to me which side you are coming from and what sort of "compassion" you are "feeling" for Germans.

[kernerschreiber13]

Why provoking and humiliating the Germans in the first place with such an unjustified separation from the German mainland which made Danzig totally dependable on the good will of Poland (Korridor) ?!?.As I already did state the greedy and revanchist evil agenda of the victor´s side in Versailles did prevail and did see it coming.

[alanheath]

You attack Versailles as being greedy and revanchist but look at documents from the time. Have a look at the Brest Litovsk treaty imposed on the Soviet Union. See where Germany placed the borders then.

[kernerschreiber13]

I wont even emphasize on the horrendous lynchings of many Volksdeutsche in Poland in September of 1939.

But the revanchist Versailles "Peace" Treaty just did see it coming with its crippling of German military capabilities and humiliating the German sovereignty, for instance by creating such "nice" bizarre rarities as the "Freie Stadt Danzig".

[alanheath]

You did mention the lynchings so I will reply. First what happened to ethnic Germans was statistically nothing compared to what happened to the Poles. Secondly, what happened in Bydgoszcz happened because of the Nazi attack and the break down in law and order. Therefore those ultimately responsible for these murders were the Nazis who attacked Poland and not the Polish government of the time.

[kernerschreiber13]

I only want to unmask you and people of your kind as the real hypocrites they are; you don´t stand on the moral high ground ( carpet bombing of open German cities ). In "portraying" Germany and her people you are still in the tradition of the victor´s (post) war propaganda with Germans permanently as the perpetrators and the ALL the rest of the world as the innocent victims, a completely cliché-ridden notion.Scientific and proper history just does not work this way.

[alanheath]

This is totally untrue - I am very pro German but that of the Germany of today. I have done a great deal to expose the Nazi scum for what they are - first and foremost anti German. I do not confuse the word German with the word Nazi as can be seen in this - and other films I have made on WW2.

[alanheath]

Whatever the rights or wrongs of the German population of Gdansk and its theoretical rights to self determination in accordance with the basis of the Versailles Treaty, under no way does it justify what happened under Nazi rule and how it dealt with its Polish minority.

[kernerschreiber13]

First of, I wont reply to you any more as it will end in lunatic plus stereotype ramblings,anyway as first signs of your remarks already are indicating; besides, those "discussions" tend to stand out through the fact that I cant convince you and on the other hand I will leave the "discussion" with an even more confirmed and determined point of view of mine.

[kernerschreiber13]

I suppose you are English so your blatant and notorious anti-German attitude is nothing new to me, Mr. Anglo-Saxon......

[alanheath]

pretty stupid ending comment to suggest that I am anti German.

Just as it would be for me to suggest that you are a Nazi which would mean that you are notoriously anti German.

[kernerschreiber13]

This city was a GERMAN city for approx 500 years so hence, it was a natural endeavour to unite with the German Reich. Of course, there was a Polish minority in Danzig ( like maybe 5%); this was quite normal for many areas in Eastern Europe and especially Poland back then which did exhibit an ethnic rig rag throughout ( for instance approx 20-25% of the inhabitants of Bromberg were Polish citizens of German heritage/ Volksdeutsche).

[alanheath]

The Polish population of Gdansk was between 13 and 17 percent 1919 - 1939.

That is including the Jewish population as being Germans - something the Nazis would not have recognised.

For Bydgoszcz that is probably correct.

[kernerschreiber13]

You are wrong, Mister producer of this video !!

Not only the NSDAP followers wanted an reunification with Germany, also an overwhelming majority of the population of Danzig in general.The "Peace" Treaty of Versailles created one of the most bizarre and unjustified political status for a special territory (Freie Stadt Danzig) in total denial of the right of self-determination of the local population.

[alanheath]

and where do I say in this film that that was not the case?

[TrueOnly]

Gdansk was under Polish administration for vast majority of its history. Poland only regained what was her in 1918 casting down german occupation. The problem was that the Shkops were too stupid to quickly understand. That's why they ended how they ended...

[mikolajoskierko]

Gdańsk wasn`t in Poland after the WWI, it was the free city and Poland got there only post office and that small stripe of land called "Westerplatte".

If anyone knows at least little bit of history, should know that Gdańsk was like you said, for most of history in Poland, simple but Poles weren`t there majority.

[Mildo11]

I red that admiral Canaris,chef of Abwer said in 1.1.39 after fist fights in Westerplate:THATS FINIS GERMANIE(END OF GERMANY).

[mikolajoskierko]

I don`t know, maybe... for sure they started in a bad style, look at the casualties during takeover of that post office in Gdańsk, similar situation.

But the battle of Wizna was just something astonishing... 700 Poles stopped 42.000 Germans for three days.

They could have better equipement, but for sure not the soldiers.

[alanheath]

There is a very good film on this site which you can find by looking for:

Bitwa o Westerplatte 1939

Unfortunately it is in Polish but it tells the story of the beginning of the battle in a very dramatic way and puts my narrative into context.

[alanheath]

For those that like to complain about the poor quality of my films this is your chance to have some input.

My Sony Cybershot - used for all films here but one - has given up on me. I do not want to buy a video camera - just a compact camera which I can carry around in my pocket.

What camera should I buy and why?

[pepe28932]

Thank you for the kind words. Your videos are remarkable, and a pleasure to watch.

[alanheath]

Thank you very much - that is very kind of you.

I just turn up and speak from the top of my head and so I occasionally make mistakes - however I have now learned how to put in subtitles to 'correct' them.

At the end of the day, the films are for me - but it is nice to share them with people like you!

[pepe28932]

The Polish aim was not to stop the Germans (that was impossible given the correlation of forces). The point was to get Britain and France to declare war on Germany. That key goal was accomplished, hence placing the armies close to the borders was correct.  Given that Britain and France had no intention to seriously attack Germany in 1939, resisting longer would have been pointless anyway (not that the Poles did not want to, of course).

[pepe28932]

I agree, one scenario the Poles feared had the Germans taking key territory near the borders and then pause. If the Polish army was not there defending strongly, the Germans could then claim that Poland is not resisting (hence not worth helping), and that they are only taking a little disputed slice of territory. Of course more could be taken later at leisure. Exactly the Czechoslovak scenario.

[alanheath]

Very good point.

It is very good to have someone who can put forward good ideas, there are so many idiots on you tube who resort to name calling and other childishness - it is a real pleasure to be able to correspond with someone like yourself!

[pepe28932]

The biggest disaster for Poland would have been Hitler taking it over and Western powers accepting it like they accepted the destruction of Czechoslovakia just a year before. The Polish aim was to ensure that Hitler's invasion of Poland would cause World War II to begin. Mission accomplished.

[alanheath]

Certainly Poland had to resist along the entire front although pushing the army to the borders was with hindsight wrong. Of course if the Polish leaders were expecting a WW1 situation as the British military was until May 1940 then keeping the front close to the borders was logical.

I am not suggesting defending the Westerplatte was a mistake. The garrison acted absolutely properly in the circumstances.

[pepe28932]

Quite simply, the Germans had to face significant resistance in the first kilometer of any advance into Polish territory.

Looked at in this way, Westerplatte was one of many battles fought according to this strategy, and hence can be counted as a positive contribution to Polish war aims.

[pepe28932]

The main aim of Poland in September 1939 was to put up unambiguous, credible resistance in the first days that would ensure that France and Britain declared war on Germany (actually stopping the German attack was obviously completely out of the question and the Polish commanders knew this only too well). That was the main reason why Polish forces were deployed so close to the borders in hopeless positions, one of them being Westerplatte, instead of deeper inside the country.

[alanheath]

Good argument but I disagree. The point of putting so many men into the corridor was a belief that the Nazis would not advance beyond the 1914 borders. Hence the Poznan army was completely outflanked.

[pepe28932]

The debate as to who was the victor here should not be decided by who lost more men. The significance of Westerplatte was much greater.

[alanheath]

Of course, that is not always a good argument.

[mikolajoskierko]

Ehhh what can i say? French army was just pathetic at that war, polish not better, but France wasn`t independent for 20years after 125 of partitions by three superpowers. Somehow after reborn army composed from some uprisers and with lack of equpement (you said abot why Westerplatte was in Gdansk) could win with soviet Russia (and soviet Ukraine), even if after civil war, revolution etc. hej... it`s still Russia;)

[alanheath]

Both the French and British in 1939 considered the Polish army to be superior to the Soviet military, perhaps correctly given the bad showing against Finland, perhaps incorrectly given the tactical brilliance against Japan.

Whatever, by 17 September the Polish army had been almost completely destroyed by the German military.

[mikolajoskierko]

No. The last battle was at Kock in 2 october. Polish army haven`t sign ANY capitulation. Everyone was thinking that "mighty" France will start this promised offensive and Germans were need to retreat, to protect thier land. How this happend that Germans had time to 10 may 1940 to move thier forces and even rebuild what the lost in september LAST YEAR.

[mikolajoskierko]

What kind of offensive could stop in some boarder city Saarbrucken almost FOR YEAR. Germans needed couple days more to took France.

It`s just funny.

[alanheath]

The Germans needed around five weeks to take France.  The Saar offensive failed through lack of logistics and a belief that this war would be like WW1. Also the area available to attack was very small and determined after Napoleon to make French aggression difficult. Look at a map - it is the same today.

[mikolajoskierko]

Excuse me, to be precise, battle at Kock was from 2 to 5 october.

Btw. You know that soviets attacked us too in 17 september? But we understand that realization of tratery with FR and GB and PL wasn`t that precious like allied Russia...

[alanheath]

I do not quite understand you but the treaty of mutual assistance only applied to an attack by Germany.

[alanheath]

If you read again what I wrote I wrote almost destroyed. Of course at Kock and Hel and in other places resistance lasted much longer.

France stuck by its treaty obligations. It could have done better - agreed - but it did what it had to.

[darpuzw]

Hmm, you need to check your history again.

[alanheath]

Why? What is wrong with it in your opinion? If you have done some research I am always happy to revise my opinion.

[alanheath]

This is what is called the cowardly use of the passive voice. Accusations of being incorrect but failure to provide any evidence whatsoever.

[donglong76]

Don't mind him. I think you did quite good job, even your spelling of polish names isn't that bad ;-).

[alanheath]

Isn't bad? I hope it is 100% correct!!

Thanks for posting!!

alan

[PiotrDab]

Who was the speaker? Quite a good job

[alanheath]

me - thanks!!!

[PiotrDab]

Are you British? Or do I just lose my time writing in English instead of Polish :)

[alanheath]

I am British.

[lumbermilljack]

we won

[alanheath]

no you did not

[mikolajoskierko]

One polish poet wrote: "you can kill us, but you can not defeat us". No one knows how many nazis died in Westerplatte, but it was more than hundred. They won ok, but just like Pyrrus won with Romans. We couldn`t win this war, not alone... Why France with Britain didn`t attack nazis in september? Do you know that you should did that?

[alanheath]

France did attack Germany on 17 September 1939 - the Saar offensive.

Even if more than 100 Germans were killed on the Westerplatte, Polish losses were more than 200 (15 dead, the rest captured). That is not a Pyrrhic victory, it is a defeat.

[mikolajoskierko]

I must disagree, orders to french troops were not shooting. But why this "offensive" of "superpower" France ended in Saarland if wasn`t phoney?

Statistics are talking about 300-400 dead Germans. Look at Wiki and compare the forces.... Poles-182, Germans-3500 (not mentioned in GB wiki).

[mikolajoskierko]

Yes... killing 15 people (and one after becouse refused to gave them radio-code), loosing couple hundrets in 7days, attacking with planes, heavy artillery, cruiser etc. 182 soldiers (not "more than 200") is a real and grat victory.

[mikolajoskierko]

Btw. citizens of Gdansk were mostly Germans and only 8% of Poles, becouse Germans took this part of Poland in partitions. Gdansk is city founded by first polish christian Duke Mesco (Dagome, Dagobert). In XIIage German teutonic order invided this lands and took Gdansk... all citizens were killed, after them comes German settlers. Since that time in Gdans lived many Germans, becouse after we get it back 200years after noone was that sick to make genocide.

[alanheath]

A victory is what you have when you meet your aims. If you are saying that the aim was to defend Westerplatte for seven days and then surrender then it was a victory.

To lose around 220 people for the cost of a significantly lower number of the enemy is also not a victory.

Most people would consider this a defeat.

[mikolajoskierko]

Oh, of course i agree that was capitulation wich means defeat, but the looses and forces could not be compared. Those who capitulated weren`t lost, from military point of view right, but with one exception all were living. You know why you couldn`t find number of killed nazis? Becouse they propaganda machine couldn`t agree that "sub humans" can kill so many Germans. Probably that was more than all Westerplatte troops.

[alanheath]

Soldiers which are taken prisoner are considered lost always, I have never heard of anyone claiming that their soldiers who had surrendered being still considered combatants.

[mikolajoskierko]

No, no, maybe i equivocate myselve. I mean that they were still live, what we cannot say about that radiooperator or Germans killed there.

[alanheath]

If the GB wiki is wrong then you should change it.

I tried to research the number of dead Germans and could not find anything. 300 is absurd in the circumstances and I would like to see the source.

Of course I could be wrong.

As for the orders to French troops, again I would want to see your source. The French could not advance because they lacked the logistics and could not attack the Siegfried line. News reel film shows the French shooting, of course you might claim it to be false.

[mikolajoskierko]

There are some sources, all relations of Westerplatte soldiers who survived, but definetly not nazis documents, neither ours. I could change only if i can be sure about something, like i said all numbers are not written in any document which could be prove.

My "sources" are both from article "phoney war" (wiki) and logic. I can understand that sigfried line was a problem, but somehow maginot line for Germans not...

[mikolajoskierko]

"logistics" :) don`t make me laught, how far is Saarbruck from French border? Somehow others could manage that troubles. But how come that MOST powerfull army could fight couple days longer than definetly not superpower polish? Btw. see movie "polish army manoewares" to see how looked ike polish army at that time and don`t listen jokes about charging tanks with sabres.

[alanheath]

Saarbrucken is very close to the French border.

I do not know what other country managed that trouble of capturing Saarbrucken.

The French army in 1939 was not the most powerful army in the world - if you have sources that claim this then I would be interested to know what they are.

[mikolajoskierko]

Hehe, not in world, but Europe and that`s not secret. They had best tanks and Germans even ONE on west border, not mentioning about that they needed to take most of forces to Poland... belive me, our army wasn`t very good, bt not medieval, be serious. I`ll serch and give You sources on prv.

I can bet that even Etiopian army will get Saarbruck easier.

What was wrong, was mood, pacifistic, politic of "hideing behind maginot" or behind "nigger" like Poland.

[mikolajoskierko]

What happened to Czechs? They had for example in Sudetia big Śkoda factories, which could build the same number of machines as whole Britain... Chamberlain gaved Czechs to hitler. French has the same tratery like with us before that. Czech army was probably at that time most modern in world, but whole factories, the same fortresses were in Sudetia. Czechs without Sudetia were defenceless.

[alanheath]

Wiki is not an original source and if you have any military experience your logic should tell you that it is highly unlikely that 300 Germans were killed.

[mikolajoskierko]

Not 300, but definetly more than 100, i can`t prove it, as i said it`s only from relations of Westerplatte defenders.

[grizz8]

Twhe only oficial German data, I've found are raports from first day of fight. German Marines from Shlesvig Holstein ans SS Troopers were traped, by covered machine guns and lost this day 127 man. Next atacking units were from Wermacht. This loses were deleted from documents. I think that german losses next 6 day had to be quite big. There is no army unit who flee/windraw form the battle field without losing soldiers...

[alanheath]

Did you take these figures from original German sources? (not books)

If so, well done you have done a great service to history.

[PJ4118]

Interesting history of Westerplatte