74 Years ago today, the Nazi Germans invaded Poland with an attack on Westerplatte. The force of 180 Polish soldiers garrisoned there held out for seven days against the German force of 3500 men, naval and heavy field artillery, and dive bombers.
I was fortunate to visit Westerplatte three years ago (https://poland.leonkonieczny.com/blog/?p=55) and saw the ruins. I was there at 04:45 in the morning as we observed the moment the attack began. I sang the Polish National Anthem, listened to the president of Poland speak, and watched the festivities.
Though the Poles put up a heroic defense, her allies never came to her defense and a few weeks later, the Soviet Union entered from the west, sealing Poland’s doom. But, today, Poland lives as a free nation once again. The Polish spirit and will for independence and freedom is not easily quashed.
But 74 years ago today, Germany embarked on a path that would eventually involve the whole world in a war where between 60 million and 85 million people would die. And of that, several million were killed only because they were Polish. We should never forget. Nie zapomnij!
