Westerplatte

A small Polish garrison stationed at the Westerplatte munitions depot near Danzig endures days of relentless bombardment from German land and naval forces at the outset of the invasion of Poland. Despite being vastly outnumbered, the defenders hold out far longer than expected.

The Battle of Westerplatte, beginning with the shelling of the depot by the German battleship Schleswig-Holstein on 1 September 1939, is traditionally regarded as the opening engagement of the Second World War in Europe. The roughly 200-man Polish garrison held out for seven days against a much larger German force.

The film is a relatively faithful, sober dramatization of the documented defense, produced during the Communist era with attention to the garrison's chronology.

Germany invaded Poland on 1 September 1939, joined by the Soviet Union on 17 September. Britain and France declared war on Germany two days after the invasion began.

The Westerplatte depot near Danzig held out for seven days against overwhelming odds and became a national symbol. Warsaw was besieged and surrendered on 28 September; the last regular units capitulated in early October.

Directed by Stanisław Różewicz

Cast: Zygmunt Hübner, Zdzisław Mrożewski, Arkadiusz Bazak, Tadeusz Janczar

Positioned at 1–7 September 1939 within the Invasion of Poland phase of the war, as part of the Invasion of Poland. This is entry 15 of 150 in the chronological archive.

• Westerplatte
• invasion of Poland
• Schleswig-Holstein
• opening battle of WWII

• 

  1939 Battle of Westerplatte

  1–7 September 1939

• 

  Lotna

  September 1939

• 

  Katyn

  1939–1943

• 

  The Pianist

  1939–1945

• 

  Schindler's List

  1939–1945

• 

  Warsaw '44

  August-October 1944