German Invasion of Poland (1939)

Synopsis

This “restricted” United States War Department Film Bulletin provides the viewer with footage of the German Army’s invasion of Poland on September 1, 1939. Historians mark the invasion as the start of World War II. “Poland’s 34 million inhabitants, crushed, scattered and enslaved,” the narrator grimly states at mark 00:35. The attack was characterized by extensive bombing to destroy Poland’s air capacity, railroads, communication lines, and munitions dumps. As the narrator points out, it was the world’s introduction to the German word, “blitzkrieg.” Utilizing footage that was captured by German frontline cameramen, the film shows columns of German tanks rolling through fields at mark 01:00 on their way to the invasion. In Danzig (what today is Gdansk, Poland), the film shows the German “liberation” of the city, and at mark 02:30, captures German soldiers setting fire to a building that held the city’s few remaining defenders. “World War II is a reality,” we are told. With little to stand in their way, Germany troops are shown rolling through the Polish countryside with tanks and machine gunners wreaking havoc on towns and villages. At mark 05:50, German troops are shown rebuilding a bridge near one Polish village that retreating forces had unsuccessfully tried to demolish. “The hastily constructed span is quickly put to use by the quickly advancing Nazis,” the announcer explains, as trucks, tanks, and horse-drawn wagons move onward. During a brief break in the battles, shown…

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Details

Running time

20 minutes

Language

English

Collection

Ephemeral Films

Subjects on the Internet Archive

• Stock Footage

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