Battle of Westerplatte 1939
Recorded location from Wikidata; battle sites are often approximate.
Key facts
| Date | 1 September 1939 – 7 September 1939 | Wikidata |
|---|---|---|
| Year | 1939 | Wikidata P580 (start time) |
| Era | World War II era (1939–1945) | derived from year |
| Location | Poland | Natural Earth (modern borders) |
| Continent | Europe | Natural Earth |
| War / conflict | 1939 Invasion of Poland | Wikidata P361 |
| Participants | Free City of Danzig, Nazi Germany, Second Polish Republic | Wikidata P710 |
| Coordinates | 54.4075, 18.6714 | Wikidata P625 |
About the battle
The Battle of Westerplatte was the first battle of the German invasion of Poland, marking the start of World War II in Europe. It occurred on the Westerplatte peninsula in the harbour of the Free City of Danzig (now Gdańsk, Poland). A small forested island separated from Gdansk by the harbour channel, Westerplatte was established as a Polish military outpost during the interwar period.
In the mid-1920s, the Second Polish Republic established the Polish Military Transit Depot (Wojskowa Składnica Tranzytowa, WST) on the Westerplatte peninsula in the Free City of Danzig. Beginning on 1 September 1939, the German Wehrmacht and Danzig Police assaulted the WST. Despite initial assessment on both sides that the Polish garrison might hold out for several hours before being reinforced or overwhelmed, the Poles held out for seven days and repelled thirteen assaults that included dive-bomber attacks and naval shelling.
The defence of the Westerplatte was an inspiration for the Polish Army and people in the face of German advances elsewhere and is still regarded as a symbol of resistance in modern Poland. The Polish government in Gdańsk is planning to open a dedicated public museum on the site in 2026.
Text adapted from the Wikipedia article Battle of Westerplatte (revision 1376572257), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: excerpted from the article lead section; formatting and citations removed. No text added.
Nearby battles
- Siege of Danzig (1807) 1807 · 5 km
- Siege of Danzig (1577) 1577 · 5 km
- Siege of Danzig (1813) 1813 · 5 km
- Siege of Danzig (1655–1660) 1655 · 5 km
- Siege of Danzig (1734) 1734 · 5 km
- Defence of the Polish Post Office in Danzig 1939 · 6 km
Other battles of the 1939 Invasion of Poland
- Battle of Borowa Góra 1939
- Battle of Chojnice (1939) 1939
- Battle of Cześniki 1939
- Battle of Częstochowa (1939) 1939
- Battle of Danzig Bay 1939
- Battle of Gdynia 1939
- Battle of Grodno (1939) 1939
- Battle of Hel 1939
- Battle of Husynne 1939
- Battle of Jaworów 1939
All 39 battles of the 1939 Invasion of Poland →
Browse more: battles in Poland · Europe · World War II era battles