September 22nd, 1939 – The Siege of Lwow

Conflict: World War II

Combatants: Poles vs. Germans and Soviets

Location: Poland

Outcome: German/Soviet victory

Still reeling from the invasion of over 1 million Germans in early September, Poland was likewise invaded by the Soviet Union on the 17th of the same month. Already under siege by the Wehrmacht, the Red Army advanced on Lwow on September 19th. Facing overwhelming odds, the Poles in Lwow chose to surrender to the Soviets on the 22nd rather than sacrifice more soldiers in a hopeless battle.

The Nazi-Soviet Invasion of Poland, 1939 by unknown photographer

Points of Interest:

• Elsewhere in the nation, Poles continued to resist until October 5th when Kock, the last holdout, surrendered. About 66,000 Poles were killed in the invasion.

• Hitler and Stalin afterwards divided Poland between the two belligerents and the Wermacht withdrew forces in preparation for further conquests in Western Europe.

Adolf Hitler by an unknown photographer

Stalin Secretary general CCCP 1942 by an unknown photographer

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Sources:

Dupuy, Trevor N., Johnson, Curt, & Bongard, David L. (1992). The Harper's Encyclopedia of Military Biography. New York: Castle Books (HarperCollins).

Dupuy, R. Ernest & Dupuy, Trevor N. (1993). The Harper's Encyclopedia of Military History. New York: HarperCollins.

Eggenberger, David (1985). An Encyclopedia of Battles: Accounts of Over 1,560 Battles from 1479 B.C. to the Present. New York: Dover Publications, Inc.