I carried my piece for ten days before I could cook it. Of course they had not had the protection of the Red-Cross and they had been starving all their POW life. The positive climate ended in March 1939. Simultaneously, 62 German divisions supported by 1,300 aircraft commenced the invasion of Poland.  © He was also aided by public opinion in the west, which broadly regarded the Treaty of Versailles as flawed and held the belief that communism rather than fascism posed the greater threat to western democracies. The front rows were occupied by the Germans. We bought a powerful three wave band radio with which we received the B.B.C. Some of us slept in a stable with the horses – it was warm in there. Finally aircraft came and we were flown to Brussels and were told a civic reception had been laid on for us. At Munich in September 1938, Britain and France had also reluctantly endorsed the forced transfer of the 'ethnically German' Sudetenland from Czechoslovakia to Germany. To avoid drawing the attention of the Germans, the British agents took a circuitous route to Poland. Later I also had a mandolin. Two days later all Polish forces were ordered to fall back and regroup in Eastern Poland for a last stand. Full title reads: "Polish Troops In Britain". Stalin feared a German invasion and had been seeking an anti-Nazi 'collective security' alliance with the western powers for many years, but by July 1939 Britain and France had still not agreed terms. This page has been archived and is no longer updated. I was taken to a German doctor in town (whose wife was American) and he offered to keep me in his house until the Allied troops arrived. The River Vestula ran parallel to the road at this point and only about fifty yards from the camp. That year, the United States' War Department published Instructions for American Servicemen in Britain to help soldiers, sailors and airmen – many of whom had never travelled abroad before – adjust to life in a new country. The Germans billeted us wherever there was a building suitable. They expected the Germans to probe and bombard the Polish line with heavy artillery for several weeks before launching a full invasion. When St Pol was being shelled by the Germans we moved off in the night for a few miles to a similar position. Everybody had to be in the queue before the cookhouse opened (about 4,000 of us) and then the guard prevented anybody else from joining on. Consequently while the Panzers advanced, French troops confined themselves to scouting and mapping the German 'West Wall', while awaiting the deployment of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) and full mobilisation. My father Francis James Hill wrote in 1982 (original now held in Imperial War Museum Archive) -. By Bradley Lightbody Discover how Hitler's invasion of Poland during WW2 was miscalculated and led Europe into war. (I finally got there thirty years later). The Wehrmacht (the German Army) was not yet at full strength and the German economy was still locked into peacetime production. A German civilian I worked with during the last nine months used to tell me not to work too hard and he always shared his breakfast with me (even though I probably lived better so far as food was concerned). When Britain declared war on Germany on 3 September 1939 it did so for only one reason - Germany had invaded Poland, and Britain had guaranteed to support her ally, like it had supported Belgium … One night for six hours we marched through a blizzard, the Russians leading. German troops struggling through the snow, thousands of German civilians with carts piled high with their possessions, staff cars towing armoured vehicles to save fuel, SS and German police with revolvers drawn shouting at everbody. Eventually we arrived at Celle and were taken to the local schloss which was being used for repatriation of POW’s. Next day we returned to the same building until aircraft was available. Hitler was confident that the invasion of Poland would result in a short, victorious war for two important reasons. POW's at Stammlager XX1D (Poznan, Poland). By mid 1941 we had obtained music and scripts through the Red Cross to put on more ambitious shows. Eventually railway track was laid by civilians and we had the job of packing ballast under the sleepers. It was pandemonium. In between mealtimes the main topic generally in these early times was food. With so many refugees on the road we only got to St Pol by dawn where we stayed in the grounds of a large country house for three days. Warsaw bravely held out until 27 September, but after enduring 18 days of continuous bombing finally surrendered at 2.00pm that afternoon. Volunteers were asked for to draw their fire, whilst the convoy escaped. When it got to our bad workmanship, the sleepers sank on the left side and the locomotive toppled over. Bradley Lightbody is a writer, whose latest book is listed above. This page has been archived and is no longer updated. May 1940. The last few months in Forden we had a new Kamp Kommandant. We did not get much in the way of food and drink, but we had plenty of walking exercise! The ‘camp’ was a large house adjacent to the brickworks where most of us worked. However, Hitler sought the non-aggression pact in order to neutralize the pos… That wasn't a combat unit, it was a radio-communication (afaik) thanks in advance! By 8 September the leading Panzers were on the outskirts of Warsaw, having covered 140 miles in only eight days. We worked 56 hours per week during the summer (finishing early on Saturday). He introduced himself and told us that he had been a ‘schwein’ to the British in a previous camp, but they had planted Red Cross articles in his kit and then reported him for stealing it. World War II - World War II - Forces and resources of the European combatants, 1939: In September 1939 the Allies, namely Great Britain, France, and Poland, were together superior in industrial resources, population, and military manpower, but the German Army, or Wehrmacht, because of its armament, training, doctrine, discipline, and fighting spirit, was the most efficient and effective fighting force for … The German Kommandant knew we were dealing on the black market and the feld-webel came to our sergeant and told him that he was expecting a Gestapo search party (he had been warned by a colleague from another camp) and we should take all the things we had bought into the camp in the last few days and hide them in the factory. It involved most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military … We were chased across a field by a German tank and took refuge in a dense wood. Contrary to their assurances to the Poles Britain and France would agree to allow Russia to keep the parts of Poland seized as part of their deal with Hitler in 1939. We had about eighty vehicles and moved of at dusk expecting to turn east but instead, to our surprise, we turned west and took the Arras road. One of the fitter POW’s traveled with us and sat on the bonnet with a Union Jack. The British Army had started mobilizing on 1 September, but was woefully ill-equipped and ill-prepared for war. We marched in and were allocated beds, twenty to a large room, ten to a small room. The result was the signing of the Nazi-Soviet Pact on 23 August 1939. Next day army wagons came to take us to Celle airport. German troops parade through Warsaw, Poland, Nazi-soviet Invasion of Poland, 1939. The British Army always fought as part of an allied effort, be it with the French in 1940, the Americans in 1942-45, or the Commonwealth nations and free European troops throughout the war, just has always been the case (Great War, Penninsula war, the Hundred Days, and so on). In our excitement we ran across a field to a country road and before we could get over the gate a German staff car came round the corner. The British and French betrayal of Poland in 1939 was not only dishonest, it was a military stupidity of truly monumental dimensions. Next day we were marched to another place on the outskirts of the town where we were joined by some more British and Dutch. The bread was left on the table. At 8am, on 1 September, Poland requested immediate military assistance from France and Britain, but it was not until noon on 3 September that Britain declared war on … The Germans half heartedly searched us but never found a pound of mutton. Flying directly ahead of the Panzers, the Junkers Ju-87 dive-bomber (Stuka) fulfilled the role of artillery, and destroyed any strong points in the German path. Get more facts about British soldiers in World War 2 below: Prisoner number 4304, Private 6287458, Ron Homersham, back row, left. For days the British Army had been going past our billets travelling east to Lille and beyond. I was one of three hundred to go on a working party. Later that day the German armour was positioned in a coppice a few hundred yards away. This is a short story of my late fathers experience of World War II. Eventually we had orders to pack and be ready to move off the next day (May 20th). Hitler had thus successfully intimidated the western powers by the threat of military action, and in particular through the widespread fear of air attack by the powerful Luftwaffe. After three weeks with very little food, probably some bread and a capful of steamed potatoes three or four times a week we were clear of the Russian advance and were able to rest for one day. Our dispatch rider came along the road and told us the C.O. Following the German invasion of Poland on 1 September 1939, the British Expeditionary Force was sent to the Franco-Belgian border in mid-September. The role of horses for each nation depended on its military strategy and state of economy and was most pronounced in the German and Soviet Armies. In this context many welcomed a rearmed Germany, as a bulwark against the Soviet Union. During the 1930s, the British government planned to deter war by rearming from the very low level of readiness of the early 30s and abolished the Ten Year Rule. She would never accept payment because as she put it ‘That is one less for the enemy’. Next move was by train through Luxembourg to Trier, where we stayed overnight in a large camp on top of a hill, overlooking the River Mosel. We also had evening classes on various subjects. Nazi Germany possessed overwhelming military superiority over Poland. Afterwards we got out our full packets of tailor-made cigarettes. During the first few months the Germans broadcast music in the dining room and also ‘Lord Haw Haw’, but they were asked to discontinue this practise. Towns and villages were deliberately bombed to create a fleeing mass of terror-stricken civilians to block the roads and hamper the flow of reinforcements to the front. The only rule was that we did not go round the bend and that we did not stop to speak to the Polish girls who came to watch us. He kept his word. Find out more about how the BBC is covering the. (A patch of straw each). It is hard to imagine any nation today that would willingly drop 35,000 soldiers … During mid-morning break we got out our thin slices of bread liberally coated with Canadian butter and cheddar cheese or salmon. I taught mathematics for a time. The views expressed are theirs and unless specifically stated are not Military forces in Britain were under Home Forces command. Until 2004 he was Head of History in Dewsbury College, West Yorkshire. Of course our troops held their fire when they saw the flag. At a time when the supervision was some distance away, those of us working on the left only pretended to pack the ballast, those on the right packed it under firmly. Warsaw was surrounded on 15 September, and suffered punishing bombing raids without hope of relief. 2. Over the serving-hatch in the dining room of the German camp there was a swastika and the phrase, roughly translated, ‘We thank our leader for what we have received’. First, he was convinced that the deployment of the world's first armoured corps would swiftly defeat the Polish armed forces in a blitzkrieg offensive. The driver fortunately jumped clear. These soldiers fought in battles in Italy and helped bring about Germany’s surrender. just a quick question: What was the name of the British unit deployed in Poland September 39? We stopped in a small village, I never knew the name but it was probably ten Kms or so east of Celle. He had spent a spell in a Strafelager and now he would be a ‘gute mensch’ to us. We went so far as to tell our guard he was in the wrong army and borrowed his rifle to demonstrate the British method of arms drill. Most of the content on this site is created by our users, who are members of the Various acts of sabotage were done, but the ultimate was achieved when we were packing ballast under the sleepers. ‘Lagergeld was camp money which was payment for the work we did. 1st question “Where are your armies?”. 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