Poland & World War II: 1939-1945

1939 REPUBLIC OF POLAND BEFORE SEPTEMBER 1, 1939
1939 OFFICIAL STAMP OF POLAND N.B. POLISH EAGLE WITH A ROYAL CROWN
I. MOSCICKI PRESIDENT	SMIGLY-RYDZ MARSHAL

1939

MARCH 27

A. HITLER

REICHSFUEHRER A. HITLER DEMANDS THAT POLAND RETURNS TO GERMANY THE FREE CITY OF GDANSK (DANZIG) AND ALLOW GERMANY TO BUILD, ACROSS THE POLISH TERRITORY, A MILITARY HIGHWAY AND RAILROAD BETWEEN GERMANY PROPER AND EAST PRUSSIA. POLAND REFUSES THIS DEMAND.

MAY 2

MARSHAL J.V. STALIN DEMANDS MILITARY BASES IN POLAND. POLAND REFUSES THIS DEMAND.

J. STALIN

MAY 25

GREAT BRITAIN AND POLAND SIGN A FRIENDSHIP TREATY IN LONDON.

KING GEORGE VI

PRESIDENT I. MOSCICKI

1939

SEPT. 1

GERMAN FORCES STRIKE ACROSS THE POLISH BORDER FROM POMERANIA, EAST PRUSSIA, BOHEMIA, MORAVIA AND SLOVAKIA.

1939

SEPT. 10 - 17

GEN. W. THOMMEE IN CHARGE OF THE DEFENCE OF THE FORTRESS MODLIN.

DEFENCE OF MODLIN
GEN. W. THOMMEE
ISSUED 1988

DEFENCE OF WARSAW
GEN. W. CZUMA
ISSUED 1988

GEN. A. SZYLLING IN CHARGE OF ARMY GROUP "KRAKOW" ENGAGES GERMAN ARMY AT TOMASZOW LUBELSKI

BATTLE OF TOMASZOW LUBELSKI
GEN. A. SZYLLING
ISSUED 1988

1939

SEPT. 17

WHILE POLAND IS RESISTING GERMAN INVADERS FROM THE WEST, RUSSIAN ARMY INVADES POLAND FROM THE EAST AND TAKES 300,000 POLISH SOLDIERS AS PRISONERS OF WAR.

"LIBERATION OF BROTHERLY NATIONS - W. UKRAINE AND W. BELORUS 17. IX. 1939"

1939

OCT. 6

POLISH OUTPOST AT WESTERPLATTE CAPITULATES.

ISSUED 1945

ISSUED 1989

OCT. 7

POLISH NAVAL FORTRESS ON HELA PENINSULA CAPITULATES.

ISSUED 1989

1939

OCT. 7

POLISH GOVERNMENT ORDERS ARMY TO GO UNDERGROUND OR TRY TO MAKE THEIR WAY TO FRANCE. SOME ARMY UNITS CROSS THE CARPATHIAN MOUNTAINS TO ROMANIA WHERE SOME OF THEM ARE INTERNED. APPROXIMATELY 85,000 MAKE THEIR WAY TO PALESTINE AND FRANCE.

ISSUED 1952

ISSUED 1968

KING CAROLL II OF ROMANIA

ISSUED 1939

OCT. 16

POLISH PRESIDENT MOSCICKI IS INTERNED BY ROMANIAN GOVERNMENT. UNDER THE PROVISIONS OF POLISH CONSTITUTION HE RESIGNS AND APPOINTS W. RACZKIEWICZ AS PRESIDENT OF POLAND.

PRESIDENT I.MOSCICKI

1939

NOV. 5

PREPRINTED STAMP FOR DOMESTIC MAIL OF 6 LEI PLUS ADDITIONAL INTERNATIONAL AIRMAIL STAMPS OF 18 LEI.

POSTCARD MAILED BY N. LISSOWSKI, A POLISH REFUGEE LIVING IN BUCHAREST, ROMANIA, TO DR. H. GRUBER PRESIDENT OF THE POLISH BANK "OPIEKA" IN PARIS ASKING HIM FOR A TICKET TO PARIS BECAUSE MR. LISSOWSKI WAS ORDERED BY THE POLISH MINISTER MR. POPIEL TO REPORT FOR ACTIVE DUTY IN FRANCE.

1939

OCT. - DEC.

SOME 8,000 POLISH AIR FORCE PERSONNEL ESCAPE FROM THE OCCUPIED POLAND TO FRANCE AND ARE STATIONED AT LYON.

BOMBER "LOS"
ISSUED 1971

FIGHTER "P - IIC"
ISSUED 1971

ISSUED 1969

OCT. 25

300 POLISH FLYING PERSONNEL AND 2,000 TECHNICAL AND GROUND PERSONNEL ARE TRANSFERRED TO ENGLAND

BOMBER "KARAS"
ISSUED 1971

1939

OCT. - DEC.

POLISH DESTROYERS "BLYSKAWICA", "GROM", "BURZA", SUBMARINES "ORZEL", "WILK", LINERS "BATORY", "SOBIESKI", "PILSUDSKI" AND A FLEET OF 42 MERCHANT VESSELS ESCAPE TO FRANCE AND ENGLAND.

DESTROYER BLYSKAWICA
ISSUED 1968

SUB ORZEL
ISSUED 1941

MERCHANT VESSEL
ISSUED 1941