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71-691: Westerplatte ( Polish pronunciation: [vɛstɛrˈplatɛ] , [ˈvɛstɛrplatɛ] , German pronunciation: [ˈvɛstɐplatə] ) is a peninsula in Gdańsk , Poland , located on the Baltic Sea coast mouth of the Dead Vistula (one of the Vistula delta estuaries ), in the Gdańsk harbour channel. From 1926 to 1939, it was the location of a Polish Military Transit Depot (WST), sanctioned within

142-493: A 75 mm field gun wz. 1902/26 , two Bofors 37 mm anti-tank guns , four 81 mm mortars , and about 40 machine guns, including 18 heavy machine guns. Field fortifications were extended: more trenches were dug, wooden barricades were built, barbed wire was strung into wire obstacles , and reinforced concrete shelters were built into the basements of the barracks. Foliage was thinned to reduce cover on expected avenues of attack. The Polish defence, which anticipated principally

213-469: A basin . This may create peninsulas, and occurred for example in the Keweenaw Peninsula . In the case of formation from meltwater, melting glaciers deposit sediment and form moraines , which act as dams for the meltwater. This may create bodies of water that surround the land, forming peninsulas. If deposition formed the peninsula, the peninsula was composed of sedimentary rock , which

284-568: A broadside at the Polish garrison. That salvo's time has been variously stated as 04:45, 04:47, or 04:48. Polish historian Jarosław Tuliszka explains that 04:45 was the planned time, 04:47 was the time the order was given by Kleikamp and 04:48 was the time the guns actually fired. Shortly after, on Westerplatte, Sucharski radioed the nearby Polish military base on the Hel Peninsula , "SOS: I'm under fire." Other sources indicate

355-575: A German land-based assault, rested on three lines of defence. The outer line included entrenched outposts (codenamed Prom , Przystań , Łazienki and Wał ) which were to hold long enough for the garrison to mobilize. The second line of defence centred on five guardhouses (numbered I to V) in the center of the depot. The final defence comprised the headquarters and barracks at the depot's centre (sometimes referred to as Guardhouse VI). The Poles also had several supporting positions ( Elektrownia , Deika , Fort , Tor kolejowy and Kej ). The plan called for

426-526: A burning train toward the Polish positions, but the ploy failed when the terrified driver decoupled prematurely. The train failed to reach its target, an oil cistern; instead, it set fire to the woods, which had provided the Poles with valuable cover. In addition, the burning wagons created a perfect field of fire; the Germans suffered heavy losses. A second fire-train attack, in the afternoon, also failed. At

497-621: A column at Flensburg . After the war, it was moved to stand before the Naval Academy Mürwik . Westerplatte's Guardhouses I, III and IV, the power plant, and the barracks survived the war. In 1946, a Cemetery of the Fallen Defenders of Westerplatte  [ pl ] and a Tomb of the Unknown Soldier were established on the peninsula; the cemetery was placed near the destroyed Guardhouse V. During

568-465: A marine battalion, briefly strengthening the outpost to about 200 men. This was done to demonstrate the Polish resolve to defend the outpost in response to recent comments by German politicians and media figures about the need of border adjustment and Poland and France were secretly discussing preventive war against Germany; on a local level this was also done to put pressure on the Danzig government which

639-541: A second conference with his officers, on 6 September, Sucharski was again ready to surrender: the German Army was by now outside Warsaw , and Westerplatte was running critically low on supplies; moreover, many of the wounded were suffering from gangrene . At 04:30 on 7 September, the Germans opened intense fire on Westerplatte which lasted till 07:00. Flamethrowers and bombardment destroyed Guardhouse II and damaged Guardhouses I and IV. Schleswig-Holstein took part in

710-428: A total strength of 88 all ranks, and Poland was prohibited construction of further military installations or fortifications on the site. By early 1933, German politicians and media figures complained about the need for border adjustments. In addition, the Polish and French governments discussed the need for a preventive war against Germany. On 6 March, in what became known as the "Westerplatte incident" or "crisis",

781-576: Is inscribed in the list of the most heroic battles of modern Europe." For both sides, the battle had mostly political, rather than tactical, importance. It tied up substantial German forces for much longer than anyone had expected, preventing Schleswig-Holstein from lending fire support in the nearby battles of Hel and Gdynia . Westerplatte's defence inspired the Polish Army and people even as German advances continued elsewhere; beginning on 1 September 1939, Polish Radio repeatedly broadcast

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852-675: The Depot for Polish Munitions in Transit in the Port of Danzig  [ pl ] (WST) ( Polish : Wojskowa Składnica Tranzytowa ), was completed in November 1925, officially transferred to Poland on the last day of that year, and became operational shortly after in January 1926, with 22 active storage warehouses. The Polish garrison's complement was set at 2 officers, 20 NCOs , privates to

923-696: The Free City of Danzig . The Free City was nominally supervised by the League of Nations but Danzig became increasingly allied with Germany, reflecting its predominantly ethnic German population. In 1921, in the wake of the Polish-Soviet War , the League of Nations granted Poland the right to install a garrisoned ammunition depot near Danzig. Despite objections from the Free City, this right

994-476: The League of Nations granted Poland the right to install an ammunition depot near Gdańsk, and station a garrison there. Despite some objections from the Free City, this right was confirmed in 1925, where the location was agreed on with the choice of Westerplatte. Westerplatte was primarily separated from the New Port of the Free City of Danzig by the harbour channel, with only a small pier connecting them to

1065-471: The Polish Naval Academy was named for the "Heroes of Westerplatte", and that name began to be given to schools, streets, and other institutions. In 1962 a Christian cross at the cemetery was replaced with a Soviet T-34 tank, and the first government-organized remembrances began at Westerplatte. In 1966, a Westerplatte Monument , a 25 metres (27 yd)-tall obelisk atop a mound ,

1136-471: The Schleswig-Holstein' s salvos as having occurred "minutes after Luftwaffe attacks on Polish airfields" and other targets. A bridge in nearby Tczew had been bombed around 04:30, and the false-flag Operation Himmler had begun hours earlier. The Polish historian Krzysztof Komorowski writes that "Westerplatte has become one of the symbols of the Polish struggle for independence, and

1207-572: The 16th century. A peninsula is generally defined as a piece of land surrounded on most sides by water. A peninsula may be bordered by more than one body of water, and the body of water does not have to be an ocean or a sea. A piece of land on a very tight river bend or one between two rivers is sometimes said to form a peninsula, for example in the New Barbadoes Neck in New Jersey , United States. A peninsula may be connected to

1278-526: The 1980s, Westerplatte has been administered by the National Museum in Gdańsk . In 1981, the cross was restored to the cemetery. In June 1987, Westerplatte was visited by Pope John Paul II ; his visit is commemorated by a plaque unveiled in 2015. Following the fall of communism in Eastern and Central Europe , a change symbolic of Poland's political transformation was the 2007 transfer of

1349-472: The 70th anniversary of the outbreak of World War II, in 2009, was attended by Tusk, former Prime Minister Tadeusz Mazowiecki , and former Presidents Lech Wałęsa and Aleksander Kwaśniewski , as well as by important figures from about 20 other countries, including German Chancellor Angela Merkel , Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin , Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko , and French Prime Minister François Fillon . The Battle of Westerplatte has been

1420-667: The Danzig Police to land on the western side of the depot. In that initial engagement, Poles sustained two casualties, and a Polish soldier, Staff Sergeant Wojciech Najsarek , was killed by machine-gun fire . Najsarek has been described as the first Polish combat casualty of the battle and perhaps of the war. At 06:22, the German marines frantically radioed the battleship that they had sustained heavy losses and were withdrawing. Casualties were approximately fifty Germans and eight Poles, mostly wounded. A longer bombardment from

1491-648: 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

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1562-624: The German 73rd Infantry Division defended the peninsula from the Soviet 76th Guards Rifle Division until the German units were evacuated by sea. The Battle of Westerplatte is often described as the opening battle of World War II , but it was only one of many battles in the first phase of the German invasion of Poland known as the Battle of the Border . British historian I. C. B. Dear described

1633-562: The German disembarkation, the orders were rescinded as Adolf Hitler had postponed hostilities on learning of the Polish-British Common Defence Pact , signed the day before, on 25 August 1939, and that Italy was hesitant about its obligations under the Pact of Steel . Neither Eberhardt nor Kleikamp had specific information on the Polish defences. The Germans assumed that preliminary bombardment would soften up

1704-597: The German observers may have been mistaken. On 4 September, a German torpedo boat , T196 , supported by an old minesweeper, the Von der Gronen , made a surprise attack. The Poles' Wał outpost had been abandoned. Now only the Fort outpost prevented an attack from the north. Though the Poles never landed a hit on the German naval units, T196 and Schleswig-Holstein suffered accidents due to crew error or equipment failure, with at least one fatality and several injured men on

1775-543: The Germans had the SS Heimwehr Danzig force of 1,500 men under Police General Friedrich-Georg Eberhardt . In overall command was Captain Gustav Kleikamp , aboard Schleswig-Holstein . Initially, the marines were ordered to attack on the morning of 26 August 1939, on that day Kleikamp moved the battleship farther upstream, and as a result, Sucharski put his garrison on heightened alert. Shortly before

1846-486: The Germans suffering unexpectedly high losses. Over the coming days, the Germans repeatedly bombarded Westerplatte with naval artillery and heavy field artillery along with dive-bombing raids by Stukas. Repeated attacks by 570 German soldiers were repelled by the 180 Polish soldiers for seven days. Major Henryk Sucharski had been informed that no help from the Polish Army would come. Cut off, with no reinforcements or chance of resupply, he continued his defence, keeping

1917-473: The Kriegsmarine ) and 150 wounded. The Poles had lost 15 men and had sustained at least 40 wounded. On 8 September, the day after the capitulation, the Germans discovered a grave with the bodies of four unidentified Polish soldiers who had been executed by their comrades for attempted desertion . According to Tomasz Sudoł this had likely taken place following the 2 September air raids. Five days after

1988-486: The Poles had constructed extensive underground and armoured fortifications (six haystacks were declared to be armoured bunker domes). In the following days, the Germans bombarded the Westerplatte peninsula with naval and heavy field artillery , including a 105 mm howitzer battery and 210 mm howitzers. On 2 September, from 18:05 to 18:25, a two-wave air raid by 60 Junkers Ju 87 Stuka dive bombers dropped 26.5 tonnes (58,000 lb) of bombs, eliminating

2059-586: The Polish garrison's commanding officer, Sucharski. Early historiography considered him to have been in command throughout the battle, and so early accounts portrayed him as a heroic figure. More recent accounts from the early 1990s have presented evidence that Sucharski's officers had vowed not to disclose in their lifetimes that their commander had been shell-shocked for most of the battle and had advocated surrender as early as 2 September and several times thereafter and that his second-in-command, Dąbrowski, had effectively taken command following Sucharski's breakdown on

2130-399: The Polish government landed a marine battalion on Westerplatte, briefly reinforcing the WST garrison to about 200 men, demonstrating Polish resolve to defend the depot; the Polish manoeuvre was also intended to put pressure on the Danzig government, which was trying to renounce a prior agreement on shared Danzig-Polish control over the harbour police and to acquire full control of the police and

2201-403: The Polish mortars, destroying Guardhouse V with a 500 kilograms (1,100 lb) bomb and killing at least eight Polish soldiers. The air raid shrouded all of Westerplatte in clouds of smoke and destroyed the Poles' only radio and much of their food supply. According to some German sources, after the air raid the Poles briefly displayed a white flag; but not all historians are convinced of this, and

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2272-399: The Polish side had sustained four killed and several wounded. The German marines had lost sixteen killed and a hundred and twenty wounded. The German commanders concluded that a ground attack was not feasible until the Polish defences had been softened up. Re-examining aerial photographs, where they had previously underestimated the Polish defences, they now overestimated them, concluding

2343-468: The Soviet T-34 tank from the cemetery to a museum in another town. In 2001, the Polish government recognised Westerplatte's ruins as an object of cultural heritage . On 1 September 2003, the site was designated an official Historic Monument . In the mid-2010s, the Polish government decided to create a dedicated Westerplatte Museum  [ pl ] , commemorating the 1939 battle; as of 2019,

2414-552: The War , misidentified the Polish commander as a Major "Koscianski". Sucharski surrendered the post to Kleikamp, and the Germans stood at attention as the Polish garrison marched out at 11:30. Over 3,000 Germans, including soldiers and support formations such as the Danzig Police, had been tied up in the week-long operation against the small Polish garrison; about half of the Germans (570 on land, over 900 at sea) had taken part in direct action. German casualties totalled 50 killed (16 from

2485-470: The Westerplatte garrison was placed on alert. Fearing a possible Nazi coup d'état in Danzig, the Poles decided secretly to reinforce their garrison and resorted to a subterfuge, civilians in Polish Army uniform would leave the base, and new Polish soldiers would enter it. By late August 1939, the Poles had reinforced their 88-man garrison, though its strength is still debated; older sources speak of 182 men but more recent research suggests something in

2556-440: The battleship, lasting from 07:40 to 08:55, preceded a second attack and succeeded at knocking out the Polish field gun. The Germans assaulted again from 08:35 to 12:30 but encountered mines , felled trees, barbed wire and intense fire. By noon, when the Germans retreated, Henningsen had been gravely wounded. Eberhardt requested air support, but it was delayed due to bad weather over Westerplatte. On that first day's combat,

2627-415: The battleship. On 5 September, Sucharski held a conference with his officers, during which he urged surrender: the post had only been supposed to hold out for twelve hours. His deputy, Dąbrowski, opposed surrender and the group decided to hold out a while longer. Subsequently, the Poles repelled several cautious German probing attacks. At 03:00 on 6 September, during one of the attacks, the Germans sent

2698-467: The bombardments. At 09:45 on 7 September 1939, a white flag appeared. The Polish defence had so impressed the Germans that their commander, Eberhardt, initially let Sucharski keep his ceremonial szabla (Polish saber ) in captivity although it would be confiscated later. Contemporary English-language publications which reported on the event, such as Life and the Pictorial History of

2769-518: The capitulation, on 12 September 1939, the Polish wireless operator, Sergeant Kazimierz Rasiński, was murdered by the Germans. He was shot after brutal interrogation during which he refused to hand over radio codes . On 19 September Hitler came to visit Danzig. While there, on 21 September, he inspected Westerplatte. Westerplatte saw another round of fighting during the Vistula–Oder Offensive in 1945. From 28 March to 1 April, elements of

2840-499: The case of Florida , continental drift, marine sediment, and marine transgressions were all contributing factors to its shape. In the case of formation from glaciers (e.g., the Antarctic Peninsula or Cape Cod ), peninsulas can be created due to glacial erosion , meltwater or deposition . If erosion formed the peninsula, softer and harder rocks were present, and since the glacier only erodes softer rock, it formed

2911-475: The early postwar Stalinist era, Westerplatte was presented as a symbol of Poland's prewar anticommunist government and was marginalised in official history; Mieczysław Słaby, the garrison surgeon at Westerplatte, was arrested, tortured and died in the custody of the Ministry of Public Security in 1948. After the mid-1950s liberalization , Westerplatte was repurposed as a communist propaganda symbol; in 1956,

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2982-503: The eastern side of the peninsula, advanced, expecting an easy victory over the Poles. However, after crossing the artillery-breached brick wall at the border, advancing about 200 metres (220 yd), and engaging the Polish Prom outpost, the Germans ran into an ambush . They found themselves in a kill zone of Polish crossfire from concealed firing positions, while barbed-wire entanglements impeded their movements. Around 05:15,

3053-640: The face of German advances elsewhere and is still regarded as a symbol of resistance in modern Poland. The Polish government is planning to open a dedicated public museum on the site in 2026. Westerplatte is a peninsula in the Bay of Gdańsk , which in 1939 was known as the Bay of Danzig. Following the re-establishment of Polish independence after World War I , much of the surrounding region became part of Poland . The city of Danzig (now Gdańsk , Poland), historically an important port city, became an independent city-state ,

3124-412: The field gun, commanded by Pająk, opened intense fire on the advancing Germans, firing 28 rounds and knocking out several machine-gun nests atop warehouses across the harbour canal. Meanwhile, the German infantry was also shelled by the Polish mortars, and even the battleship itself was targeted by the Polish 37 mm guns. Around that time, the Poles also repulsed an attempt by a small maritime unit of

3195-472: The fortifications enough for the marines to capture Westerplatte. Kleikamp had been assured by the Danzig Police that "Westerplatte would be taken in 10 minutes." Eberhardt himself was more cautious, estimating that "a few hours" would be needed to overcome the Polish garrison, which the Germans estimated at no more than 100 men. On the early morning of 1 September 1939, Schleswig-Holstein fired

3266-492: The garrison to hold out for 12 hours, after which the siege was expected to be lifted by reinforcements arriving from the mainland. On 25 August 1939, the German pre-dreadnought battleship Schleswig-Holstein , under the pretext of making a courtesy call , sailed into Danzig harbour , anchoring 150 metres (160 yd) from Westerplatte. On board was a Marinestosstruppkompanie ( marine shock-troop company ) of 225 marines under Lieutenant Wilhelm Henningsen. On land

3337-472: The garrison was placed on alert. On 1 September 1939, only minutes after the German Luftwaffe (air force) had begun the invasion of Poland by dropping bombs in a series of raids on the city of Wieluń by Junkers Ju 87 Stukas , at 04:48 local time, the battleship Schleswig-Holstein , then on a courtesy visit to the Free City of Danzig, without warning opened fire on the Polish garrison. This

3408-556: The harbour. According to one source, on 14 March 1933, the League had authorized Poland to reinforce its garrison. However, according to another, the additional Polish troops were withdrawn on 16 March, following protests from the League, Danzig, and Germany but only in exchange for Danzig's withdrawal of its objections to the harbour-police agreement. Later, the Poles constructed clandestine fortifications on Westerplatte. These were relatively minor: there were no bunkers or tunnels, only several small guardhouses, partially hidden in

3479-609: The invasion – a Polish Battle of Thermopylae . As early as 1943, a Polish People's Army unit was named for Westerplatte's soldiers (the Polish 1st Armoured Brigade of the Defenders of Westerplatte ). That same year, the Polish Underground State named a street after Westerplatte; and the following year, during the 1944 Warsaw Uprising , an insurgent stronghold was named Westerplatte . Controversy surrounds

3550-487: The main German force stalled at Westerplatte and so preventing further attacks along the Polish coast. On 7 September, the Major decided to surrender, due to lack of ammunition and supplies. As a sign of honour for the soldiers of Westerplatte, the German commander, Gen. Eberhardt , allowed Major Sucharski to keep his sword while being taken prisoner. The ruins of the defenders' barracks and guardhouses are still there. After

3621-531: The mainland via an isthmus , for example, in the Isthmus of Corinth which connects to the Peloponnese peninsula. Peninsulas can be formed from continental drift , glacial erosion , glacial meltwater , glacial deposition , marine sediment , marine transgressions , volcanoes, divergent boundaries or river sedimentation. More than one factor may play into the formation of a peninsula. For example, in

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3692-472: The mainland; the Polish-held part of the Westerplatte was separated from the territory of Danzig by a brick wall. The depot was completed in November 1925 and became operational in January 1926. The Polish garrison's size was set at 88 soldiers, and Poland was not allowed to construct fortifications. On 6 March 1933, in what became known as the westernmost incident (or crisis), the Polish government landed

3763-424: The peninsula's forest and several more buildings in the middle of the peninsula, including barracks . Most buildings were constructed with reinforced concrete and were supported by a network of field fortifications, including trenches , barricades and barbed wire . In March 1939, a German ultimatum to Lithuania led to Germany's annexation of the nearby Lithuanian coastal Klaipėda region ; subsequently,

3834-467: The phrase that made Westerplatte an important symbol: "Westerplatte broni się jeszcze" ("Westerplatte fights on"). On 16 September Konstanty Ildefons Gałczyński penned a poem, Song about the Soldiers of Westerplatte  [ pl ] , voicing a subsequent myth that all of Westerplatte's defenders had died in the battle, fighting to the last man. The battle became a symbol of resistance to

3905-661: The range of 210 to 240, including six officers: Major Henryk Sucharski , his second-in-command Captain Franciszek Dąbrowski , Captain Mieczysław Słaby , Lieutenant Leon Pająk , Lieutenant Stefan Ludwik Grodecki  [ pl ] , and Second Lieutenant Zdzisław Kręgielski  [ pl ] . Estimates include some 20 mobilized civilians and about 10 regular troops who happened to be on site when fighting began. In addition to light arms consisting of pistols, grenades, and about 160 rifles, weaponry included

3976-541: The reestablishment of Polish independence in the aftermath of World War I , much of the surrounding region became a part of the Second Polish Republic . The city of Danzig (present day Gdańsk ), a historically important port city, at that time predominantly ethnically German, became an independent city state, the Free City of Danzig . The Free City was nominally run by the League of Nations , but over time became increasingly allied with Germany. In 1921,

4047-459: The second day of the siege. Sucharski's conduct is still debated by historians. Westerplatte is a common venue for state remembrance ceremonies relating to World War II, usually held on 1 September. They are generally attended by high-ranking Polish politicians such as Prime Minister Donald Tusk (2014), President Bronisław Komorowski (2015), President Andrzej Duda (2016), and Prime Minister Beata Szydło (2017). The commemoration of

4118-468: The sediment is deposited, forming a delta peninsula. Marine transgressions (changes in sea level) may form peninsulas, but also may affect existing peninsulas. For example, the water level may change, which causes a peninsula to become an island during high water levels. Similarly, wet weather causing higher water levels make peninsulas appear smaller, while dry weather make them appear larger. Sea level rise from global warming will permanently reduce

4189-425: The shot was fired at 04:00 rather than at or around 04:45. The battleship's initial bombardment was not very successful, failing to inflict a single casualty among the defenders, as due to the battleship's proximity to its target its heavier shells did not have time to arm and did not explode upon impact. Eight minutes later Henningsen's marines from the Schleswig-Holstein , who had disembarked two hours earlier on

4260-400: The size of some peninsulas over time. Peninsulas are noted for their use as shelter for humans and Neanderthals . The landform is advantageous because it gives hunting access to both land and sea animals. They can also serve as markers of a nation's borders. Wilhelm Henningsen Baltic coast 4–10 September Northern Front Southern Front The Battle of Westerplatte

4331-403: The subject of two Polish films: Westerplatte (1967), and Tajemnica Westerplatte (The Secret of Westerplatte, 2013). It has also inspired dozens of books and scores of press articles, scholarly studies, and fictional works, as well as poems, songs, paintings, and other works of art. The Polish 75 mm field gun became one of Germany's first war trophies of World War II, displayed on

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4402-426: The territory of the Free City of Danzig (now Gdańsk). It is famous for the Battle of Westerplatte , which was the first clash between Polish and German forces during the invasion of Poland and thus the beginning and the first battle of World War II. The resort was established on the Westerplatte peninsula around 1830 which had a beach, a forested park, a seaside bath complex and health spa facilities. Following

4473-564: The volcano erupts near shallow water. Marine sediment may form peninsulas by the creation of limestone . A rift peninsula may form as a result of a divergent boundary in plate tectonics (e.g. the Arabian Peninsula ), while a convergent boundary may also form peninsulas (e.g. Gibraltar or the Indian subcontinent ). Peninsulas can also form due to sedimentation in rivers. When a river carrying sediment flows into an ocean,

4544-675: The war, one of the guardhouses (#1) was converted into a museum. Two 280mm shells from the Schleswig-Holstein prop up its entrance. A Monument of the Coast Defenders ( Pomnik Obrońców Wybrzeża ) was unveiled in 1966. Westerplatte Museum dedicated to the 1939 battle was created in 2015. 54°24′27″N 18°40′17″E  /  54.40750°N 18.67139°E  / 54.40750; 18.67139 Peninsula The word peninsula derives from Latin paeninsula , from paene  'almost' and insula  'island'. The word entered English in

4615-447: The years, the Poles also constructed clandestine fortifications . These were not very impressive: there were no real bunkers or tunnels, but only five small concrete outposts (guardhouses) hidden in the peninsula's forest and a large barracks prepared for defence, supported by a network of field fortifications such as trenches and barricades . Several of the buildings were reinforced with concrete. With tensions rising, in early 1939,

4686-483: Was confirmed in 1925, and an area of 60 hectares (0.60 km ) was selected on the Westerplatte peninsula. Westerplatte was separated from the New Port of Danzig mainly by the harbour channel; on land, the Polish-held part of Westerplatte was separated from Danzig's territory by a brick wall topped with barbed wire. A dedicated rail line, passing through the Free City, connected the depot with nearby Polish territory. The depot, referred to in League documents as

4757-504: Was created from a large deposit of glacial drift . The hill of drift becomes a peninsula if the hill formed near water but was still connected to the mainland, for example during the formation of Cape Cod about 23,000 years ago. In the case of formation from volcanoes, when a volcano erupts magma near water, it may form a peninsula (e.g., the Alaskan Peninsula ). Peninsulas formed from volcanoes are especially common when

4828-479: Was erected at Westerplatte, set within a park, with smaller installations. Westerplatte became a popular tourist attraction. Later, Guardhouse I was relocated in order to save it from destruction during the construction of a new harbour channel. In 1971, Sucharski's grave was relocated to Westerplatte from his original burial place in Italy. In 1974, a small museum was opened in the renovated Guardhouse I. Since

4899-573: Was followed by an attack by Oblt. Wilhelm Henningsen ’s storm unit from the Schleswig-Holstein and the Marinestosstruppkompanie . Soon after crossing the artillery-breached brick wall, the attackers were ambushed by the Polish defenders, with small arms, mortar and machine-gun fire from concealed and well-positioned firing points that caught them in a crossfire. Another two assaults that day were repelled as well, with

4970-644: 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 ). 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,

5041-414: Was trying to renounce prior agreement on shared Danzig-Polish control over harbor police and take sole control of that unit. Polish troops were withdrawn by 16 March, after protests from the League, Danzig and Germany, in exchange for Danzig withdrawing its objections to the harbor police agreement. According to another source, on 14 March 1933 the League did authorize Poland to strengthen the garrison. Over

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