The Polish September Campaign was the conquest of Poland by the armies of Nazi Germany, the Soviet Union, and a small contingent of Slovak forces during the Second World War. The campaign began on 1 September 1939 following a German-staged attack. This military operation, which saw the first use of Blitzkrieg tactics, marked the start of the Second World War in Europe as the invasion led Poland's allies, the United Kingdom and France, to declare war on Germany on September 3. On September 17, 1939, the Soviet Red Army invaded the eastern regions of Poland. The Soviets were acting in co-operation with Nazi Germany, carrying out their part of the secret appendix of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact (the division of Europe into Nazi and Soviet spheres of influence). The campaign ended on 6 October, 1939, with Germany and the Soviet Union occupying the entirety of Poland.

Read the rest of this article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polish_September_Campaign

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

711: – Roderic and the Visigoths in Iberia were defeated in the Battle of Guadalete by Moorish Umayyad invaders led by Tariq ibn-Ziyad. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roderic)

1553: – Lady Jane Grey was replaced by Mary I of England as Queen of England after holding that title for just nine days. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_I_of_England)

1848: – The two-day Women's Rights Convention opened in Seneca Falls, New York, United States. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seneca_Falls_Convention)

1870: – France declared war on Prussia, starting the Franco-Prussian War. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franco-Prussian_War)

1947: – Burmese nationalist Aung San was assassinated. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aung_San)

1979: – Sandinista rebels overthrew the US-backed government of the Somoza family in Nicaragua. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandinista)

_____________________ Wikiquote of the day:

"Anyone who has ever looked into the glazed eyes of a soldier dying on the battlefield will think hard before starting a war." -- Otto von Bismarck (http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Otto_von_Bismarck)