First to Fight: The Polish War 1939
- ISBN-10
- 1784706248
- ISBN-13
- 9781784706241
- Series
- First to Fight
- Pages
- 400
- Language
- English
- Published
- 2020-09-03
- Publisher
- Arrow
- Author
- Roger Moorhouse
Description
'This deeply researched, very well-written and penetrating book will be the standard work on the subject for many years to come' - Andrew Roberts, author of Churchill- Walking with Destiny The Second World War began on 1 September 1939, when German tanks, trucks and infantry crossed the Polish border, and the Luftwaffe began bombing Poland's cities. The Polish army fought bravely but could not withstand an attacker superior in numbers and technology; and when the Red Army invaded from the east - as agreed in the pact Hitler had concluded with Stalin - the country's fate was sealed. Poland was the first to fight the German aggressor; it would be the first to suffer the full murderous force of Nazi persecution. By the end of the Second World War, one in five of its people had perished. The Polish campaign is the forgotten story of the Second World War. Despite prefacing many of that conflict's later horrors - the wanton targeting of civilians, indiscriminate bombing and ethnic cleansing - it is little understood, and most of what we think we know about it is Nazi propaganda, such as the myth of Polish cavalry charging German tanks with their lances. In truth, Polish forces put up a spirited defence, in the expectation that they would be assisted by their British and French allies. That assistance never came. First to Fight is the first history of the Polish war for almost half a century. Drawing on letters, memoirs and diaries by generals and politicians, soldiers and civilians from all sides, Roger Moorhouse's dramatic account of the military events is entwined with a tragic human story of courage and suffering, and a dark tale of diplomatic betrayal.
Get the book
Other editions
-
- 2019-10-01
- 320 pages
- Ebook
- Rowman & Littlefield
-
- 2017-05-06
- 232 pages
- Paperback
- Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
Similar books
-
First to Fight: An Inside View of the U.S. Marine Corps
By V H KrulakMarine general Victor "Brute" Krulak offers here a riveting insider's chronicle of U.S. Marines — their fights on the battlefield and off, and their extraordinary esprit de corps.
-
Starfist: First to Fight
By David Sherman, Dan Cragg“Hard to put down . . . Any book written by Cragg and Sherman is bound to be addictive, and this is the first in what promises to be a great adventure series.
-
First to Fight
By David Sherman, Dan CraggStranded in a nightmarish alien desert, many light-years from Earth, without arms or backup and carrying only a one-day water ration, Marine Staff Sergeant Charlie Bass and his seven-man team must make their way through an army of ...
-
First to Fight
By Henry MihesuahDocuments the life of a Native American who grew up in Oklahoma, fought in post-World War II China as a U.S. Marine, relocated to California at the suggestion of a federal government program, and then returned home to Oklahoma to fight ...
-
The Fight
By Norman MailerWhether he is analyzing the fighters’ moves, interpreting their characters, or weighing their competing claims on the African and American souls, Mailer’s grasp of the titanic battle’s feints and stratagems—and his sensitivity to ...
-
Into Dust and Fire: Five Young Americans Who Went First to Fight the Nazi Army
By Rachel S. CoxIt is, hands down, the best description of the transformation of untested young men into soldiers that I have ever read.” — Lynne Olson, New York Times Bestselling Author of Last Hope Island The untold story of five young American ...
-
When to Talk and When to Fight: The Strategic Choice between Dialogue and Resistance
By Rebecca SubarIf you are strong, you win, and if you are weak, you lose. If you like conflict, you win, and if you don't, you lose. Under these rules, a lot of us had lost before the game even started. Fisher's method offered the possibility of ...
-
First in the Fight: 20 Women Who Made Manchester
By Helen Antrobus, Andrew SimcockFirst in the Fight: 20 Women Who Made Manchester
-
Late Medieval and Early Modern Fight Books: Transmission and Tradition of Martial Arts in Europe (14th-17th Centuries)
Late Medieval and Early Modern Fight Books offers insights into the cultural and historical transmission and practices of martial arts, based on interdisciplinary research on the corpus of the Fight Books (Fechtbücher) in 14th- to 17th ...
-
How to Fight Presidents: Defending Yourself Against the Badasses who Ran this Country
By Daniel O'BrienBased on in-depth research and accompanied by informative illustrations, this hilarious history book collects the most wildest, manliest, interesting and badass facts about every U.S. president. Original. 25,000 first printing.