Enigma Machine
Attends the January Paris meeting while Poland initially withholds the full extent of its Enigma success.
Permanent historical records · Updated 2026-11-03
1939 in Poland
Explore 59 historical events and records for Poland in 1939.
Historical records for Poland in 1939
Sorted by month and day. Records with no month are shown last. Showing 40 of 59 unique records.
59Unique records
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18Named events on this page
12Named people on this page
10Places on this page
January
Enigma Machine
Represents the Polish Cipher Bureau at the January allied cryptanalytic meeting in Paris.
March
Independence of Poland
Agrees Chamberlains proposal of a unilateral British guarantee of Polish independence
International Agreement at Warsaw
Agrees Chamberlains proposal of a unilateral British guarantee of Polish independence
Rule of Gdansk
Hitler lays claim to the free City of Danzig
April
Alliance Josef Beck and Britain creating a temporary Pact of mutual assistance
Signs an agreement with Britain creating a temporary Pact of mutual assistance
Alliance Agreement
The Soviet Union offers a Soviet-British-French alliance which would guarantee the integrity of Poland, the consulations are unproductive
Alliance Soviet-British-French alliance
The Soviet Union offers a Soviet-British-French alliance which would guarantee the integrity of Poland, the consulations are unproductive
July
Enigma Machine
Explains Polish Enigma methods and equipment to the British and French delegations at Pyry.
Enigma Machine
Authorises disclosure of Poland's Enigma achievements to British and French cryptanalysts at Pyry.
Enigma Machine
Explains the mathematical reconstruction of Enigma and Polish key-recovery methods to allied cryptanalysts.
Enigma Machine
Shares Polish experience of Enigma rotor analysis with the British and French delegations.
Enigma Machine
Demonstrates the perforated-sheet method to British and French cryptanalysts at the Pyry meeting.
August
Invasion of Poland
German troops concentrate on the Polish border after the Polish ultimatum to Danzig
Ultimatum
Poland orders Danzig to close its borders to east Prussia, Danzig complies
Enigma Machine
Helps AVA complete dozens of Enigma replicas before the German invasion of Poland.
Enigma Machine
Supports production of Polish Enigma replicas, one of which is supplied to Britain before the war.
International Agreement
Refuses Russian passage to east Germany, precondition of Anglo-Franco-Soviet agreement
Rule of Polish Corridor
Hitler lays claim to the whole of the Polish corridor
September
Invasion of Poland
Commands the Polish forces during the German invasion of Poland
Invasion of Poland
The 4th Panzer Div launches the 1st attack on Warsaw
Invasion of Poland
Launches a short lived counter-attack along the River Bzura
Siege of Warsaw
The 4th Panzer Div launches the 1st attack on Warsaw
Capture of Silesia
Upper Silesia is captured by the Germans
Invasion of Poland
Upper Silesia is captured by the Germans
Battle of Bzura
Attempts to attack the German Eighth Army in the flank
Invasion of Poland
All French operations against the Germans are halted
Invasion of Poland
Warsaw is surrounded by German troops, Hitler orders its bombardment
Siege of Warsaw
Warsaw is surrounded by German troops, Hitler orders its bombardment
Invasion of Poland
The Bzura "pocxket" is contained by the German Army Group South
Siege of Warsaw
The Poles refuse to surrender Warsaw
Capture of Brest Litovsk
The Germans capture Brest Litovsk
Exile of Ignacy Mosciki
Resigns & goes into exile in Romania
Invasion of Poland
The Soviets carry out their part of the secret appendix of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact dividing Eastern Europe into Nazi and Soviet spheres of influence. The Polish Government flees to Romania. Russia gives the order to invade eastern Poland which is undefended. Facing the second front, the Polish Government decides the defense of the Romanian bridgehead is no longer feasible and orders the evacuation of all troops to neutral Romania
Invasion of Poland
The Germans capture Brest Litovsk
Neutrality
Facing the second front, the Polish Government decides the defense of the Romanian bridgehead is no longer feasible and orders the evacuation of all troops to neutral Romania
Resignation of Ignacy Mosciki
Resigns & goes into exile in Romania
Resignation of Ignacy Mosciki
Resigns & goes into exile in Romania
Invasion of Poland
The Poznan Army collapses
Battle of Bzura
Defeated during the German invasion of Poland. 19 Polish Divisions are encircled in the 1st pocket of the war, 170,000 captured
How these records were prepared
Generated from the World History Database historical_events table. Identical display records are collapsed; descriptions otherwise retain the stored text. Coverage and source quality vary. Check primary and specialist sources before citing individual historical claims.