Theo Young-Smith

So 4.45, Saturday the 1st of September, the German battleship, the Schleswig-Holstein, opening fire on the Polish munitions depot on the Westerplatte Peninsula and the harbour. And at the same time, the German police in Danzig and the SS launched an attack on the Polish post office in the city, which they saw had long seen as a standing affront.

Now, those two moments, the attack on the Westerplatte depot and the attack on the post office are incredibly well-known stories in Poland. If you go to what's now Gdansk, there are monuments, there are museums. I mean, it is a place incredibly rich in history, particularly Second World War history. And they've become part of patriotic legends.

Now, those two moments, the attack on the Westerplatte depot and the attack on the post office are incredibly well-known stories in Poland. If you go to what's now Gdansk, there are monuments, there are museums. I mean, it is a place incredibly rich in history, particularly Second World War history. And they've become part of patriotic legends.

Now, those two moments, the attack on the Westerplatte depot and the attack on the post office are incredibly well-known stories in Poland. If you go to what's now Gdansk, there are monuments, there are museums. I mean, it is a place incredibly rich in history, particularly Second World War history. And they've become part of patriotic legends.

So let's start with those two stories and tell people what happened. So first of all, the Westerplatte. So this is this, it's basically a munitions depot on this sort of neck of land. There were about 200 Polish soldiers there guarding the depot and they were completely cut off. So they're the first people to come under fire. And they refused to surrender.

So let's start with those two stories and tell people what happened. So first of all, the Westerplatte. So this is this, it's basically a munitions depot on this sort of neck of land. There were about 200 Polish soldiers there guarding the depot and they were completely cut off. So they're the first people to come under fire. And they refused to surrender.

So let's start with those two stories and tell people what happened. So first of all, the Westerplatte. So this is this, it's basically a munitions depot on this sort of neck of land. There were about 200 Polish soldiers there guarding the depot and they were completely cut off. So they're the first people to come under fire. And they refused to surrender.

And over the next few days, the Germans made 13 separate attempts to storm the peninsula, including sending dive bombers to hit them. And these 200 guys held out for a week. And that was a week longer than even their own officers had thought possible. And at the time, it was a massive story in Poland.

And over the next few days, the Germans made 13 separate attempts to storm the peninsula, including sending dive bombers to hit them. And these 200 guys held out for a week. And that was a week longer than even their own officers had thought possible. And at the time, it was a massive story in Poland.

And over the next few days, the Germans made 13 separate attempts to storm the peninsula, including sending dive bombers to hit them. And these 200 guys held out for a week. And that was a week longer than even their own officers had thought possible. And at the time, it was a massive story in Poland.

So every day on Polish radio, the news bulletins would have the phrase, the Westerplatte fights on. So it's kind of like Thermopylae, isn't it? A doomed, heroic last stand. Yeah. And Polish historians use that exact parallel. They call it the Polish Thermopylae. And these guys finally surrendered on the 7th of September.

So every day on Polish radio, the news bulletins would have the phrase, the Westerplatte fights on. So it's kind of like Thermopylae, isn't it? A doomed, heroic last stand. Yeah. And Polish historians use that exact parallel. They call it the Polish Thermopylae. And these guys finally surrendered on the 7th of September.

So every day on Polish radio, the news bulletins would have the phrase, the Westerplatte fights on. So it's kind of like Thermopylae, isn't it? A doomed, heroic last stand. Yeah. And Polish historians use that exact parallel. They call it the Polish Thermopylae. And these guys finally surrendered on the 7th of September.

So a week longer than they'd fought for, a week longer than they should have done. Because basically they'd run out of supplies and those men who'd been wounded were dying of gangrene. And this is pretty much the only time in this episode when the Germans behaved nobly. And they did behave very nobly. So when the Poles came out, the Germans couldn't believe their eyes.

So a week longer than they'd fought for, a week longer than they should have done. Because basically they'd run out of supplies and those men who'd been wounded were dying of gangrene. And this is pretty much the only time in this episode when the Germans behaved nobly. And they did behave very nobly. So when the Poles came out, the Germans couldn't believe their eyes.

So a week longer than they'd fought for, a week longer than they should have done. Because basically they'd run out of supplies and those men who'd been wounded were dying of gangrene. And this is pretty much the only time in this episode when the Germans behaved nobly. And they did behave very nobly. So when the Poles came out, the Germans couldn't believe their eyes.

They thought there'd been 2,000 of them and there were only 200. And the German commander, who was a guy called Friedrich Georg Eberhardt, was actually very gallant to the Polish commander, who was called Henryk Sucharski. So Husky gave him his sword and surrender his saber and Eberhardt gave it him back and said, no, you keep it. And then lined up his men.

They thought there'd been 2,000 of them and there were only 200. And the German commander, who was a guy called Friedrich Georg Eberhardt, was actually very gallant to the Polish commander, who was called Henryk Sucharski. So Husky gave him his sword and surrender his saber and Eberhardt gave it him back and said, no, you keep it. And then lined up his men.

They thought there'd been 2,000 of them and there were only 200. And the German commander, who was a guy called Friedrich Georg Eberhardt, was actually very gallant to the Polish commander, who was called Henryk Sucharski. So Husky gave him his sword and surrender his saber and Eberhardt gave it him back and said, no, you keep it. And then lined up his men.

And as the Poles came out, the Germans all saluted them as they were kind of led off into captivities. And Eberhardt said to his men, that's how you fight. That's how you defend your honor. Look at those Poles and look at what they've done.