Why was Poland attacked by the Germans in 1939?

 

The German Nazis were intent on expanding their boundaries and reconquering land lost in World War I. Prior to the siege of Poland in 1939, the German military had already annexed neighboring Austria followed by the occupation of Czechoslovakia starting with Sudetenland, then Moravia-Silesia, and the Klaipeda Region of the Republic of Lithuania.

 

Why was Poland overrun so quickly in September 1939?

 

There are a combination of reasons for the short campaign. The Polish military was not as mechanized as the German military and the Germans had a larger, organized military force which was prepared for the siege of Poland from their conquests of lands in 1938. Some theories were Poland was too dependent on a lesser mechanized military while other theories focus on a myriad of reasons including the size and might of the Germans, modernization of the Nazi military, experience from conquests in 1938 among others, and the lack of support for Poland from other countries. Ironically, Poland was expecting support from allies such as the British and the French early in their conflict but this did not come to fruition. Finally, the Russians entered the siege of Poland which created an insurmountable two-front war for Poland.

 

During the 1939 siege of Poland, was the German military focused only upon the Jewish population?

 

The Jews were a significant part of the population in Poland, the largest Jewish concentration in any European country. Based on historical accounts, the German military was focused upon most Jews, Catholic priests and other clergy, and gypsy populations who were imprisoned or murdered.