They Bombed Civilians, Wieluń and the Outbreak of World War II
The center of Wieluń after the first wave of bombings, September 1, 1939.Below is my translation of most of the article: “Bombardowali cywilów. Obchody rocznicy w Wieluniu.” (They Bombed Civilians, Commemorations of the Anniversary in Wieluń).
Siren alarms sounded at 4:40am in Wieluń (Poland). This is how the ceremonies started, commemorating the 73rd anniversary of the outbreak of World War II.
Seventy-three years ago at dawn, above the sleepy, defenseless town located 21 kilometers from the border with the Third Riech, came flying the German Stukas, dropping 380 bombs in total. As a result of the bombings, over 1200 residents of Wieluń were killed and 90% of the city center was destroyed.
The ceremonies in Wieluń commemorating the anniversary of the outbreak of World War II and Veteran’s Day started at 4:40am in front of the General Education High School on Pilsudski Street, the site where the hospital stood in September, 1939.
The alarm sirens sounded, and footage of the German bombardment was projected on the wall of the building. Representatives of the city and county leadership as well as combatants, laid flowers and lit votive candles at the monument to the victims of the bombings. Letters from President Bronisłam Komorowski and Premier Donald Tusk were also read.
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Before the war, Wieluń had about 16,000 residents and was 21 kilometers from the German border. September 1, 1939 the city was attacked by formations of the Luftwaffe under the control of the aerial commander for special operations, General Wolfram von Richthofen. Among them was the 1st division of the 76th dive bomber regiment under the command of Captain Walter Siegel. Members of his unit were pilots in the Condor Legion, who bombed Guernica (Spain) in 1937.
Overall, 380 bombs fell on Wieluń, weighing a total of 46 tons. The first ones hit the All-Saints Hospital. 32 people died there – patients and staff. These were the first victims of the German air raids during World War II. The next targe was the oldest, parish church in Wieluń, St. Michael the Archangel, built in the beginning of the 14th Century. The Piarist building was the only surviving structure on the old square.
In total, as a result of the attack on Wieluń by the German air force , which lasted until 2pm, over 1200 people died. Certain sources note as many as 2,000 victims. Bombs dropped by the Stukas (Junkers Ju 87) destroyed 75% of the city. 90% of the city center was destroyed.
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At the time of the German attack, no units of the Polish Army were stationed in the city, nor were there any anti-aircraft positions. Not only from a military perspective but from an economic one, the city didn’t present any essential target for the Luftwaffe. There weren’t any industrial plants there, nor did any important transportation routes run through it. Thus, in the opinion of historians, the target of the German attack on Wieluń was the civilian population.
German aviation historian Horst Boog claims that a Polish cavalry brigade as well as a Polish infantry division had been located in the town by German reconnaissance the day before the attack. From reports of Luftflotte 4, 2nd Air Division, I./Sturzkampfgeschwader 76 and I./Sturzkampfgeschwader 77 he concludes that the bomb attacks had been directed against these military formations and can therefore not be considered terror bombings. Due to ground fog, he argues, the German pilots missed their targets and mistakenly bombed the town.
British aviation historian Peter C. Smith too, describes the bombing as collateral damage from bombs that missed their targets during ground support of the Wehrmacht operations.
Polish historian Jerzy B. Cynk, author of The Polish Air Force at War. The official history 1939-1943, wrote about the events: “Numerous direct support missions were also flown, with the heaviest attacks directed against the Polish cavalry and troop concentrations at Wielun.”
At 13:00 a German dive bomber wing, I./StG 2 led by Major Oskar Dinort via Nieder-Ellguth, were directed against this unit, followed a few hours later by Schwarzkopff with sixty Ju 87 Stukas of I./Sturzkampfgeschwader 77.
Weather conditions were unfavourable during the day, with a visibility of only one kilometre and a practically closed layer of fog at 50 metres altitude. Fog, mist and poor visibility thwarted many of the Luftwaffe’s sorties planned for the morning of the first day of the invasion. The dive bombers, facing intense anti aircraft fire, inflicted heavy losses on the Polish cavalry, and the advance was turned into a rout by 90 Stukas. On their return home, four of the German Junkers Ju 87 bombers were shot down by the Polish 36 Academic Legion Infantry Regiment stationed nearby. Three waves of attacks were carried out during the day.
“Thus, in the opinion of historians, the target of the German attack on Wieluń was the civilian population.”
I’m sure those historianscan bring forward good reasons why the Luftwaffe would have wasted a whole third of the CAS capability – on the very first day of the operations, when these crafts would have been desperately needed to interdict enemy movements – to attack a strategically insignificant border town. If terror had been the operational goal the Luftwaffe would have used level bombers. The article reeks of laying blame at the Germans’ feet for basically being incapable of controlling the weather and for not having 21st century recon technology at their disposal while carefully avoiding to mention recorded troop movements in and around Wielun.
Thanks for your detailed and insightful reply. The historians in this article aren’t cited, but I can contact the newspaper to get their sources.
To your first point, if as Horst Boog claims, Polish cavalry and infantry were in the city, then German pilots didn’t miss “their targets and mistakenly bombed the town” but intended to do so. Your use of the word “desperately” is out of place. Germany was the aggressor with a specific plan of genocide against the Polish population. It was Polish civilians who were in a desperate situation as they were being bombed and strafed intentionally, as survivors have described to me. Terror was an operational goal from the very beginning, regardless of the equipment and vehicles used in its achievement. The article is factually accurate in my estimation and though you may disagree with the opinions presented, you’d be wise not to let your focus on minutiae blind you to the absolute horror that was carefully planned and executed against civilians from the beginning.
For further reading I recommend the Wikipedia entries for “World War II Crimes in Poland”, “Generalplan Ost” and “Operation Tannenberg”. Historian Johen Bohler is a specialist in this area.
Since Western readers are largely unaware of Polish history, I chose to translate this article to give people some sense of the significance that this anniversary and the events it commemorates still hold for Poles today. I think this article served that purpose.
Thanks for reading and commenting Ann! I have a bit more time to work on projects like these now, so as a parallel to my dissertation research, I’ll be writing and translating with more regularity. Hope all is well at Stanford.
In the opinion of what historians?
German aviation historian Horst Boog claims that a Polish cavalry brigade as well as a Polish infantry division had been located in the town by German reconnaissance the day before the attack. From reports of Luftflotte 4, 2nd Air Division, I./Sturzkampfgeschwader 76 and I./Sturzkampfgeschwader 77 he concludes that the bomb attacks had been directed against these military formations and can therefore not be considered terror bombings. Due to ground fog, he argues, the German pilots missed their targets and mistakenly bombed the town.
British aviation historian Peter C. Smith too, describes the bombing as collateral damage from bombs that missed their targets during ground support of the Wehrmacht operations.
Polish historian Jerzy B. Cynk, author of The Polish Air Force at War. The official history 1939-1943, wrote about the events: “Numerous direct support missions were also flown, with the heaviest attacks directed against the Polish cavalry and troop concentrations at Wielun.”
At 13:00 a German dive bomber wing, I./StG 2 led by Major Oskar Dinort via Nieder-Ellguth, were directed against this unit, followed a few hours later by Schwarzkopff with sixty Ju 87 Stukas of I./Sturzkampfgeschwader 77.
Weather conditions were unfavourable during the day, with a visibility of only one kilometre and a practically closed layer of fog at 50 metres altitude. Fog, mist and poor visibility thwarted many of the Luftwaffe’s sorties planned for the morning of the first day of the invasion. The dive bombers, facing intense anti aircraft fire, inflicted heavy losses on the Polish cavalry, and the advance was turned into a rout by 90 Stukas. On their return home, four of the German Junkers Ju 87 bombers were shot down by the Polish 36 Academic Legion Infantry Regiment stationed nearby. Three waves of attacks were carried out during the day.
“Thus, in the opinion of historians, the target of the German attack on Wieluń was the civilian population.”
I’m sure those historianscan bring forward good reasons why the Luftwaffe would have wasted a whole third of the CAS capability – on the very first day of the operations, when these crafts would have been desperately needed to interdict enemy movements – to attack a strategically insignificant border town. If terror had been the operational goal the Luftwaffe would have used level bombers. The article reeks of laying blame at the Germans’ feet for basically being incapable of controlling the weather and for not having 21st century recon technology at their disposal while carefully avoiding to mention recorded troop movements in and around Wielun.
Thanks for your detailed and insightful reply. The historians in this article aren’t cited, but I can contact the newspaper to get their sources.
To your first point, if as Horst Boog claims, Polish cavalry and infantry were in the city, then German pilots didn’t miss “their targets and mistakenly bombed the town” but intended to do so. Your use of the word “desperately” is out of place. Germany was the aggressor with a specific plan of genocide against the Polish population. It was Polish civilians who were in a desperate situation as they were being bombed and strafed intentionally, as survivors have described to me. Terror was an operational goal from the very beginning, regardless of the equipment and vehicles used in its achievement. The article is factually accurate in my estimation and though you may disagree with the opinions presented, you’d be wise not to let your focus on minutiae blind you to the absolute horror that was carefully planned and executed against civilians from the beginning.
For further reading I recommend the Wikipedia entries for “World War II Crimes in Poland”, “Generalplan Ost” and “Operation Tannenberg”. Historian Johen Bohler is a specialist in this area.
Since Western readers are largely unaware of Polish history, I chose to translate this article to give people some sense of the significance that this anniversary and the events it commemorates still hold for Poles today. I think this article served that purpose.
What an informative article (and beautifully translated)! I’m grateful to your father for sharing it! Miss you! Best, Ann
Thanks for reading and commenting Ann! I have a bit more time to work on projects like these now, so as a parallel to my dissertation research, I’ll be writing and translating with more regularity. Hope all is well at Stanford.