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Short filmTranscript
00:00Music
00:14Westerplatte, 1st of September 2011
00:31Mr. Prime Minister, Captain Kucharski,
00:34representing the Navy,
00:37announces the 72nd anniversary
00:40of the Second World War.
01:00Music
01:09This story began on August 25, 1939.
01:15In the morning, the battleship,
01:18led by two divers,
01:20entered the port channel
01:22and stopped in the depths of the port,
01:24where the welcome ceremony took place.
01:26Officially, Silesia-Kolsztajn
01:28was a diplomatic visit
01:30on the occasion of the 25th anniversary
01:32of the sinking of the cruiser Magdeburg
01:34in the Baltic Sea.
01:36According to the protocol,
01:38the captain of the battleship,
01:40Gustav Kleikamp,
01:42went ashore to pay a visit
01:44to the High Polish Commissar
01:46in Gdańsk,
01:48which he revisited
01:50on the same day.
01:52On August 31,
01:54at 11.30 pm,
01:56the captain of the battleship
01:58took the starting position
02:00in Mewym Szańcu,
02:02an old fort 400 meters away
02:04from the gate of the Polish transit
02:06line to Westerplatte.
02:08The order received by Henningsen
02:10ordered full combat readiness
02:12at 3.30 pm.
02:14Just behind the wall
02:16surrounding the transit line
02:18to Westerplatte,
02:20a small ground station
02:22was built,
02:24so there was no doubt
02:26that in the event of an attack,
02:28the ship would be the first
02:30to be on the battlefield.
02:32At the same time,
02:34the Germans began to prepare
02:36the positions
02:38from which they were supposed
02:40to support the attack.
02:42Lieutenant-Colonel Leon Peier,
02:44a 30-year-old professional officer,
02:46from March 15 to Westerplatte.
02:48That's right.
02:50I understand.
02:52I'll do it.
02:56Lieutenant-Colonel Gritschmann.
03:01Lieutenant-Colonel Jan Gritschmann,
03:0339 years old, a professional soldier,
03:05from March 15 to Westerplatte.
03:08You'll take command.
03:10The flu will catch me.
03:12I'm going to the barracks to be treated.
03:14Just don't let the Germans attack
03:16without your lieutenant.
03:18Who will chase them then?
03:20Lieutenant-Colonel Gritschmann,
03:22from Próżnica.
03:39Lieutenant-Colonel Władysław Baran,
03:4133 years old, a professional officer,
03:43from March 15 to Westerplatte.
03:45Why are you setting it so high?
03:47So you can see the trenches better,
03:49Lieutenant-Colonel.
03:51But I don't think you can today, Lieutenant-Colonel.
03:53Watch your rifles better.
03:55What can I do against this pile of steel
03:57above the canal?
03:59They came with a visit.
04:01That's right.
04:03You can't fight them.
04:05That's right.
04:07Put it lower.
04:18March 15 to Westerplatte
04:23The flood of machine guns
04:25took place in the vicinity of Biały Silos.
04:27Further, in the buildings to the west,
04:29machine guns of the German Coast Guard
04:31and the Gdańsk Police were set up.
04:33In total, the Germans prepared
04:353,294 soldiers with 36 guns,
04:37at least 36 heavy machine guns
04:39and mortars,
04:41to attack Westerplatte.
04:48There were disturbing sounds
04:50coming from behind the wall.
04:52But no one realized
04:54how close the threat was.
05:07Lieutenant-Colonel,
05:09the facilities report
05:11suspicious movements behind the wall.
05:13Major Sucharski orders to check it.
05:16You two, check the gate area.
05:18Yes, sir.
05:20The rest, prepare to march to the barracks.
05:22Mask your positions.
05:24Assemble!
05:26After 4 o'clock, the platoon
05:28of the facility began to prepare
05:30to leave for the barracks.
05:32Mask your positions,
05:34so that in the light of day,
05:36the Germans observing Westerplatte
05:38from the high buildings on the other side of the canal
05:40could not realize how the Polish
05:42component is prepared for defense.
05:44Two days ago,
05:46they did not discover the ferry dock.
05:58At 4.30 on board
06:00of the Schleswig-Holstein,
06:02alarm bells rang.
06:04The ship moved down the port channel
06:06to take a position from which
06:08it was to fire.
06:1017 minutes later,
06:12the German ship,
06:14located about 500 meters
06:16from the Polish transit component,
06:18opened fire from the heaviest
06:20guns of 280 mm caliber.
06:22The blast itself was so large
06:24that it damaged several houses
06:26standing just above the canal
06:28and tore down tents
06:30placed on the bank
06:32near and around it.
06:42All heavy machine guns
06:44from the high buildings
06:46on the other side of the canal
06:48opened fire.
06:50For 8 minutes,
06:52the battleship fired
06:548 missiles of 280 mm caliber,
06:5659 missiles of 150 mm caliber,
06:58600 missiles from the cannon.
07:04Żołnewski,
07:06take the gun
07:08and put the position on the deck.
07:10I will fire in a moment.
07:32At 4.55,
07:34the battleship stopped firing.
07:36From the left side of the channel,
07:38the naval infantry
07:40moved to attack the railway gate
07:42of the Polish component.
07:44Two platoons moved on the wings.
07:46In the middle,
07:48the sapper platoon went.
07:50Their task was to make a break
07:52in the wall through which
07:54the rest of the soldiers
07:56were to rush to Westerplatte.
08:00The Polish component was surrounded
08:02by a wall,
08:04about 2.5 meters high,
08:06in front of the enemy observation,
08:08in front of the German saboteurs
08:10and an unexpected attack.
08:12The southern section
08:14was the most difficult to defend,
08:16where bushes and trees
08:18limited the field of observation
08:20of our positions,
08:22allowing the enemy soldiers
08:24to reach the observation of the wall.
08:26There, the German sappers
08:28laid explosive charges.
09:07Mr. Major, I report.
09:09The Germans have blown up the gate.
09:11The fleet is ready to defend.
09:19Captain Edmund Szamleski,
09:21a 22-year-old professional soldier,
09:23acted with extraordinary
09:25cheer and calm.
09:27He waited for the German soldiers
09:29to break out of the smoke
09:31and come closer.
09:34None of the German soldiers
09:36running to the first attack
09:38expected that after a shot
09:40from the panzer division,
09:42the defenders could make a strong attack.
10:03The German soldiers
10:05did not expect
10:07that after a shot
10:09from the panzer division,
10:11the defenders could make a strong attack.
10:17Szamleski aimed
10:19at the second group of soldiers
10:21and pressed the trigger again.
10:25The shot did not spread.
10:27The rifle was jammed.
10:33...
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11:29Report!
11:31They won't make it.
11:33Szamlewski has been shot.
11:35RKM has been hit.
11:37He's in the CKM fire zone.
11:41We need to sharpen four heavy grenades.
11:44Here's the ferry!
11:46Here's the ferry!
11:48We need to get to the front of the ferry!
11:50Here's the ferry!
12:00We need to get to the front of the ferry!
12:02At 6.22 a.m.
12:04Lieutenant Wilhelm Henningsen
12:06sent a message to CKM.
12:08The casualties are too high.
12:10We're retreating.
12:12The Germans have retreated.
12:1440-50 killed and wounded Germans remained on the battlefield.
12:29The Poles stopped the fire
12:31so that the enemy could take the bodies of the killed and wounded.
12:37The attack has failed, Lieutenant.
12:39It doesn't matter.
12:41I wasn't here.
12:43Don't worry, they'll come back.
12:45We'll fight them.
12:47You'll make it in time.
12:51At 7.40 a.m.
12:53the Silesian Holsteins opened fire for the second time that day.
12:56This time the cannonade lasted for half an hour.
13:05The enemy is retreating.
13:07The first attack has failed.
13:09The losses are our own.
13:14Give me bandages!
13:27Take him to the barracks!
13:30Hold on, Lieutenant!
13:32Take him to the barracks!
13:34One by one!
13:39Hold on!
13:43Take him to the barracks!
13:45Take him to the barracks!
14:06Fire!
14:14Hands up!
14:16We can't hold on!
14:18They're getting closer!
14:25Fire!
14:29It's an attack again.
14:31There will be an X-ray.
14:33It's taking too long.
14:35Please retreat to the barracks.
14:37Yes, sir.
14:39I'll do it.
14:41We're retreating to the barracks.
14:43Hurry up!
14:45Yes, sir!
14:51Hurry up!
15:05From the barracks.
15:07The German shipyards were still under fire.
15:11Better protected from the missiles, they caused the Germans great losses.
15:3711.55 a.m.
15:44At 11.55 a.m. the Germans had to retreat.
15:47Their commander, Lieutenant Hennings, was mortally wounded.
15:51His successor reported to Commander Kleikamp.
15:54It was impossible to take Westerplatte through the assault groups.
15:58Also, attempts to stay through the canal and take Westerplatte from the west ended in disaster.
16:0711.55 a.m.
16:37The U-87 bombers arrived on September 2nd at 18.05 a.m.
16:4660 planes attacked Polish positions for 40 minutes.
16:51They dropped 8.5 tons of bombs.
16:55One of them, the heaviest, hit the guardhouse No. 5, killing the crew.
16:59The barracks building was damaged and the telephone connection was broken.
17:07The shot from Schleswig-Holstein was not as effective as the attackers expected,
17:11because the ship was too close and could not leave the port,
17:14because he was afraid of Polish submarines operating in the waters of the bay.
17:18Therefore, the Germans introduced smaller ships, torpedo boats and trawlers,
17:22which attacked Westerplatte from the sea.
17:38The air force resumed the attack.
17:41In front of the planes, the soldiers on Westerplatte,
17:43without anti-aircraft weapons, were completely helpless.
17:4711.55 a.m.
18:02The bombardment from the sea and air was accompanied by a powerful shot
18:05carried out by a 210 mm mortar.
18:08Their missiles caused serious damage to the barracks building.
18:12There was no chance to escape.
18:15The Polish Navy suffered significant losses from the first days.
18:20In the morning of September 1, the bombs destroyed the base of the naval air division in Puck.
18:25As a result of massive raids on the port of Oksyw,
18:28the ships of Mazur, Krakus and Nurek went to the bottom.
18:31On the bay, the minefield and trawler Mewa were damaged.
18:35On September 3, two of the most dangerous units of the Polish Navy,
18:39the minefield and destroyer Wicher,
18:42were destroyed in the port of Wchel.
18:45Polish submarines were still fighting around the coast,
18:49but the advantage of the German aviation was so great
18:52that every surface exit to recharge the batteries was a huge risk.
19:06On London, the German troops were equally successful.
19:10For the first time, the world got to know the strength of the German doctrine of rapid warfare,
19:15based on unexpected, massive air strikes and the loss of tanks.
19:19As it turned out later, this power could not be opposed
19:23by the greatest powers of the world at that time.
19:26By September 6, the German troops occupied Kraków, Kielce, Częstochowa,
19:30Piotrków Trybunalski, Grudziądz and Bydgoszcz.
19:33The reports from the front created a picture of a catastrophe.
19:49The ruins of the barracks on Westerplatte, the main defense point.
19:54It was here that Major Sucharski informed the crew members about the decision to surrender.
20:02The next battle did not make any sense anymore.
20:06Very little ammunition was left.
20:09September 7, Major Henryk Sucharski noted.
20:12Guardhouse No. 2 was demolished, and the crew, partially wounded,
20:16buried from the ruins after the battle.
20:19Guardhouse No. 1, tilted to the left and to the right,
20:22was destroyed by the German artillery.
20:25On September 7, Major Henryk Sucharski noted
20:28that the German artillery was not only destroyed,
20:31but also partially damaged.
20:34Guardhouse No. 1, tilted to the side.
20:37Guardhouse No. 4, also severely damaged.
20:40Ammunition for extraction.
20:43Wounded due to the lack of the most necessary medical equipment,
20:46without proper care.
20:49Complete impotence and helplessness
20:52towards the increasingly stronger artillery fire
20:55and mortar, which had nothing to respond to for five days.
20:58Under these conditions, I decided to surrender.
21:02During the seven days of defense of Westerplatte,
21:05of the Polish crew of about 200 soldiers,
21:0815 soldiers were killed,
21:11and several dozen were wounded.
21:14The Germans, who introduced almost 3,500 soldiers into the fight,
21:17never revealed the height of the losses.
21:20However, it is known that only on the first day of the fight
21:23they lost 127 killed and wounded.
21:31TRUMPET PLAYS
22:02We come here every day,
22:05hundreds and thousands of Gdańszczans,
22:08to honor the memory of our heroes.
22:11Historic sights,
22:14the Museum of World War II,
22:17annual celebrations,
22:20our memory of the fallen,
22:23honor of the fallen,
22:27our memory of the fallen,
22:30honor of those who survived the war.
22:37All this should be a source of strength for today's Poles,
22:43a source of determination
22:46and a great historical warning
22:49so that no one on this earth
22:52has to hang a white flag ever again,
22:55so that the word capitulation
22:58never describes events
23:01from our history.
23:04Honoring the memory of our heroes,
23:07we say to ourselves every year, here, in this place, very clearly,
23:10never again wars,
23:13never again weaknesses,
23:16never again
23:19those highest victims,
23:22never again wars.
23:25We want this memory of 1939,
23:28the memory of World War II,
23:31the memory of our heroes,
23:34to be also the foundation
23:37of the greatest national message.
23:40Poland can never be powerless
23:43in the face of danger.
23:46In our memory, the heroism of Polish soldiers,
23:49Polish sailors
23:52will remain forever.
23:55From us, from the living,
23:58from those who are responsible
24:01for their homeland,
24:04we have the right to expect
24:07to protect Poland
24:10from this necessity of the highest victim.
24:13May this memory
24:16of September
24:19be a source of strength,
24:22a warning,
24:25and may this memory be a guarantee
24:28that Poland and Poles
24:31here on this earth
24:34will live forever in peace
24:37and safety.
24:43May this memory
24:46of September
24:49be a source of strength,
24:52a warning,
24:55and may this memory be a guarantee
24:58that Poland and Poles
25:01here on this earth
25:04will live forever in peace
25:07and safety.
25:13© BF-WATCH TV 2021