2/1918-21 Polish secret military organization, Polska Organizacya Wojskova (POW) staged 3 insurrections attacking German villages. Source 1&2 USA proposed a plebiscite for the region to allow the people to choose their country causing the 2nd Polish insurrection.

3/The plebiscite was supervised by international militaries. In the spring 1921 poll, 700k Silesians cast for union with Germany and 480k for Poland. Source 3

4/The 3rd insurrection was supplied with French weapons the insurgents organised an army of 30,000 men. LoN awarded a third of the territory to Poland. Based on the plebiscite the entire region should have gone to Germany. This violated point 5 of Wilson's own 14 points.

5/The LoN instituted policies hostile to the ethnic German population with a quarter of Germans fleeing. 1930-32 Poland began military maneuvers and amassing on the border, with invasion plans also being drafted source 5. Polish newspapers began calling for war source 4

6/ Germany responded by refusing to renew compacts approaching expiry. Poland retaliated by sending combat divisions to Danzig, and fortifying garrisons. Between Feb and Apr 1933 Poland asked Paris twice to join in a "preventative war" to invade Germany. Source 6

7/ Germany met with the Polish envoy on May 2 1933 agreeing to an amicable public declaration. Addressing the Reichstag on May 17, the German chancellor spoke of "finding a solution to satisfy the understandable demands of Poland".

8/ In November, Adolf Hitler offered Poland a nonaggression pact. Only after a 3rd unsuccessful bid to enlist France for their war against Germany, did Poland agree. The two governments ratified a 10 year treaty the following January.

9/ After Pilsudski's death in May 1935, two expansionists took control of Poland's Foreign Policy, tarnishing relations; Foreign Minister Beck and commander-in-chief Rydz-Smigly (RS). Adolf Hitler attended the memorial of Pilsudski, and greatly mourned his death.

10/Feb 1936, the German consulate reported the disproportionate transfer of German farms into Polish hands through state sponsored land reform: "As much German property as possible is to be broken up before expiration of the ten-year agreement." Source 7

11/The Polish Ministry of Transportation threatened to block German rail traffic completely during trade negotiations, crippling the supply of East Prussia's energy needs. Source 6

12/In March Beck informed France that Poland was ready to attack Germany. RS visited Paris in Sept. France loaned Poland $500m and war material to upgrade the Polish army. RS ordered General Kutrzeba to draft a war plan against Germany to begin in 1939. sources: 6 and 8

13/ The German diplomat Julius Schnurre made a recommendation to Beck in 1935; to construct an Autobahn and railroad line across the corridor to connect Germany with East Prussia. This was ignored by Poland.

14/Additionally for Danzig to return to German sovereignty, reflective of the legal plebiscite over a decade earlier, and reflective of Wilson's 14 points. This had five positive implications for Poland.

15/Firstly the Autobahn would be financed by Germany, and utilize all Polish labor & material, exactly what the depressed Polish economy needed. Secondly, Danzig was under LON jurisdiction, not Poland. So Poland stood to lose nothing.

16/Thirdly, Poland had acquired a new port city of Gydnia which already had overtaken Danzig's commercial value. Fourthly Germany would cede it's claims to Upper Silesia, despite having recorded 15,000 cases of Ethnic abuse of Germans by Poland. Source 8

17/ Diplomaticaly, Poland would join Germany in the Anti-Commitern Pact to protect Poland against the dangers of Bolshevism. Poland refused the entire deal in October 1938, and called the 96% of Ethnic Germans in Danzing "the minority" Source 8

18/ After this refusal, ethnic persecution of Germans continued, British ambassador to Poland, Sir Howard Kennard formally documented abuses, and called for moderation between Poland and the UK.

19/In Nov 1938 Memel (formerly Germany, but lost to Lithuania) voted 87% to return to Germany. They previously voted 94% to return in 1925 but this was ignored. RS accused Germany of attempting to invade Poland, and began military mobilization.

20/Poland made a military threat to von Ribbentrop "Any further pursuit of these plans, especially as far as the return of Danzig to the Reich is concerned, will mean war." This threat, together with Rydz-Smigly's partial mobilization against Germany, violated the 1934 treaty.

21/Off the back of this threat, England allied Poland, with Beck visiting London. One month later, Poland mobilised a further 334,000 military reserves, again in the absence of any German cause. Source 9

22/Because Poland broke the pact, Germany gave official notice it was now considered voided based on their actions. The press in Poland became more aggressive in pushing for war. -Source 7. Adolf Hitler maintained a strict policy of no warmongering in his Foreign Office.

23/English Ambassador Henderson confirms to London, that German proposals were beyond reasonable, and that his colleagues in diplomatic circles agreed. He re-iterates that Polish rejection of these offers caused concern in diplomatic circles.

24/English Foreign Office report in June warmongering in Poland. English General Sir Edmund Ironside visits Poland. English Ambassador documents the severe abuse against Germans including castration and being sent to camps - source 7

25/RS announced "Soon we'll be marching against the hereditary German enemy. The first step will be Danzig." source 7 Both Lord Halifax and Roger Makins in the British Foreign Office, in seperate letters and cables, confirm Germany's intent to avoid hostilities.

26/Polish military: -shut trafic & food entering into Danzig -opend fire on civilian planes over the Baltic Sea source 6 -fired on Germans attempting to flee -26 Aug invaded Neidenburg in East Prussia and were repelled on sovereign German territory leaving 47 dead source 11

27/ Ribbentrop informed Adolf Hitler of three further incidents of Polish military opening fire on German commercial aircraft, with Hitler responding "This is pure anarchy. What are we supposed to do?"

28/Germany demanded Polish diplomats to begin negotiating peace talks. In Poland Beck, Rydz-Smigly and the defense minister, Tadeusz Kasprzycki instead decided to declare general mobilization of their full army.

29/ August 30 Germany drafted the 16-point Marienwerder proposal to resolve the issue. Poland refused, with England commenting “Here was proof to the German Government of Poland's delaying tactics and refusal to negotiate seriously" -source 12

30/Germany made two last attempts at a peaceful solution: Herman Goring met with Henderson, and Von Ribbentrop met with Lipski. Both negotiations failed.

31/Hitler spoke to Keitel at 9:00pm. August 31st. "Now that all political possibilities for relieving the intolerable conditions for Germany on her eastern border by peaceful means are exhausted, I have decided for a solution by force." The next day, Danzig was liberated.