#OTD20

On This Day in the 20th Century

#OTD20 | September 17, 1939

Soviet Union Invades Poland

September 17, 1939: The Soviet Union invades Poland marking an alarming escalation of hostilities in Central Europe. 

The offensive, coming on the heels of Germany's invasion of September 1st, begins in the early morning hours. Soviet forces inform Polish frontier guards they have arrived to liberate them from the fascists, then open fire. Moscow declares the Polish government in Warsaw has "ceased to exist."

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The United States' draft and wartime preparations is chronicled in our program, World War II, from AMERICA IN THE 20TH CENTURY.

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Additional Resources

Access more information from Media Rich Learning and curated off-site sources.

U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum

Read more about the Soviet invasion at the USHMM website.

Jerusalem Post

Read an informative #OTD blog post from the Jerusalem Post.

#OTD20

Step back in time to experience the significant events that happened on this day in the 20th century.

President Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill on Christmas Eve, 1941, standing at a White House podium weeks after the attack on Pearl Harbor, with an NBC microphone and a man in the foreground.

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