The Polish American Congress Statement — Commemoration of the 84th anniversary of German invasion of Poland and the start of WWII.
Poland was invaded by Nazi Germany on September 1st 1939. The Polish military fought valiantly against the German invasion. The Battle of Westerplatte and the defense of Warsaw, are among the notable examples of Polish resistance. Despite this intense defense, from 1939 to 1946 Poland lost 11.7 million citizens, including 5.2 million Polish citizens murdered by Germany. Changes in Poland’s national borders, 77.9 thousand square kilometers were lost, an area comparable to the size of Austria.
The history of the German occupation of Poland, and the scale of German atrocities committed against the Polish people is not well known in Europe and the world.
Polish Armed Forces, which included many army units, the Polish Air Force and the Polish Navy. Polish forces participated in key battles such as the Battle of Britain, the North African Campaign and the Italian Campaign. Polish codebreakers made significant contributions to allied intelligence efforts. They played a crucial role in breaking the German Enigma code, which provided valuable information about enemy plans and movements.
The aggression and occupation by Nazi Germany brought about cataclysmic changes upon Poland. The country suffered the greatest wealth, personal and material losses in relation to the total population of all European countries. The effects are and will be visible for many generations to come.
The Polish American Congress (PAC) supports Poland’s compensation for war damages inflicted by Germany’s invasion and occupation of the Republic of Poland during World War II from 1939-1945. This issue still poses one of the most serious challenges in Poland’s post-war history.
On the 83rd Anniversary of the German Invasion, September 1st, 2022, the Polish government released a report that clearly calculates the total compensation due Poland is $1.53 trillion (6.22 trillion Polish złoty). The report, “Losses Sustained by Poland as a Result of German Aggression and Occupation During the Second World War, 1939-1945”
In addition, Poland was deprived of any financial assistance after World War II. While Western Germany and other Western European states received aid from the European Recovery Program, also known as the Marshall Plan, Poland was forced by the Soviet authorities to reject it.
Most of first- and second-generation members of Polonia in the United States were directly affected by the Second World War, many of them immigrated as a result of German aggression to Poland.
This matter must be settled, given the current stage of development of international law and human rights protection. By any reasonable standard, the rule of law requires every country pay compensation for all damage caused by unlawful aggression against others.
The Polish American Congress is a National Umbrella Organization, representing at least 10 million Americans of Polish decent and origin. Its membership is comprised of fraternal, educational, veteran, religious, cultural, social, business, political organizations, and individual membership.
Polish American Congress