On the morning of 1 September 1939 German dive-bombers destroyed Wieluń, a town with no troops and no anti-aircraft defences. Some of the first bombs hit the hospital, and about 70–75 per cent of the town's buildings were destroyed. The IPN has confirmed 127 victims beyond all doubt, but several hundred inhabitants may have died. Most researchers regard the raid as a war crime. In August 1942 the Germans deported the Jews of the Wieluń ghetto to Chełmno on the Ner.
1939
- 1 September 1939EventRoosevelt’s appeal to spare civiliansOn 1 September 1939 Roosevelt urged the belligerents not to bomb civilians. Hitler gave his pledge on the very day the Luftwaffe destroyed Wieluń.
- 1 September 1939EventThe bombing of WieluńOn the morning of 1 September 1939 Luftwaffe dive-bombers destroyed central Wieluń, a town with no troops or air defences. The first bombs hit its hospital.
- 1 September 1939EventGermany invades PolandAt dawn on 1 September 1939 the Wehrmacht attacked Poland from the north, west and south without declaring war. The Slovak army struck alongside the Germans.