Remains of Military Transit Depot Westerplatte

Westerplatte is a long peninsula at the beginning of the harbor of the Polish city of Gdansk, about 7 kilometers north of the center on the Baltic Sea. When Danzig (modern Gdansk) became a free city after the First World War, Poland was allowed to occupy the Westerplatte for military and trade purposes and stationed a garrison here to protect and guard it. Among other things, a military depot was put into use by the Poles.

Start of World War II
On September 1, 1939, the Germans fired the first shots from the old battleship Schleswig-Holstein, after which the attack from land began immediately afterwards. It was sunrise and this would be the official starting signal for the start of the Second World War. The military depot was the Germans' first target. The 182 Polish soldiers of the garrison, heavily outnumbered, were completely surrounded for a week but continued to fight.

Ultimately, the Poles gave up their resistance after repeated bombardments from German Stuka aircraft, battleship shellfire and heavy artillery. Polish Major Sucharski had been ordered to defend the depot for 12 hours. Only after 7 days of heroic fighting did the Poles finally surrender.

After the war
When the Second World War ended, Westerplatte became a national symbol of Polish resistance. Visiting heads of state and official delegations were often invited to visit the peninsula. The then (Polish) Pope also visited. The ashes of the Polish major who persevered for so long were scattered at the Westerplatte cemetery.

In addition to the cemetery, the former battlefield is an open-air museum. There are still some remains of Polish barracks, foundations of the depot and other buildings. There is also an imposing stone monument commemorating the Polish defenders of the battle and commemorating the start of the Second World War in Europe.

Finally, you can take a look at guardhouse number 1, which is the only one still standing. It has been converted into a museum and has been restored to the same condition as when the battle took place in the early days of the war and is worth a visit.

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Source

• Text: Cheapskatetravel
• Photos: Cheapskatetravel