![]() Its fate has been inextricably tied to the fate of the rest of the continent. In that sense, Poland has been the historic linchpin of Europe. Similarly, had Poland succeeded in halting the Nazis, it would have interrupted Adolf Hitler’s designs and possibly rallied the rest of Europe against him in a moment of weakness. Had Poland failed to halt the Turks at Vienna, Europe would have been vulnerable to further bloodshed and destruction. ![]() 2) In both instances, Poland was among the first to fight this grave threat, and the consequences of that struggle impacted Europe’s overall fate. Along with Poland fell the flood gates, and the Nazis quickly went on to control or influence most of the European continent.Īlthough the results of these two historical events were drastically different, they share two major similarities: 1) In both instances, Europe was threatened by an enemy bent on total conquest. The western powers failed to provide Poland with any significant military support, despite their promises to do so before the war. The Polish army completely capitulated on October 5, which meant Poland had resisted for 35 days (In comparison, France lasted about 45 days against Nazi Germany alone). Surrounded by two invading powers, it is amazing that Poland lasted as long as it did. To make matters worse, the Soviet Union had allied with Nazi Germany and invaded Poland from the east on September 17. Furthermore, Germany’s powerful air force wreaked havoc on Polish military establishments and transportation lines. On September 1 st, Nazi Germany invaded Poland with 40 infantry divisions and 14 mechanized divisions. They utilized a strategy called Blitzkrieg, which relied on an overwhelmingly fast-paced armored assault.Īlthough the Poles mobilized around 1,000,000 men, they were technologically outmatched, especially in armor. After the victory, Sobieski wrote to the Pope, “We came, we saw, and God conquered.”Įxactly 256 years later in 1939, Poland’s fortune would be the opposite. The Ottomans were slaughtered, their leader Kara Mustafa Pasha, forced to flee for his life. On Saturday, September 11th, Sobieski’s forces, including his prized Winged Hussars, charged upon the dumbfounded Turkish camp from atop a ridge. In early September, Sobieski marched an army of 60,000 men toward Vienna to relieve the desperate defenders. Polish King John III Sobieski had long feared Ottoman encroachment into Europe and recognized that if Vienna fell, Poland might be next, followed by the kingdoms of the west. The city’s fortified walls and handful of brave Austrian defenders managed to impede the Turks from attaining a quick victory, but by September it became clear that, bar some miracle, Vienna would fall. In the summer of 1683, the Turks set their sights on Vienna, which would serve as a gateway to conquer the rest of Europe.įor months, a massive Ottoman army of 150,000 laid siege to Vienna. The rivalry between Christianity and Islam had persisted for centuries, and both sides had committed horrible atrocities against each other. Polish Winged Hussars like these helped stop the Ottoman advance into Europe in September 1683.ĭuring the decades leading up to the 1683 Battle of Vienna, the Islamic Ottoman Empire had gradually been eroding Christian power in southeastern Europe. ![]() In both cases, Poland proved to be central in deciding Europe’s fate, a centrality that is all-too-often overlooked in studies of European and global history. ![]() Two significant, yet contrasting, events occurred during this month in Polish history: the 1683 victory at Vienna, which halted the Ottoman Empire’s advance into Europe and the 1939 conquest by Nazi Germany and Soviet Russia. September is a very important month for Poland and all people with a Polish background. ![]()
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