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Day 2
Saturday 2 September 1939

Poland fights alone as London and Paris struggle to fix a deadline

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The Second World War, in real time, 87 years on.

The day in dispatches

Filed through the day, as it happened
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EditorialThe London Sentinel

Poland has fought alone for two days and MPs were given no deadline

Poland is fighting the war that Britain and France promised to help it fight. It has been fighting alone for two days.

22:20GMT
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EyewitnessLSThe London Sentinel

"Speak for England, Arthur": MPs turn on the government over delay

Leo Amery, a Conservative MP, shouted "Speak for England, Arthur!" across the chamber tonight as Arthur Greenwood rose to reply to the Prime Minister. The House was packed and overheated, and it fell quiet for a moment.

22:00GMT
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WireAPSAllied Press Service

Britain refuses to recognise Germany's annexation of Danzig

Britain does not recognise Germany's incorporation of Danzig into the Reich, Neville Chamberlain told the House of Commons this evening. He rejected both the German decree of annexation and the legal effect Berlin claims for it.

21:45GMT
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CommuniquéAPSAllied Press Service

Chamberlain to the Commons: "no reply has been received"

Neville Chamberlain, the Prime Minister, told the House of Commons this evening that Britain remains bound to act unless German forces are withdrawn from Polish territory. He said discussions continue with the French Government on a common course, and that Britain does not recognise Germany's incorporation of Danzig. He was speaking close to forty hours after the German invasion of Poland began. His statement on Berlin's continued silence follows in his own words.

H.M. Government

Official text

Sir Nevile Henderson was received by Herr von Ribbentrop at half-past nine last night, and he delivered the warning message which was read to the House yesterday. Herr von Ribbentrop replied that he must submit the communication to the German Chancellor. Our Ambassador declared his readiness to receive the Chancellor's reply. Up to the present no reply has been received.

20:45GMT
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AnalysisPDThe Paris Dispatch

London and Paris have yet to agree a deadline for Germany

London and Paris are still working on a common position on what their guarantees to Poland require, close to forty hours after the invasion began. Both governments maintain publicly that Germany must withdraw before anything can be negotiated.

20:15GMT
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WireAPSAllied Press Service

Britain spends a second night under blackout

Britain entered a second night under blackout regulations, with households, shops, vehicles and public buildings again required to cover or put out all lights after dark.

18:15GMT
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AnalysisAPSAllied Press Service

Warsaw and Kraków bombed for a second day, with casualties unknown

German aircraft bombed Warsaw and Kraków again today. More details are emerging, but official figures from both sides need to be treated with care.

17:45GMT
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AnalysisIRThe Imperial Review

Canada recalls parliament to make its own decision on war

Canada has recalled its parliament to decide what part the country will take if Britain goes to war. A special session is fixed for next week.

17:15GMT
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AnalysisIRThe Imperial Review

Ireland declares a national emergency and confirms it will stay neutral

Ireland declared a state of national emergency today and confirmed that it will stay out of the war.

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AnalysisSOThe Stockholm Observer

Germany promises to respect Norway's neutrality if Norway stays neutral

Germany has formally assured Norway that it will respect Norwegian territorial integrity and neutrality, provided Norway stays strictly neutral in the war in Poland, according to diplomatic sources.

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AnalysisAPSAllied Press Service

German advance continues across Poland, but the front line is unclear

German forces pressed their attack across Poland through the second day from East Prussia, Pomerania, Silesia and Slovakia, with aircraft hitting communications and towns inland.

12:15GMT
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AnalysisPDThe Paris Dispatch

Italy proposes a ceasefire and a five-power conference on Poland

Italy has proposed a halt to the fighting in Poland and a conference of five powers, according to reports reaching Paris from Rome this morning.

11:30GMT
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WireAPSAllied Press Service

Warsaw and Kraków under renewed German air attack

Warsaw and Kraków have come under renewed German air attack, according to reports reaching Paris, as the bombing of Polish cities continues into a second day.

10:45GMT
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EyewitnessLSThe London Sentinel

Eleven children turn up at a Bethnal Green school built for four hundred

The bell went at 09:00 at a school in Bethnal Green this morning and eleven children came in.

09:15GMT
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EyewitnessPDThe Paris Dispatch

French officials requisition vans and lorries for the army

A requisition officer at a Paris mairie sat at a table this morning with a rubber stamp, facing a queue of men who had brought their vehicles because a notice told them to.

08:15GMT
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AnalysisAPSAllied Press Service

Polish garrison at Westerplatte holds out for a second day

The Polish garrison at Westerplatte is still holding out on the second day of the German attack. It is the only part of Danzig still contested.

04:30GMT
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WireAPSAllied Press Service

German offensive in Poland continues through the night

German forces continued operations across the Polish frontier through the night, with no sign that Berlin intends to halt the invasion in response to the British and French warnings delivered last night.

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WireAPSAllied Press Service

Poland invokes its alliances and asks Britain and France for military help

Poland has formally invoked its treaties with Britain and France and asked for immediate military assistance against the German invasion, Polish officials in London say. The invasion is now in its second day.

Where things stood at the start of the day

Poland
Germany invaded Poland at first light on Friday from East Prussia, Pomerania, Silesia and Slovak territory, with bombing reported over Warsaw from dawn. President Mościcki has proclaimed a state of war; how deep the advance has gone cannot be established from any capital.
Danzig
The Free City has been proclaimed part of the Reich; neither Poland nor the League recognises it. The Polish garrison at Westerplatte came under fire before five on Friday morning and was still under attack at nightfall.
Britain at home
Britain has not declared war; Chamberlain has warned Berlin that unless Germany suspends its action and withdraws, the government will fulfil its obligations to Poland. Evacuation trains began leaving London at 09:00 and the first blackout took effect at dusk.
Western Front
France has ordered general mobilisation and delivered a warning to Berlin parallel to Britain's, without a fixed time limit. Hitler told the Reichstag that bombs will be met by bombs, and named Göring, then Hess, as his successors.
Neutrals
Italy will take no military initiative for now: Rome asked to be released from the military obligations of the Pact of Steel and Berlin agreed within hours. Roosevelt has asked five governments to pledge not to bomb civilians, and none has answered.
Background · Anglo-French declaration mechanics

The guarantee, explained: how a promise to Poland becomes a declaration of war

Britain and France each promised to defend Poland if attacked. Neither promise is a declaration of war by itself — here is what actually has to happen first.

Britain and France each promised, months before the invasion began, to come to Poland's aid if Germany attacked. Neither promise translates automatically into a declaration of war, and readers wondering why a day has passed without one may find the answer less in hesitation than in mechanism.

The 31 March guarantee. Britain's commitment, given to Poland on 31 March, obliges the government to lend Poland "all support in their power" in the event of any action which clearly threatened Polish independence and which the Polish government considered it vital to resist. It is a serious and binding commitment. It is not, however, a declaration of war in itself, and does not become one without a further, separate act.