Poland assaulted from both sides

On 1 September 1939, Germany invaded Poland which the USSR attacked on 17 September. Despite the dramatic lonely fight on two fronts, Poland sustained a defence war for over a month. Given the advantage of both enemies in terms of troops, Poland signed a capitulation act and two bloody occupations began: German and Soviet, which were to last until the end of the war. Both Germans and Russians committed many crimes of genocide. Hitler and Stalin’s goal was to make sure free Poland never returned.