A series of activities were held throughout Poland on Saturday to commemorate the 68th anniversary of the outbreak of World War II.
Early on the day, at a memorial ceremony on the Westerplatte Peninsula in northern Poland, which was invaded by German forces 68 years ago, Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski spoke highly of the Polish soldiers' resistance to the German invasion, saying their bravery should be remembered forever.
At noon, Defense Minister Aleksander Szczyglo attended a guard-changing ceremony at the unknown soldier's tomb in Warsaw and laid a wreath on it.
In the afternoon, President Lech Kaczynski awarded medals and certificates to some veteran soldiers who took part in the war to honor their contribution to the fight against German Nazi forces during the war.
On Sept. 1, 1939, German forces launched a surprise attack on Poland from three directions, unleashing World War II on the European Continent. Two days later, Britain and France were forced to declare war on Nazi Germany, marking an all-out outbreak of World War II.
In one month, Poland was conquered. About 6 million Poles or about one sixth of the country's then total population were killed during the war.
Source: Xinhua
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