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The Gleiwitz incident refers to a staged attack against a German radio station in Gleiwitz (nowadays Gliwice) on the August 31, 1939 night. Together with other Polish-German border incidents, and propaganda lies (e.g., house torching in Danzig Corridor by Poles) it was a part of the preparations to the operation Fall Weiss.
The whole set of border incidents was dubbed 'Operation Himmler'.
The Gleiwitz incident was directed by Alfred Helmut Naujocks under orders from Reinhard Heydrich and accompanied by Heinrich Müller, the chief of Gestapo (according to the sworn affidavit of Naujocks at Nuremberg Trials). According to Naujocks, a small group seized the station and a message was broadcast that urged the Poles (of Silesia) to strike against Germans. German convicts dressed in Polish uniforms and carrying Polish weapons were used to stage the attack. They were given lethal injections and firearm wounds and placed in attacking positions as a 'proof' to the invited press and police officials. These convicts were referred to by a code word Canned Goods. Therefore some sources (incorrectly) refer to this incident as "Operation 'Canned Goods'".
The next day in the Reichstag, Hitler announced that there were 21 border incidents in total, including three very serious ones, and used this as an excuse for the "defensive" attack launched earlier in the morning against Poland, thus starting the Second World War.
In film
- Der Fall Gleiwitz, direction: Gerhard Klein (1961), DEFA studios (The Gleiwitz Case; English subtitles), an East Germany film that reconstructs the events, pronounced in West Germany the best DEFA film.
- Operacja Himmler - Polart (Polish)
See also:
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