WWII tends to get oversimplified like no other historical event, and of course, authoritarian regimes are still trying to rewrite the narrative even as the generation who lived through the war dwindles. So on the one hand, this book is comprehensive on Polish sources during the first two years of the war, but not exactly a standalone read on the war itself. You will also want to reacquaint yourself with Polish geography before you read. Still, it makes a good addition to a history bookshelf or syllabus.

Thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to review a digital ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.

A thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion!

I love nonfiction in narrative format! So this book got one star from me just for that *grin*. This book reminded me a lot of Devil in the White City, but unlike that book, this book wasn't a struggle for me. This book went into details, yes, but these details did not want to make me skip entire passages like Erik Larsson's book. While I did learn a lot about World War II in school growing up in Germany, I have to agree with the author that Poland has been the red-headed stepchild that nobody in the family wants to talk about. There were so many details and events that I had no clue happened! I'm glad I got this book because, honestly, I would most likely not have picked it up anytime soon. This book seems well-researched, is well-written, and shines a different light on some of the events.

I much prefer campaign histories to the broad-sweep ones we usually get, but most of them are such hard going that they put me to sleep. A case in point is "Case White," which supposedly covers the same ground as Mr Moorhouse's "Poland 1939" (published last year in Britain as "First to Fight"). But what a difference! Both geographically and linguistically, Poland is always going to be a challenge for foreigners. The language is tough, with several letter variants that not only look a bit odd, but also radically change the pronunciation. Then too, in 1944-1946, Stalin ethnically cleansed the population and gave the country a great shove that sent it reeling over 100 miles to the west, so as to increase the borders of Soviet Russia and to shrink those of Germany, so that much of 1939 Poland is now part of Ukraine and Belarus, while some of today's Poland used to be part of Germany.

Adding to the historian's difficulty is that both Hitler's Germany and Stalin's Russia (echoed today by Putin's Russia) unleashed their propaganda genius to demonize the Poles in Western eyes. Thus arose the myth that the Polish air force was destroyed on the ground, that Polish cavalry charged German tanks with their sabers raised, and that an invincible "Brlitzkrieg" tore through the country in a matter of days. The facts were very different, as Mr Moorhouse shows, and the same is true of the Russian myth that the Red Army intervened from the east only because the Polish government had ceased to exist, leaving the minority populations in need of protection, when Stalin's actual goal was to add half of Poland and all of Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia to the Soviet Union.

With good maps, good writing, and good use of first-hand accounts, this is a campaign history that reads like a novel.

Finally, a book that actually explains Poland's attempted defense against Germany, rather than just glossing over it. I really enjoyed this book. It was thoughtfully-written, well-researched, and presented in a manner that made it interesting for the reader.

I've read a good few WWII histories, and even some of the more comprehensive studies do not devote much space to the incidents related to the invasion of Poland, at least not from the Polish point of view, so this book was refreshing. I learned quite a lot about the first few days of the invasion and feel this would be an excellent book for history teachers to use when giving a more complete overview of the early events that led to WWII. Of course, this book is also great for anyone with a general interest in this period or Poland.

This book pulls together the facts that aren't discussed very often, as well as the kind of humanistic stories that remind you that war is more than something that happens between governments. You get to experience the loss and heartache, the confusion and displacement up close when you read this book. Perhaps we could all use a dose of that right now.

Highly recommended.

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher, provided through Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

An interesting and informative book with detailed insight into Poland's role during the war. This book contains information not presented in standard US secondary school curriculum and I plan on purchasing it for the classroom to give students additional historical perspectives and information.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the e-arc.

For history buffs this is a book for you.So well written so well researched.Draws you back in toma time and a place in history makes you feel as though you were there.#netgalley#persusbooks

If you have any interest in the real story of Poland’s valiant fight against both the German Nazis and the Soviet Union, this should be on your shelve or your tablet. The misconception of the Polish army using lancers against Nazi tanks and the idea that Germany used the blitzkrieg here for the first time are all addressed This is all about Poland’s fight in September 1939 and the valiant effort that they put up to protect their Country.
After Germany signed a pact with the Soviet Union it was clear to the Polish people that it was only a matter of time before the invasion would happen. Of course, at that point they felt that their two allies, Great Britain and France would step up and honor their commitment to the Polish people. That faith was poorly placed as both Countries declared war with Germany but did very little to essentially nothing. To back that up.
This books does have a lot of names (Cities, towns, generals, non-military leaders and rivers) but it never gets bogged down by this information. It would have been nice if it included a couple of maps at various places and a very quick summary of the years following the war which finally lead to a once again free Poland but neither of these take anything away from the core of the book.
So if you have any interest in Poland, the Second World War, the lack of countries keeping their word or how a great country fought as hard as they could against incredible odds this book is for you.

Amateur military history buffs no doubt will find this well-researched study engaging, as it recounts the 1939 Polish campaign which to date has received little coverage in the English literature. Better yet, the author incorporates Polish sources as well as German ones, so that the reader hears the Polish perspective on events as well as the German one. In this way, the author is able to debunk many myths about the conduct of the war between 1939-1940.

Poland 1939 by Roger Moorhouse is an excellent historical piece that focusses on the events that began/sparked, happened to, and altered Poland at the beginning of WWII and the subsequent fallout. The occupation, struggles, battles, and horrific events that occurred to the citizens and people in Poland during and after the entry of the German forces during WWII is not talked about enough. It was a pivotal moment that, I feel, set a precedent and an ominous tone for what was to come. I am glad that Mr. Moorhouse shed some light that was very much deserved. The more we can be informed and learn about the past, the better our ability to avoid a similar situation in the future (hopefully).

The author did a wonderful job at making the dialogue and thought process easy to understand and was able to keep my interest throughout. This book was meticulously researched and the author seems to have a strong knowledge base that he is able to present to the reader. I recommend this book to anyone that is a history buff or anyone that is wanting to learn more about WWII.

5/5 stars

Thank you NetGalley and Perseus Books/Basic Books for this ARC and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon and B&N accounts upon publication.

Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. 'Poland 1939' tells the little known story of the official start of World War II and the german invasion of Poland. While similar to Forczyk's 'Case White' this is much more readeable. The details are difficult to develop because of the lack of documentary evidence but Moorhouse ably fills in the narrative with waht he was able to put together. The flow of the story is still difficult to follow with the Polish names and locations sounding very similar to western readers. The Germans are presented in the manner with which we are familiar, as beastial and uncaring monsters. Great for WW II and history buffs.

I was recently provided a galley copy of Roger Moorhouse's upcoming book, "Poland 1939" from the Basic Books imprint of Hachette Group. The title points the way to the book's topic and focus, but it can be a little misleading. This is a good solid narrative history of the collapse of Poland under the Nazi onslaught on September 1, 1939. That said, the intended audience would seem to be the "average" reader with some fundamental knowledge of WWII but curious about more details regarding what happened in Poland. This is not a detailed military history after the fashion of works aimed at the scholarly or professional market. It is a good primer, and it does a good job of filling in blanks left in many general histories. It is not the kind of book that details in excruciating detail the individual combat histories of specific units or dwells at any length on specific weapons systems or battles.
There is a market for the book in that events in Poland had massive and long lasting consequences for the Cold War and even the world since the collapse of the Soviet Union. The book is copiously noted but reads like the best narrative history in its refusal to get lost in excessive specificity. I recommend it for anyone who knows little about events in Poland outside of the general narrative of World War II history. There is much of value here, particularly in that the Nazi prosecution of the war here foreshadowed the later titanic struggle against the Soviet Union in all its barbarity.

I received an ARC from the #1 source in digital books NET GALLEY

What a great book on the unreported or maybe un-remembered part of WW2.

Poland was the flashpoint and/or testing ground for actions that would take place all over Europe and yet Poland is too often regulated to a back seat in the annals of history. The author will fascinate and horrify you with every chapter as you remember some things and will feel perhaps a terrifying present day fascination with some others.

Interesting and informative. A must read for those who like history. I felt like I was actually there.