The official commemorations marking the 85th anniversary of the outbreak of World War II began at 4.45 am at Westerplatte with the participation of the Deputy President of the IPN prof. Karol Polejowski.

The ceremony was attended by, among others, the Prime Minister of the Republic of Poland Donald Tusk, The Speaker of the Polish Sejm Szymon Hołownia, MPs, senators, representatives of the government, local government, clergy, veterans, soldiers of the Polish Army and scouts.

A letter from Polish President Andrzej Duda was read out during the ceremony.

A delegation of the Institute of National Remembrance, headed by Deputy President Karol Polejowski and the Director of the Gdańsk Branch of the Institute of National Remembrance, Marek Szymaniak Ph.D., also laid flowers at the Polish Army Soldiers' Cemetery at Westerplatte and at the monument dedicated to the memory of Captain Witold Pilecki.

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The German attack on Poland and the beginning of the Second World War. At 4.45 am, the German battleship Schleswig-Holstein began shelling Westerplatte, the Military Transit Depot in the Free City of Gdańsk, defended by a garrison (about 200 soldiers) under the command of Maj. Henryk Sucharski and Cpt. Franciszek Dąbrowski. For seven days, the Poles heroically repelled repeated German attacks from the sea, land and air, becoming a symbol of Polish resistance.

The defense of the Polish Post in Gdańsk (commanded by Konrad Guderski). The Poles surrender in the afternoon, when the mail building is set on fire. A month later they are shot by the Germans.

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