1924 – The League of Nations grants Poland Westerplatte peninsula for storage and shipment by rail of imported materials. The storage is named Military Transit Depot at Westerplatte It becomes a Polish exclave, surrounded by German-dominated Free City of Gdansk.
January 1926 – the first Polish guard unit arrives at Westerplatte. The Depot is surrounded by a brick wall, new port infrastructure and warehouses are built.
1933 onwards – construction of permanent fortifications: four guardhouses with concealed basements that contain heavy machine guns, fortified posts in the NCOs’ mess and in the purpose-built, modern, bomb-proof Barracks.
A network of field fortifications/outposts is built that protects the Barracks (Wał, Prom, Fort, Deika, Elektrownia, Przystań, Łazienki). This cleverly designed system of defences causes many casualties among the attacking German platoons.
3D MODELS
The commander of the Westerplatte crew was Maj. Henryk Sucharski, and his deputy was Capt. Franciszek Dąbrowski. There were 4 concrete guardhouses on Westerplatte, barracks adapted for defense and a non-commissioned officer’s villa, field fortifications were built in August.
Model of Master Sergeant Wojciech Najsarek, railwayman of the military transit depot Westerplatte on the eve of World War II.
Model of Seaman Franciszek Bartoszak, soldier of the military transit depot Westerplatte on the eve of World War II.
Model of Captain Franciszek Dąbrowski, soldier of the military transit depot Westerplatte on the eve of World War II.
1 September 1939, 4.48 am. The gunfire from the training vessel Schleswig-Holstein wakes Sergeant Najsarek. The stationmaster watches the glow and the tracks of tracer shells through the windows. After seven minutes, a massive explosion shakes the whole building. The blast blows out the windows and knocks over the furniture. This is the gate blown up by sappers and a piece of a wall. Three platoons of the German assault company begin the attack.
After the railway gate was blown up at 4.58, the 2nd Platoon, 3rd Marine-Stoßtrupp-Kompanie, was attacked. The attack is stopped by the soldiers of Kprl. Franciszek Szamlewski from the “Rampart” outpost, who ordered the firing after the Germans had been aroused from a distance of several dozen meters.
