Gleiwicz

(Now Gliwice, Poland) small German town on the border with Poland about 130 km/80 mi northwest of Kraków; site of the ‘provocation’ engineered by Germany August 1939 to provide an excuse for the invasion of Poland.

On 31 August 1939 it was reported that the town's German radio station had been raided by a group of Polish soldiers, who had conveniently all been shot dead. This ‘Polish aggression’ provided Hitler with the excuse he needed for the invasion of Poland the next day, precipitating the start of the war. In fact, the ‘Polish troops’ were German concentration camp prisoners, dressed in stolen Polish uniforms and shot by the SS.