”Today, we must all safeguard the truth, especially on behalf of these victims; we must safeguard the truth, the truth about the past, to build the future, because in this future we must unite with those who died during World War II. They were murdered in a cruel, bestial way by the German invaders”, emphasised the Prime Minister during the commemorative ceremony.

Attack on a defenseless city

The Prime Minister began his speech by saying: ”83 years ago, there was a morning, just as there was today. Dawn was about to come. But for many residents of Wieluń, this dawn never came, because it was here that 46 tonnes of bombs, dropped on Wieluń, marked the first steps towards World War II, the bloodiest war in the history of mankind”.

The attack on Wieluń symbolised the beginning of World War II. The Germans bombed a defenseless city. The raid took place on September 1, 1939. At 4:40 a.m., the sleeping city was attacked by fourteen planes with black crosses on them. The first bombs fell on the All Saints' Hospital in Wieluń. The raid killed 32 people - patients and hospital staff. These are believed to have been the first victims of the war. 

The nightmare of war

"People often talk about millions of people but they forget that behind each person there is an individual, personal war tragedy and nightmare",  said Prime Minister Morawiecki.

During his speech, the head of the Polish government recalled the millions of victims who died in Poland during World War II, killed mercilessly by the invaders. He also recalled some of their names and stories. 

”For three little boys, Marianek, Henio and Tadzia Banasiński here, from Wieluń, aged 7 to 12, there was no tomorrow. These three brothers died that day, 1 September. Let us think, when we talk to others about the Second World War, about the fate of all the people who died, about the fate of these boys and girls," he said. 

Memory and truth

"That is why today we must also remember to think and care about the truth and ensure that reparations are forthcoming, and these should be the main premises that guide us when we think and remember about the Second World War today", said the Prime Minister.

Mateusz Morawiecki stressed the importance of remembering the victims of the bloodiest war in history. It is also crucial to expose the truth about the crimes committed and to make it clear that the future cannot exist without respecting the past and ensuring sufficient reparations.

"The whole story must be seen from beginning to end, to remove all traces of the crime, to pull out, burn, exhume the corpses and grind these corpses so that there are no traces left. Therefore, as we remember, recall those days, we must be aware that the entire German crime machine was partly responsible for the annihilation of Poland”, said the head of the government.