Case White

The Invasion of Poland 1939

By: Robert Forczyk

Narrated by: Simon Vance

Length: 15 hrs and 31 mins

Publisher's summary

The German invasion of Poland on 1 September, 1939, designated as Fall Weiss (Case White), was the event that sparked the outbreak of World War II in Europe. The campaign has widely been described as a textbook example of Blitzkrieg, but it was actually a fairly conventional campaign as the Wehrmacht was still learning how to use its new Panzers and dive-bombers.

The Polish military is often misrepresented as hopelessly obsolete and outclassed by the Wehrmacht, yet in fact it was well-equipped with modern weapons and armor. Indeed, the Polish possessed more tanks than the British and had cracked the German Enigma machine cipher. Though the combined assault from Germany and the Soviet Union defeated Poland, it could not crush the Polish fighting spirit and thousands of soldiers and airmen escaped to fight on other fronts. The result of Case White was a brutal occupation, as Polish Slavs found themselves marginalized and later eliminated, paving the way for Hitler's vision of Lebensraum (living space) and his later betrayal and invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941.

Using a wide array of sources, Robert Forczyk challenges the myths of Case White to tell the full story of the invasion that sparked history's greatest conflict.

©2019 Robert Forczyk (P)2019 Tantor

Excellent comprehensive research

Not only does it dispel many of the myths associated with the German invasion of Poland, it is a great summary of Polish history. Well researched and written.

A very interesting account of an overlooked front

As a reader of war related and history books, as a student of International Relations i find quite rich and detailed the autor´s account of facts and how it has brought some light of mostly overlooked events for the beginning of World War 2. As a brazillian, information of the polish side during Case White is mostly rare, so appreciated a lot!

Just Do It

Let's start with the performance. Simon Vance is incredible as always. I don't speak an ounce of Polish, and he might not either, but he breezed right through names I would have stumbled over. Bravo sir.

Now for the book...an eye opening account of Poland's efforts. I learned so much and have a new found respect for the struggle for Poland. It's sad to see how horribly they were sold out to stop Nazi aggression, with the Soviets getting a complete pass for their actions prior to their entry into the Allied cause.

Detailed but dry and impersonal

The book is incredibly detailed and thorough but impersonal. It doesn’t so much tell the stories of those who fought but the larger picture of what lead up to the 1939 invasion, and the circumstances and situations that Europe and Poland we in leading up to and during the conflict. That being said, it does not tell personal stories. It has some short stories of bravery and despicable violence and who was involved but the book reads more like an after action report or a historical academic analysis. There is quite a lot of thorough detail which greatly helps understand a deeper picture but it can be very boring after at times. I thought I was strange that when discussing the atrocities carried out at the end of the book, that the author didn’t mention the holocaust or the 1 to 2 million Jews shot to death by the Germans in Poland. Some of the camps were mentioned in the book while they were still for holding people and not extermination. The author focuses on the POWs killed and civilian deaths outside of the focused killing of polish Jews.

Detailed Look at the Invasion of Poland

Examines them basking of Poland in great detail and clears up many misunderstandings and misrepresentations of Case White

Superb lesson-ography.

Destroys national socialist and communist Stalinist propaganda fictions, along with Western appeasement propaganda, which is
largely taught in the broad brush secondary classes. Well constructed history lesson starting with the centuries old conflicts to set the context. Superb lessonography (I just made that term up) on deterrence and relative combat power, planning, and execution.

Brilliant Expose..Cannot Recommend Enough

This is a stunning, brilliant work. Poland never gets much credit for putting up a spectacular fight against a vicious invasion by Germany on one front, and also an invasion by Russia on the other. It's truly the most harrowing tale. And Forczyk sets the record straight on several things, the first thing being the Poles were alone in defending themselves. Nobody was coming for them, and they knew it. Germany completely ignored the Versailles treaty and Russia received arms from anyone who would take their gold. And the Western powers didn't want to upset their new ally Russia. It's a twisted tale and countries like Poland paid the ultimate price.

History has continually glossed over the Blitzkrieg as a complete German route. Thank you Robert Forczyk for exposing the lies with a narrative that reads like a thriller. And Simon Vance is at his best. He's always spectacular, but he truly brings the reader into the heart of the action. Cannot recommend this book enough.

Reader's pronunciation made me crazy

This is an excellent, detailed and, apparently, meticulously researched work. The narrator has good voice and reads well. It would have enhanced the performance if he had someone to teach him proper pronunciation of Polish names and words. As a Polish speaker, I found myself occasionally correcting out loud his mispronunciations. In most cases, I could still understand the word or name, but in other instances I was unable to quite make out the name of a person or place, leading to uncertainty to what he was referring.

I certainly understand that Polish can be confusing and intimidating to pronounce. The narrator made a noble effort. He could have used some coaching.

Excellent disposition on the background and context behind the invasion of Poland.

This was a brilliant book that provided a thoroughly detailed background to the political and economic history that preceded the nazi invasion of Poland. It demonstrated a compelling argument that the UK, though a combination of appeasement, bad strategy and outright ineptitude, could have done considerably more - to a lesser extent - deter nazi Germany from invading Poland and much more - to a greater extent - to assist Poland in arming and defending itself. This book has really illuminated Poland’s tragic pre-war struggles to assert its territorial integrity and its heroic efforts to defend itself. Marvelous book.

A suitable tribute.

The invasion of Poland is such a footnote moment in WWII histories, as if it were a simple maneuver and the antiquated Poles charged on horses to their demise. The details here were unsparing and lucid, a great combination of details and narrative. Mr Vance is a master of pronunciation which makes following the characters and places remarkably easy.

The USSR’s actions rarely get any ink, but this is a refreshing change, if one can use that term. At this stage the soviets were essentially an evil axis power. Their actions easily competed with the Nazis in atrocities, and it is more than a little disturbing to see the complicity and craven actions of France and England laid bare. This was an amazingly informative and engaging listen, and required “read” to fully understand the more publicized events that followed. Highly recommended.