"A day of commemorations has begun in Poland to mark the 70th anniversary of the outbreak of World War II.
The first ceremony took place at dawn on Westerplatte peninsula near Gdansk, where a German battleship fired the first shots on a Polish fort in 1939.
Poland's president and prime minister led a sombre ceremony at the fort.
Foreign leaders from 20 countries including Germany and Russia are expected in Gdansk later in the day as ceremonies continue.
At 0445 (0245 GMT) Polish President Lech Kaczynski and Prime Minister Donald Tusk joined war veterans beside a monument to the heroes of Westerplatte.
The ceremony marked the exact time on 1 September 1939 when the German battleship Schleswig-Holstein opened fire at point-blank range on the fort.
At the same time, the German Wehrmacht invaded Poland over three frontiers. The attacks triggered Britain and France's declaration of war against Germany two days later."
Old Empires collapsed and new one were created. The nuclear age was about to be ushered in.