Polish leaders marked the 70th anniversary of the beginning of the Second World War at dawn today on the Westerplatte peninsula near Gdansk. Westerplatte came under fire from a German ship at 4:45 am on 1 September 1939, the time when Germany launched its invasion of Poland.

Later today, representatives of 20 countries, including Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, are taking part in a ceremony on Westerplatte. Mr Putin has said he will not be apologising for the role played by the Soviet Union at the start of World War II.

He has, however, described as immoral the pact between Germany and the Soviet Union, in which Poland was secretly divided up. In a video message released this weekend, Ms Merkel apologised for the suffering caused by Germany during the war.
 

photo: Westerplatte (flickr/jries)