Events with tag - Massacre

November 13, 1308

Capture of Gdańsk by the Teutonic Knights

On November 13, 1308, the Teutonic Order seized Gdańsk, carrying out a massacre of its inhabitants. This event, known as the Gdańsk massacre, led to the Order taking control of the city for the next 150 years and fundamentally changed the balance of power in the Pomeranian region.

April 12, 1864

Fort Pillow Massacre

Confederate forces under Nathan Bedford Forrest attacked Fort Pillow in Tennessee, killing hundreds of surrendering Union soldiers, predominantly African American troops. This event became one of the most controversial atrocities of the American Civil War.

December 29, 1890

Wounded Knee Massacre

The Wounded Knee Massacre occurred on December 29, 1890, when U.S. Army troops opened fire on a Lakota camp near Wounded Knee Creek, South Dakota, resulting in the deaths of 150-300 Native Americans, marking the tragic end of the American Indian Wars.

September 17, 1939

Soviet occupation of eastern Poland

The Soviet occupation of eastern territories of the Second Polish Republic began on September 17, 1939, when the Red Army crossed Poland's borders. This event was a direct consequence of the secret protocol of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact. The invasion led to mass deportations, repressions, and fundamental territorial and demographic changes in Poland.

September 17, 1939

Red Army Invasion of Poland

On September 17, 1939, the Red Army began its invasion of Poland, implementing the secret provisions of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact. The attack was launched without a declaration of war while the Polish army was fighting the Germans in the west. The Soviet aggression led to the occupation of eastern Poland, mass deportations of the population, and crimes against Polish officers and intelligentsia.

March 5, 1940

The Katyn Massacre

The Katyn massacre was a mass execution of approximately 22,000 Polish prisoners of war, mainly officers and members of intelligentsia, carried out by the Soviet NKVD in spring 1940. The decision to conduct the executions was made on March 5, 1940, by order of the Political Bureau of the All-Union Communist Party (Bolsheviks), signed by Stalin. The executions were carried out in Katyn, Kharkiv, and Kalinin between April and May 1940.

April 13, 1943

Discovery of Katyn graves

On April 13, 1943, German radio announced the discovery of mass graves of Polish officers in the Katyn Forest. This event revealed the NKVD crimes against Polish prisoners of war and state officials who were murdered by decision of the highest Soviet authorities in 1940. The discovery led to the severance of diplomatic relations between the Polish government-in-exile and the USSR.