
Fall Weiss ("Case White", "Plan White"; German spellingFall Weiß) was the German strategic plan for theinvasion of Poland. The German militaryHigh Command finalized its operational orders on 15 June 1939 andthe invasion commenced on 1 September, precipitatingWorld War II.[1]
The origins of the plan went back to 1928, whenWerner von Fritsch started working on it.[2]Fall Weiss was developed primarily byGünther Blumentritt andErich von Manstein while the two were serving as staff officers under GeneralGerd von Rundstedt withArmy Group South inSilesia.
The plan called for a start of hostilities before thedeclaration of war.Wehrmacht units were to invade Poland from three directions:
All three assaults were to converge onWarsaw[3] while the main Polish army was to be encircled and destroyed west of theVistula River.
The plan was initiated on 1 September 1939 and was the first European military operation of World War II.
Other German plans named for colors: