The next day, August 22, 1939, Hitler, having been assured by Stalin himself that Russia would be a friendly neutral, once more convoked his top military commanders to the Obersalzberg, lectured them on his own greatness and on the need for them to wage war brutally and without pity and apprised them that he probably would order the attack on Poland to begin four days hence, on Saturday, August 26 – six days ahead of schedule. Stalin, the Fuehrer’s mortal enemy, had made this possible.
William L. Shirer, The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich
[The book contains the whole story of how the invasion was switched back to 1 September. I judged it too long and strung out to facilitate excerpting. So you will have to read the book if you want the rest of the story. – Homer]
These Real Time posts are wonderful, Homer. Thank you for taking the time to scan and post them.
So this is the date that WW2 really begins