The war's first "war crime" committed by the German Luftwaffe took place on September 1st. 1939 in town of Wieluń. The air raid started about five minutes before the shelling of Westerplatte, which has traditionally been considered the beginning of World War II. The bombing of Wieluń is considered as one of the first terror bombings in history.
There were no military or industrial targets of note in the area, except for a small sugar factory in the outskirts of the town. German bombers destroyed 90% of the town center and killed approximately 1,200 civilians, about 8% of the town's population of 15,000. Among the first targets was the hospital (despite a huge Red Cross sign painted on the roof). Some eyewitnesses claimed that the German planes strafed civilians who were fleeing through the streets.
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