“In London, crowds of people are gathering at Downing Street, waiting for the report from the cabinet meeting. In Berlin, gauleiters and ‘parliament’ members are waiting in antechambers, waiting for their ‘leader’ to give a sign so they can applaud his decisions and agree with them in the name of the ‘German nation’. Paris accepts the anti-aircraft defense measures with the usual humour. In Rome, Delphic comments prevail, ‘Duce’ keeps summoning councils with his generals. And in Warsaw? Car after car driving along Łazienkowska Street! An unending wave of people pushing forward… to make it for the Poland–Hungary football game!” wrote Przegląd Sportowy, describing that momentous August Sunday.

An impressive 20,000 supporters sat in the stands of the Polish Army Stadium in Warsaw, despite the international tension, Hitler’s threats and quiet mobilization already happening across the country. Of course, the spectators did not know that the Molotov–Ribbentrop non-aggression pact, signed several days later between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union, included a secret protocol discussing the upcoming partition of the Second Polish Republic. Were the Germans to carry out their initial plans, the war would have already been happening by then! Hitler’s general staff expected to attack Poland on 26th August, but the invasion was called off at the last minute due to the signing of an alliance pact between Poland and Britain on the day before.