Germany asks Polish forgiveness for WWII

WARSAW, Poland - The presidents of Germany and Poland opened daylong observances of the 80th anniversary of the start in Europe of World War II on Sunday with a ceremony filled with the spirit of reconciliation and Germany's humility in the face of suffering it inflicted during the war.

The ceremony was held in Wielun, a central Polish town that was the first target of Nazi Germany's deadly bombings.

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Polish counterpart Andrzej Duda attended the observances, which started at 4:40 am, the exact hour that, according to survivors, the war's first bombs fell, killing civilians.