On October 1, the German army was set to take control of Warsaw, but they demanded twelve hostages beforehand—ten Christians and two Jews—who would be held accountable for any unrest during the occupation. As the troops entered the city, they established mobile kitchens to provide free soup and bread to the impoverished residents, drawing hundreds to receive aid.

Simultaneously, German propaganda teams began filming scenes of their soldiers distributing food to the starving Polish citizens. However, after the footage was captured, both the camera crews and the kitchens vanished, highlighting the stark reality of the occupation beyond the facade of humanitarian aid.