WARSAW, Poland (AP) — The Polish defense minister has accused the leaders of Germany and France of trying to "erase from Europe's historical memory" the tragic fate Poland suffered during World War II at German hands.

Antoni Macierewicz made his remarks during a visit to Sulejow, a small town in central Poland that on Monday marked the 78th anniversary of being bombarded by the German Luftwaffe at the start of the war.

The minister said he wanted to remind German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron of the Polish wartime drama, when 6 million Polish citizens killed and Polish cities and villages were destroyed.

The comment comes amid growing tensions between Poland's conservative-nationalist government and both Merkel and Macron, who have recently criticized perceived rule of law violations by the Warsaw leaders.