A new Nazi empire

Occupied Europe during the years 1939 to 1945 was a period of great hardship and suffering for the people of the continent. The countries of Europe were invaded and occupied by the Axis powers, led by Germany, and were subjected to a brutal regime of oppression, persecution, and exploitation.

Millions of people lost their lives during this time, and countless more were left with physical and emotional scars that would last a lifetime.

Europe's Nazi occupied countries (marked in the lighter sandy colour) from the Collier’s World Atlas and Gazetteer, 1941.

Europe Occupied Countries. From the Collier’s... - Maps on the Web (zoom-maps.com)

The outbreak of war

The occupation of Europe began on September 1, 1939, when Germany invaded Poland. This marked the beginning of World War II, and within a matter of weeks, the German military had overrun much of Poland and was beginning to move into other countries.

The German invasion of Denmark and Norway in April 1940 was followed by the Battle of France in May and June, resulting in the fall of France and the establishment of the Vichy government.

Western Europe

The German occupation of Western Europe was marked by the imposition of strict military rule, with German soldiers and administrators taking control of government buildings and institutions.

As countries such as the now-dismembered Czechoslovakia, France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway and Denmark came under German control, the German authorities imposed strict rules on the population, including curfews, rationing, and restrictions on movement. They also set up a system of forced labour, in which millions of people were conscripted to work in German factories and on farms, often under inhumane conditions.

Overall, the Germans treated the populations of these countries better than those they occupied in Eastern Europe.

Czechoslovakia

After Germany’s Anschluss with Austria which effectively merged the two countries together in 1938, the next European country on Hitler’s shopping list was Czechoslovakia. German occupation began in 1938, when Nazi Germany annexed the border regions of the country, known as the Sudetenland, following the Munich Agreement. The occupation officially began on March 15, 1939, when German troops entered the rest of Czechoslovakia, and the country was dissolved, with the Czech lands becoming the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia, and the Slovak lands becoming the Slovak Republic.

The occupation was marked by the imposition of strict Nazi rule, with the Czech government being replaced by a German-appointed protectorate government. The Czech economy was also heavily exploited by the Germans, with resources and goods being requisitioned for the war effort, and forced labour being imposed on the population. The German military also made good use of Czech tanks, commandeering them for their own panzer divisions.

The Czech people were also subject to widespread repression and persecution by the Germans. The Czech intelligentsia, political leaders, and Jews were targeted for arrest and imprisonment, and many were sent to concentration camps. The Czech resistance movement was also repressed, with many members being captured and executed.

The Jews in Czechoslovakia were also targeted for extermination as part of the Holocaust. The vast majority of Czech Jews were rounded up and sent to concentration camps, where they were killed in gas chambers. The Czech government also cooperated with the Germans in the persecution of Jews, passing anti-Semitic laws and setting up concentration camps on Czech soil.

The German occupation of Czechoslovakia also had a significant impact on the country's economy and infrastructure. Factories and businesses were seized by the Germans, and the Czech economy was heavily exploited to support the German war effort. Many Czechs were also forced to work in German factories and on construction projects in Germany.

Occupied France

Despite the strict controls imposed by the Germans, many French citizens actively resisted the occupation. Some joined the French Resistance, a diverse movement of individuals and groups who worked to sabotage the German war effort and support the Allied cause. The Resistance also helped Jewish and other minority groups escape from the occupied zone and flee to the non-occupied zone or other countries.

The Occupation had a profound impact on the French population. Many French citizens, including those who actively resisted the occupation, suffered from food shortages, forced labor, and other forms of hardship. The German occupation also led to the deaths of thousands of French citizens, both as a result of direct German actions and as a result of the war itself.

The Occupation also had a lasting impact on French society and politics, as the country struggled to come to terms with its role in the war and the actions of the collaborationist Vichy government.

French Resistance fighters man a barricade in Paris in August 1944.

Vichy France

The Vichy government, led by Marshall Pétain, was set up in 1940 in the non-occupied zone. It was a collaborationist government, which cooperated with the German occupiers, although it had limited autonomy.

They implemented anti-Semitic laws and policies and rounded up Jews to be deported to concentration camps.

The Vichy government was widely criticized and rejected by the majority of French citizens and resistance fighters.

The Low Countries

The Netherlands was occupied for the duration of the war, and the Germans imposed a military government, headed by a German commander. They implemented strict censorship of the press and radio, and curtailed civil liberties.

The Germans also implemented policies aimed at exploiting the Dutch economy, such as requisitioning food, fuel, and other resources to support the German war effort. The Dutch people were also subject to forced labor, and many were sent to Germany to work in factories and on farms.

Belgium was also occupied for the duration of the war, and the Germans implemented similar policies as in the Netherlands. The German occupation of Belgium was marked by strict censorship, forced labor, and the exploitation of the Belgian economy. The Germans also rounded up Jews and other minority groups, and deported them to concentration camps in Germany.

Luxembourg was occupied by Germany for the duration of the war, and the Germans implemented similar policies as in the Netherlands and Belgium. The small country was strategically important for the Germans, as it was a transportation hub and it was also rich in iron ore.

The Germans also imposed strict censorship, forced labor and the exploitation of the economy on the population.

Scandinavia

The German occupation of Denmark and Norway during World War II was a significant event in the history of both countries. The German invasion of Denmark began on April 9, 1940, and the country quickly surrendered to the German army. The invasion of Norway began on April 9, 1940, and lasted for two months before the Norwegian government was forced to surrender.

In Denmark, the German occupation was relatively mild compared to other occupied countries. The Danish government was allowed to remain in power, and the German military government allowed the country to maintain a degree of autonomy.

However, the Germans imposed strict censorship of the press and radio and curtailed civil liberties. The Germans also implemented policies aimed at exploiting the Danish economy, such as requisitioning food, fuel, and other resources to support the German war effort.

In Norway, the German occupation was much harsher. The German military government, led by Reichskommissar Josef Terboven, imposed strict censorship of the press and radio and curtailed civil liberties.

As with Denmark, the Germans also implemented policies aimed at exploiting the Norwegian economy, such as requisitioning food, fuel, and other resources to support the German military. The Norwegians were also subject to forced labour, and many were sent to Germany to work in factories and on farms.

The German occupation of Denmark and Norway had a profound impact on the population. Many people suffered from food shortages and other forms of hardship. The occupation also led to the deaths of thousands of people, both as a result of direct German actions and as a result of the war itself. The occupation also had a lasting impact on Danish and Norwegian society and politics, as the countries struggled to come to terms with their role in the war and the actions of the occupation government.

Despite the harsh conditions imposed by the German occupation, resistance movements in both Denmark and Norway were active throughout the war. They worked to sabotage the German war effort and support the Allied cause. They also helped Jewish and other minority groups to escape from the occupied zones and flee to other countries. The resistance movements were met with harsh repression by the German occupiers and many of the resistance fighters were arrested, tortured and executed.

The liberation of Denmark and Norway began in 1944, when the Allied forces, primarily made up of American, British, and Canadian soldiers, landed in Normandy, in the north-west of France. They pushed the German army back, and Denmark was liberated in May 1945, and Norway in May 1945.

The German surrender was signed on May 8, 1945, which marked the end of the Occupation and the end of World War II in Europe.

The Holocaust

The Germans also implemented a policy of persecution and extermination of certain groups of people, such as Jews, Roma, homosexuals, and others deemed undesirable by the regime. The Holocaust, the systematic extermination of Jews and other ‘undesirables’, was carried out during this period.

The Nazis established ghettos in Poland and other occupied territories where Jews were forced to live in overcrowded and unsanitary conditions. In 1941, the Nazis began the mass extermination of Jews through the use of gas chambers at extermination camps such as Auschwitz-Birkenau, Treblinka, and Belzec. Jews were also killed through mass shootings, forced labor, and starvation.

Jewish inmates at Auschwitz-Birkenau. Those immediately selected for death will be guided towards the gas chambers. The rest are deemed suitable for work and will have their heads shaved before being marched off to the labour camp where they would endure the harshest conditions.

Extraordinary newly colorized images of Auschwitz are only known record of the notorious camp | Daily Mail Online

The Nazis also implemented the "Final Solution," a plan to exterminate all Jews in Europe. This plan involved the transportation of Jews from ghettos and occupied territories to concentration and extermination camps. Many Jews were also killed in pogroms, or violent attacks, carried out by the Nazis and their collaborators.

The Holocaust affected not only Jews, but also other minority groups such as Romani people, homosexuals, people with disabilities, and political opponents of the Nazi regime. An estimated six million Jews were killed in the Holocaust, along with millions of others.

Eastern Europe

Eastern Europe, including Poland, was treated even more harshly by the Germans. The German authorities implemented a policy of colonization, in which the indigenous population was expelled from their homes and replaced by German settlers.

The Germans also established ghettos for the Jews, in which they were forcibly concentrated and subjected to inhumane living conditions. The Germans also used Eastern Europe as a source of forced labour, with millions of people being sent to Germany to work in factories and on farms.

Ghettos in occupied eastern Europe, 1941-1942.

US Holocaust Memorial Museum

Occupied Poland

The German occupation of Poland was marked by a number of policies aimed at exerting control over the Polish population and exploiting the country's resources for the benefit of the German war effort. It was also notorious for the brutal treatment of the population by the Nazi regime.

One of the most infamous aspects of the German occupation of Poland was the establishment of ghettos. The Germans forcibly relocated Jews and other minority groups into overcrowded and unsanitary ghettos, where they were subjected to starvation, disease, and other forms of hardship. The ghettos were also used as a stepping stone for the deportation of Jews and other minority groups to concentration and extermination camps.

The Germans also implemented a policy of forced labor, in which many Poles were sent to Germany to work in factories and on farms. They were treated as little more than slaves, and were subjected to brutal conditions and mistreatment.

They also implemented a policy of terror, aimed at suppressing resistance and opposition. This included mass executions, political repression, and the rounding up of political opponents, Jews, and other minority groups, who were then sent to concentration camps. The German occupation of Poland was also marked by widespread looting, destruction of cultural and historical sites, and other forms of cultural destruction.

The Polish people suffered greatly under the German occupation. Many were subjected to forced labour, starvation, and other forms of hardship. The Germans also implemented a ruthless policy of ethnic cleansing, aimed at eliminating the Polish intelligentsia and other perceived threats to the German war effort. As a result, approximately six million Polish citizens, including three million Jews, were killed during the occupation.

Despite the harsh conditions imposed by the German occupation, resistance movements in Poland were active throughout the war. They worked to sabotage the German war effort and support the Allied cause. They also helped Jewish and other minority groups to escape from the occupied zones and flee to other countries.

In 1944, Polish Insurgents rose up and attempted to overthrow their Nazi oppressors in the Warsaw Uprising. However, despite brave resistance from the outnumbered Poles, the Germans proved to be too well-equipped and were able to suppress the uprisings, resulting in extensive damage to Warsaw.

Polish insurgents from the 3rd Company of the "Golski" Battalion in the observation and fire station called "Kosciuszko Redeemer" during the Warsaw Uprising.

The Balkans

The German occupation of the Balkans during World War II began in 1941, after Germany and its allies, including Bulgaria and Italy, invaded Yugoslavia and Greece. The occupation lasted until the end of the war in 1945.

The German military campaign in the Balkans was initially successful, with the rapid collapse of Yugoslav and Greek resistance. However, the occupation was marked by acts of violence, repression, and collaboration with local fascist and Nazi-aligned groups. This led to widespread suffering among the civilian population, including forced labour, deportations, and mass executions of Jews, Roma, and political opponents.

In Yugoslavia, the German occupation led to the establishment of puppet regimes, such as the Independent State of Croatia, which was characterized by extreme brutality and persecution of minority groups. The Croatian fascist organization Ustasha, which was backed by the Germans, committed numerous war crimes, including the murder of hundreds of thousands of Serbs, Jews, and Roma in concentration camps.

In Greece, the German occupation led to widespread poverty, starvation, and resistance. The resistance movement, known as the National Liberation Front (EAM), fought against the German occupation, with the support of the British and the Soviet Union. However, the resistance was met with brutal repression, including mass executions and forced relocations of the civilian population.

The German occupation of the Balkans also had a major impact on the region's Jews, who were targeted for extermination as part of the Holocaust. In Yugoslavia, the majority of the Jews were killed in concentration camps, such as Jasenovac and Stara Gradiška, while in Greece, the majority of the Jews were rounded up and deported to Auschwitz.

The German occupation of the Balkans also had a significant impact on the region's economy, with the destruction of infrastructure, the requisitioning of resources, and the forced labour of civilians. This led to a decline in the standard of living, and the displacement of large numbers of people.

The Ukraine

The occupation of the Ukraine was a brutal one, marked by widespread atrocities committed by German forces against the Ukrainian people. The Nazis implemented a policy of starvation in order to weaken the population and make them more susceptible to German rule. This led to the deaths of millions of Ukrainians due to starvation and disease. Additionally, the Nazis also committed many war crimes, including mass killings and the formation of death camps in the region.

The Germans also implemented a program of forced labour – as they did with many countries they occupied, in which many Ukrainians were taken from their homes and forced to work in German factories and on German farms. This further weakened the Ukrainian population and made it even more difficult for them to mount any serious resistance to the German occupation.

The Nazis also sought to destroy Ukrainian culture and identity. They banned the use of the Ukrainian language and suppressed Ukrainian art and literature. They also promoted the use of the German language and culture, in an attempt to assimilate the Ukrainian people into German society and effectively erase any sense of their national identity.

During the occupation, there were also several resistance movements in the Ukraine. These resistance movements were made up of both Soviet and Ukrainian citizens, who fought against the German occupation. These resistance fighters were often met with brutal retaliation by the Germans, and many were killed or imprisoned.

The German occupation of Ukraine came to an end in 1944, when Soviet forces pushed the Germans out of the region. However, the damage had already been done, and the Ukrainian people were left to pick up the pieces of their devastated country.

The Baltic States

The Nazis also attempted to wipe out any trace of Baltic culture and identity, instead promoting the use of the German language and culture, in an attempt to assimilate the Baltic people into German society.

Unsurprisingly, there were also resistance movements in the Baltic States during the occupation. These resistance movements were made up of both Soviet and Baltic citizens, who fought bravely against the German occupation, despite often being ill-equipped for the task.

However, the damage had already been done, and the Baltic people were left to pick up the pieces of their devastated countries.

End of the Nazi's

The occupation of Europe ended in 1945, when the Allied powers, led by the United States, Soviet Union, and Great Britain, defeated the Axis powers. The end of the war brought about the liberation of the occupied countries, and the German military was forced to retreat.

However, the end of the war also brought about a new set of challenges for Europe, as the continent was with millions of refugees and displaced persons. These were individuals who had been forced to flee their homes due to the war and its aftermath. Many of these refugees were Jews who had survived the Holocaust, as well as other minority groups such as Poles, Ukrainians, and Romani people.

Additionally, millions of ethnic Germans were expelled or forced to flee from Eastern Europe as a result of the war. The displacement and movement of so many people caused a massive humanitarian crisis, with many individuals left homeless, without access to food or medical care. The international community, including the newly formed United Nations, struggled to provide aid and assistance to these individuals and to find solutions for their long-term resettlement.

Refugees stand in a group on a street in La Gleize, Belgium on Jan. 2, 1945. They are waiting to be transported from the war-torn town after its recapture by American forces during the German thrust into the Belgium-Luxembourg salient. 

Photo colorization by Sanna Dullaway for TIME / original image: AP

Conclusion

The occupation of Europe during the years 1939 to 1945 was a dark period in the history of the continent. Millions of people lost their lives, and countless more were left with physical and emotional scars that would last a lifetime.

The Holocaust, in particular, was one of the most heinous crimes in human history, and its legacy continues to be felt to this day. The occupation of Europe serves as a reminder of the terrible consequences of war and of the importance of standing up against oppression and persecution in all its forms.

Further reading