A brutal occupation
The German occupation of Poland during the years 1939 to 1945 was a period of great hardship and suffering for the people of Poland. The country was invaded and occupied by the German military, and the population was 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.
Changes in administration of occupied Polish territories following German invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941. The map shows district divisions in 1944.
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The fall of the Second Polish republic
The occupation of Poland began on September 1, 1939, when Germany invaded the country, marking the beginning of World War II. The German military quickly overran much of Poland, and within a matter of weeks, the country was effectively under German control.
The German authorities immediately imposed a strict military rule, with German soldiers and administrators taking control of government buildings and institutions. The population was subjected to strict curfews, rationing, and restrictions on movement.
The Holocaust in Poland
One of the most heinous atrocities committed by the Germans was the Holocaust, in which six million Jews were systematically murdered. Poland had one of the largest Jewish populations in Europe, and the Germans established ghettos and concentration camps throughout the country, where Jews were confined and subjected to inhumane living conditions. Many were then transported to extermination camps, such as Auschwitz and Treblinka, where they were killed in gas chambers or through other means.
In addition to the Holocaust, the Germans also targeted other groups for persecution and extermination, such as the Roma, homosexuals, and people with disabilities. They also implemented a policy of forced labor, conscripting millions of Poles to work in German factories and on farms, often under inhumane conditions. Many were sent to Germany as forced laborers, where they were subjected to harsh treatment and poor working conditions. The German authorities also implemented a policy of colonization, in which the indigenous population was expelled from their homes and replaced by German settlers.
An elderly Jewish man speaks with German officers rounding up Jews in Kutno, Poland, 1939.
Hugo Jaeger
Creation of the ghettos
The Polish ghettos during World War II were a series of enclosed neighborhoods established by the German occupation government, where Jews and other minority groups were forced to live during the Holocaust.
The ghettos were overcrowded, unsanitary, and lacked basic necessities such as food, water, and medical care. The conditions in the ghettos were designed to make the inhabitants suffer and die, through starvation, disease, and other forms of hardship.
The first ghettos were established in Poland soon after the German invasion of September 1939.
Initially, Jews were forced to move into designated areas within their own towns and cities, but later on, the Germans started to create new ghettos by fencing off entire neighborhoods.
The largest ghetto was the Warsaw Ghetto, established in 1940, where over 400,000 Jews were forced to live in an area of just over 3 square kilometers.
Shabbily dressed occupants of the Jewish Ghetto.
Color Photos From The Warsaw Ghetto During The Holocaust (aboutjewishpeople.com)
Colourised by Yossi Biran
Life in the Ghetto was hard. Cramped condition and shortages of virtually everything. became the norm.
Color Photos From The Warsaw Ghetto During The Holocaust (aboutjewishpeople.com)
Colourised by Yossi Biran
Life in the ghettos was extremely difficult. The inhabitants were subjected to strict regulations, including curfews and a strict rationing system that provided barely enough food to survive. Many Jews were forced to live in overcrowded and unsanitary conditions, and diseases such as tuberculosis, typhoid, and pneumonia were rampant. The ghettos also lacked basic medical facilities, and many people died as a result of lack of medical care.
The Germans also used the ghettos as a stepping stone for the deportation of Jews and other minority groups to concentration and extermination camps. Many Jews were rounded up and sent to the camps, where they were killed in gas chambers or through other methods of mass extermination.
Despite the harsh conditions imposed by the German occupation, resistance movements in the ghettos were active. Many Jews organized underground resistance groups and smuggled in weapons, food, and medicine to help the inhabitants survive. They also worked to sabotage the German war effort and support the Allied cause. The resistance movements were met with harsh repression by the German occupiers and many of the resistance fighters were arrested, tortured and executed.
The legacy of the Polish ghettos during World War II is a tragic one. They were a major site of the Holocaust, where millions of Jews and other minority groups were subjected to brutal conditions and mass extermination.
Life in the Warsaw Ghetto, here a street vendor sells his wares. Note the condition of the clothing of those gathered around him.
Color Photos From The Warsaw Ghetto During The Holocaust (aboutjewishpeople.com)
Jewish Ghetto Uprising
The Jewish Ghetto Uprising was a rebellion that occurred in the Warsaw Ghetto in 1943. The Jews of the ghetto, who had been confined there by the Nazis during the Holocaust, rose up against the German forces that were attempting to deport them to concentration camps. The uprising began on April 19, 1943 and lasted for nearly a month.
Despite being vastly outnumbered and outgunned, the Jews fought bravely, using makeshift weapons and makeshift fortifications. The Germans eventually succeeded in suppressing the rebellion, but the bravery and determination of the Jewish fighters served as an inspiration to others during the Holocaust.
The event is considered one of the largest single revolts by Jews during the Second World War and is remembered as a significant moment in Jewish history.
One of the most infamous photographs taken of the Jewish Ghetto Uprising (and indeed of the whole war). A boy holds his hands over his head while SS-Rottenführer Josef Blösche points a submachine gun in his direction. The boy and others hid in a bunker during the final liquidation of the ghetto, but they were caught and forced out by German troops. After the photograph was taken, all of the Jews in the photograph were marched to the Umschlagplatz and deported to Majdanek extermination camp or Treblinka.
https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/the-face-of-fear-colour-image-lays-bare-horror-of-warsaw-ghetto/ Colourised by Marina Amaral
Warsaw Uprising
The Warsaw Uprising was a major World War II operation, in which the Polish resistance, led by the Home Army, fought against the German occupation forces in an attempt to liberate the city of Warsaw.
The Uprising began on 1st August 1944 and lasted 63 days. The Polish resistance, made up of poorly armed and trained soldiers, fought against the well-equipped and experienced German army. The Uprising was planned to coincide with the Soviet army's advance on Warsaw, but the Soviet army was slow to respond (or was deliberately halted by the Soviet leader Stalin), and the resistance fighters were left to fight alone.
Despite their bravery, the Uprising was ultimately unsuccessful, and the Germans brutally suppressed it, killing thousands of resistance fighters and civilians, and razing much of the city. This event is remembered as one of the most tragic and heroic episodes of the Second World War.
Polish resistance fighters in Warsaw during the Warsaw Uprising.
Concentration camps
Concentration camps in Poland during World War II were a network of Nazi-run camps where millions of people were imprisoned, persecuted, and killed. The camps were used to imprison Jews, political opponents, prisoners of war, and other minority groups considered undesirable by the Nazi regime. The conditions in the camps were designed to make the prisoners suffer and die, through starvation, disease, forced labor, and other forms of abuse.
The first concentration camps in Poland were established soon after the German invasion in September 1939. The first camp, KL Auschwitz, was established in 1940 in the town of Oświęcim, and it quickly became the largest and most notorious of the Polish camps. Over the course of the war, the Nazis established several other camps in Poland, including KL Majdanek, KL Sobibor, KL Treblinka, and KL Stutthof.
Taken in 1944 by a German photographer billeted to Auschwitz-Birkenau in southern occupied Poland, the Nazis’ most notorious extermination camp where 1.1 million people died or were killed between 1940 and 1945. Here, newly-arrived Jewish inmates are forced by SS officers into two queues — one destined for the gas chambers.
Life in the concentration camps was brutal and inhumane. The prisoners were subjected to harsh conditions, including overcrowding, lack of food and medical care, and forced labour. Many prisoners were subjected to medical experiments, torture, and execution. The camps were also used as a stepping stone for the extermination of Jews and other minority groups, as many were sent to the camps to be killed in gas chambers or through other methods of mass extermination.
The concentration camps in Poland were also a site of resistance, as many prisoners organized underground resistance groups and smuggled in weapons, food, and medicine to help the prisoners survive. They also worked to sabotage the German war effort and support the Allied cause. The resistance movements were met with harsh repression by the German occupiers and many of the resistance fighters were arrested, tortured and executed.
Map showing the location of concentration camps in occupied Poland.
The legacy of the concentration camps in Poland during World War II is a tragic one. They were a major site of the Holocaust, where millions of people were subjected to brutal conditions and mass extermination. The camps also served as a reminder of the devastating consequences of antisemitism and other forms of prejudice.
A culture war
It is also important to note that the occupation of Poland was not just marked by persecution and exploitation, but also by cultural destruction, the German authorities aimed to erase the Polish culture and identity, they banned the use of Polish language in public spaces, they destroyed monuments and libraries, and they encouraged German settlers to take over Polish properties.
Polish resistance
The occupation of Poland was also marked by resistance movements, which formed in the country to fight against the German occupation. These resistance movements were made up of people from all walks of life, including soldiers, politicians, and ordinary citizens. They carried out sabotage, intelligence-gathering, and other acts of resistance against the Germans. The resistance movements also provided support to Allied soldiers and airmen who were shot down or captured, and they helped to rescue people from the Holocaust.
However, the German forces brutally repressed of any form of resistance. The German authorities were quick to punish any acts of resistance, real or perceived, with summary executions, deportations, and harsh punishments. They also carried out reprisals against the civilian population, such as executing hostages, burning villages, and destroying homes.
A Polish resistance fighter pictured during the Warsaw Uprising in 1944. Note the captured German helmet daubed with Polish colours.
Liberation
The occupation of Poland ended in 1945, when the Soviet Union defeated the German military in the country. The end of the war brought about the liberation of Poland, but it also brought about a new set of challenges for the country, as it was left in ruins and millions of people were left homeless and without food.
Conclusion
The occupation of Poland during the years 1939 to 1945 was a dark period in the history of the country. 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 Poland 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.
The occupation of Poland was a tragic and traumatic period in the country's history, and it continues to be remembered and honored by the Polish people as a reminder of the sacrifices and struggles of their countrymen. The occupation serves as a reminder of the importance of resistance and perseverance in the face of oppression, and of the importance of standing up against persecution and genocide in all its forms.
Further reading
Sources:
Wikipedia
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