|
Slave labor was an important poart if the NAZI war economy. Once confined in ghettoes the Jews could be easily forced to work as slave labor. And the slave labor could be used to support the war effort. This proved very profitable to the SS. It is the primary reason why some NAZI leaders did not want Jews under their control killed. THe Lodz ghetto was one of the largest. As Lodz was the center of the textile industry in Poland. The Lodz ghetto was thus of considerable economic value and useful to the German war economy. The ghetto Jews had no choice, but to work for the Germans. Jewish authorities in the ghettoes that there only hope for survival was to make themnselves useful to the Germans. And this included the children. If they were old enough to work, they could receive rations. And they were more likely to avoid elections, like the round up of children in the Łódź Ghettos. Despite the economiic value of the Jews, Hitler decided that the destruction of the Jewish people was a higher priority goal. His attitude expressed to Speer and others was that there was no possibility of a labor shortage. It was just a matter of recriting or seizing workers in occupied countries to replace the Jews. And Hitker appointer Fritz Sauckel General Plenipotentiary for Labour Deployment to replave Jewish workers being murdered (1942). Bescause some SS officers were benefitting from hiring out Jewish slave labots, some Jews mnaged to survive for some time. Jews played an important role as workers in the textile factories, they were some of the last Polish Jews killed. The deportation from the Łódź ghetto was only completed as the Whermact under pressure from the Red Army was evacuating Poland (August 1944).
Navigate the CIH Holocaust Section:
[Return to Main Polish ghetto purpose page]
[Return to Main Polish ghetto page]
[Return to Main Polish holocaust page]
[Return to Main German Blitzkrieg on Poland page]
[About Us]
[Allies]
[Biographies]
[Children]
[Concentration camps]
[Countries]
[Decision]
[Denyers/Apologists]
[Displaced persons]
[Economics]
[Eisatzgruppen]
{German Jews]
[Ghettoes]
[Impact]
[Justice]
[Literature]
[Movies]
[NAZIs]
[Occupied Poland]
[Process]
[Propagada]
[Resistance]
[Restitution]
[Questions]
[SS]
[Special situations]
[Targets]
[Wansee Conference]
[Return to the World War II]
[Return to Main Holocaust page]
[Return to the Main mass killing page]
[Return to CIH Home page]
