Figure 1.--Jewish children in Poland who had lost their parents were turned into beggars as the Ghetoizatiin process moved forward in 1940. Many would starve on the streets. You can look at this picture an only begin to imagine what the boy here was thinking. What can bever be known is what was on the mind of the person who took this photograph, probably a German.

With the War underway, the NAZI Holocaust began to take its ultimate shape in 1940, especially with the fall of France in the West. Rather than a giant reservation, the NAZI leadership decided on Ghetotization for Poland's large Jewish population. Here SS-Obergruppenführer Reinhard Heydrich played a major role. The process, however, proved more complicated than originally contemplated. Began in late-1939, most of the major ghettoes were established during 1940 and Jews forcibly moved into them. Some Jews felt safter in the Ghettos because of the random acts of vilonece not uncommonly committed on the streets. Virtually all of the Jewish popultion of Poland had been ghettoized by early 1941. The Germans launched their long-waited Western Offensive (May 1940). The fall of France would make Hitler essenially the master of Estern and Central Europe (June 1940). The defeat of the French army and the evacuation of the British Expditionary Force meant that there was no military force on the Continent capable of resisting the Germans--excet the Red Army in the East. This removed what ever restraint he may have felt up to that time. He now believed that he has essentiall won the War and could fom that time write future history. The French Army was the major obstacle which had blocked Germany in World War I and now he had broken France. The process of isolating Western European Jews could now begin. The occupied countries not only had their own Jewish populations, but Jews from Germany, Austria, and other counies that had sought refuge in the West. The German anti-Semetic actions in the West were more restrained than in Poland, but relentless. German occupations authorities involved local officials in the process. Vichy France was especially cooprative , passing ther own versin of the Nuremburg Laws without even being pressured to do so. Occupation authoThe Germans proceeded like the process in the Reich with a steady stream of small steps. At first they were inconseuential, but gradually more and more onerous. Plans wereeven made for dealing with British Jews along with British anti-NAZIs by an Eisatzegruppe. The effort was to deprive Jews of civil rights, strip them of their property, and concentrate them. It is imposible to know what was in Hiler's mind, but the decesion to murder the entire Jewish population of Europe was not yet made, although we know that Himmler was looking into possibiliies like steriization as well as killing. It should not be thought that eliminating the Jews was not the NAZI goal. Probably as in Generalplan Ost, the intention was to deport Jews to the East once the Red Army was defeated and in the process many Jews would perish. Also the rations delivered to the Ghetos was part of the NAZI Hunger Plan aimed at starving unwanted people. Himmler and Heydrich were surprised, however, as to how fews were dieing amnd thge feeling grew that afaster process was neded. Not all NAZIs wanted to murder the Jews. Many saw that Jewish slave labor was an assett to be utilized for the war economy. Other NAZIs were benefitting through the SS profits from using slave labor.

Ghetoization

Rather than a giant reservation, the NAZI leadership decided on Ghetotization for Poland's large Jewish population. Reinhard Heydrich, head of the Security Police, ordered that all Jews in Poland and Czechoslovakia be isolated and concentrated in ghettos (Sepember 21, 1939). This did not take place immediately because of the level of organization involved. The Jews were to be concentrated in ghettos set up in in Poland's larger cities. The NAZIs used Jewish neighborhoods in the major cities for the major ghettoes (Warsaw , Lódz, Kraków, Lublin, and Lvov). Hans Frank was the leading NAZI Jurist. He was made the commander of the Government General, the area of NAZI controlled Poland not annexed by the Reich. He implemented Heydrich's orders. The ghettos were a key part of the evolving NAZI plan of dealing with Jews. From the NAZI perspective there were various advantages. 1) Once confined in ghettoes the Jews could be easily forced to work as slave labor. 2) Their consumption of food and goods could be restricted to help avoid war time shortages in Germahny. 3) As they were concentrated and separated from the general Polish popultion, future actions could be nore easily conducted. Here the NAZIs may hve originally been thinking of deportation east, but this soon turned to mass murder. The decession to establish the ghettos appears to have been taken befor the decssion to commit genocide, but once that decession was taken the concebntration made the killing opperation easier. 4) The process of stripping Jews of their property could be completed. The Jews were foirced out of their homes and required to hand over valuables as they entered the ghettoes. NAZI propaganda maintained that Jews were genetic carriers of various diseases (particularly typhus) and thus there were public health considerations. The German people were told that the Jews were natural enemies of the Reich and Aryan race and thus encarcerating the Jews was a nececessary war-time measure.

Denmark and Norway (April 1940)

Gwrmny invaded Denmark and Norway (April 1940). This was an action taken to guarantee the delivery of Swedish iron ore, citical for the German war economy. This did not have major consequnces for the Holocaust a both countries had very small Jewish populations. And the Germans left the Dnish Government in place, although closely suprvised. The Danish Government refused to institute anti-Semetic regulations. NAZI occupation in Norway behan the process soob after seizing control.

Western Offensive: France and the Low Countries (May-June 1940)

Britain (July-September 1940)

Plans were even made for dealing with British Jews along with British anti-NAZIs by an Eisatzegruppe. It was assumed that after the French surrender that the British would be reasonable and follow suit. When they ud not, the Luftwaffe was ordered to destroy Royal Air Force (RAF) Fighter command achieve air superiority over the Channel in preparation for Operation Sea Lion. The result was the Battle of Britain. Orders were drawn up as people to be arrested. All Jews were to be deported. Even in Britain tiday, it is not fully understood what would have occurred if the RFA had failed. Recent research has recovered reports that in addition to the Jews, NAZI officials were planning to ndeport able bodied adult men for war work in the Reiuch.

NAZI Planning

It is imposible to know what was in Hiler's mind, but the decesion to murder the entire Jewish population of Europe was not yet made, although we know that Himmler was looking into possibiliies like steriization as well as killing. Think tanks all over the Reichwere considering this isue. All that was important, however, was what was in Hitler's mind. It should not be thought that eliminating the Jews was not the NAZI goal. Probably as in Generalplan Ost, the intention was to deport Jews to the East once the Red Army was defeated and in the process many Jews would perish. Some SS planners after the fall of France began thinking about turning French Madagascar into a giant ghetto where the Jews could slowly disappear. This becme anon starter when the British with its poweful Royal Nacy refused to surrender. Also the rations delivered to the Ghetos was part of the NAZI Hunger Plan aimed at starving unwanted people. Himmler and Heydrich were surprised, hiwever, as to how fews were dieing amnd thge feeling grew that afaster process was neded. Not all NAZIs wanted to murder the Jews. Many saw that Jewish slave labor was an assett to be utilized for the war economy. Other NAZIs were benefitting through the SS profits from using slave labor.

Shift East (October 1940)

Frustrated by the Luftwaffe's inability to defeat the RAF, Hitler comvinced himself that the only way to defeat Britain before America finally entered the War was to invade the Soviet Union and destroythe Red Army. He concluded that Britain was only resisting because the Soviet Union represented a potential ally. Of course from tghe very befinning, the land and resources of the East was his porimary focused. He was sure that the Red Army could be sestroyed in one massive summer campaign an then Britain woild have no choice but to make peace. The Soviet Union was at the time an ally and was the only country left in Europe with a substantial military establishment. By the time Soviet Foreign Miister Molotov came to Berlin to disciss alliance issues (November 1940), plans were already being made for Barbarossa and forces begin to shifted East. Hitler issued Föhrer Directive No. 18 (December 18, 1940.)Intimates knew long beforethis that it was coming. Thevdecesion to attack nthe Soviet Union had huge implications for the Holocaust. The Soviet Union had a huge Jewish population. The term mJudeo-Bolshevism w a ong time staple in Hitler's discourses. This this time there were to be no ghettos, other than temprary concentration points. The Jewish were to be simply shot as soon as possible as thevthree Army Groups thrust their way forward. We are not sure precisely sure when this decision was made, bit ut had tobe late-1940 or early-41. Himmler and Heydrich began selecting and training four Einsatzgruppen (March 1941).

The Hunger Plan (December 1940)

The German Hunger Plan (der Hungerplan) also called der Backe-Plan or Starvation Plan was a NAZI World War II food management plan. It is sometime called the Backe Plan, after its primary advocate. He played a critical role in planning and implementing the plan. Herbert Backe was an official in the Ministry of Food and eventually appointed to that post. The Ministry was responsible for the German rationing program. Actually there was no single centrally coordinated plan, but several separate if some times related operations. Germany's World War I experience encouraged the idea of using food as a weapon. Hitler was not the first in this arena. Stalin preceded him by about a decade with the Ukrainian famine (1932-33). We are not sure to what extent NAZI officials were aware of this. The NKVD did an efficient job of preventing details from leaking out to the West. And Western Socialists and Communists, including those in Germany did not want to believe the rumors. The desire to use food as a weapon. This combined with the NAZI regime's rush to acceptance eugenics theories as scientific fact resulted in a genocidal brew of genocidal policies. NAZI food policies were different than the Allied blockade policies which were designed to win the War. Part of Hitler's war objectives were the murder of millions of people which sometimes were given a priority over the war effort. The Hunger Plan was not a policy designed to help win the War, although sometimes presented as that. Many of the individuals killed were working in war industries supporting the German war effort. This actually impeded the war effort as a labor shortage developed in Germany requiring the introduction of forced labor to man German war industries. Rather the killing of millions Jews and Slavs was a primary German war goal. Hitler asked officials in the Ministry of Food, the agency responsible for rationing, to develop a Starvation Plan, sometimes referred to as the Hunger Plan. The Minister was one of the chief advocates for eugenics in the NAZI hierarchy. The largest elements of the Hunger Plan were: 1) Occupation policies in Poland, 2) Ghetto policies, 3) Starvation of Polish and Soviet POWs, 4) Generalplan Ost. Scholars studying the Hunger Plan provide a somewhat varied list of its elements, largely because there was no single, well coordinated NAZI effort, but rather the work of various officials with similar objectives and values. These include besides Backe, Reichmarshal Göring, Reichführer SS Himmler, SS Obergruppenführer Heydrich, and Minister of Food Darré.

Sources

Created: 8:12 AM 3/22/2014
Last updated: 8:12 AM 3/22/2014