Figure 1.--There was no secreat that the NAZIs hated Jews, athough few Jews wre aware of the extent of the pathological hatred. Virtualy no Ukranias were awarecof the NAZI plans for the Ukraine and Ukranians, For many Ukranians the Germnabnsat first wee seen as liberators. And few Germn soldiers were aware of Generalplan Ost and what their country planned to do in the East. /i>

Both Stalin snd Hiler saw the Ukraine as vital to their European empire. The rich agricultural land and mineral resources were vital to the Soviet Union and what Hitler coveted. And for Hitler he needed the Ukraine to get to the vast petroleum resources in the Caucauses. Stalin anticipated this and much of the Soviet armor was un the Ukraine when Hitler launched Btbarossa. And when Barbarossa failed, Hitler launched the second German summer offensive into the Ukraine that ended diatorouslyat Stalingrad. He consantly preached to his geberals about the economic importance of the Ukraine. While both Stalin and Hitler wanted the Ukraine itself, they did not want the Ukraianas that lived there. Stalin engineered the Ukranian famine to break the bavk of the nationalistic Ukranian peasantry. The SS with Generalplan Ost planned to deal even more severely with the Ukranians than Stalin had. SS planners debated how to deal with the Ukranians. Initially the plan was to allow about one-third of the populattion to remain in the German settlement area. They would be subjected to Germanization. The remaining two-thirds were to be liquidated or deported east of the Urals. This was horific, but not as severe as what was planned for the Poles and Belorussians. Curiously the Russians were to be treated slighly less severaly. We are bnot sure on what basis these numbers were arrived at. The Reichskommissariat Ukraine was to be the political organizationfor Ukraine. As the War developed. The Germans were somewhat more well disposed toward the Ukranians in Galacia than the Ukranians to the east. It is unclear just why other than the Galacians Uranians were useful against the Poles. Nor do we know how these war time comprises would contnue after the War. As the Plan was refined, it was decided to deport the Ukrainians not suitable for Germanization to the area of this Reichskommissariat. The failure of Barbsrossa (1941-42) and Operation Blue (1942-43), however, meant tht the SS was never able to implement the Plan.

Created: 6:53 AM 9/28/2012
Last updated: 8:52 AM 8/12/2019