“There were no crowds shouting Heil Hitler . . . people were scared of the future” -Albert Speer on Berlin after the attack on Poland. Adolf Hitler had struck fear into millions of Polish-Jews and other groups of people that he targeted when he ordered the invasion of Poland. Germany 's occupation of Poland was one of the darkest parts of World War II (WWII). Around six million people, almost 18 percent of the Polish population, were killed during Nazi occupation. The scene of Poland from 1939 to 1945 was portrayed as mass executions, forced evictions, and enslavement. Poland was a tolerant country for the Jews but when Hitler and the Nazis invaded Poland they made Polish citizens and Jews lives miserable by putting them into ghettos and concentration
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Poland’s central location and having one of the largest Jewish populations made it a target of the Nazis. Not long after, the Soviet Union invaded Poland on September 17, 1939. Soviets patrolled the streets of eastern Poland while Germany patrolled the west. Soldiers often broke into homes and captured Jews or people who were in any of the targeted categories. The Ukrainians were also hunting for Jews on the street, acting like it was a game. They would beat up any Jew passing by, no matter gender or age, and sometimes they would leave them severely injured.Once the Nazis gained full control over Poland, people 's freedom was cut to a sliver. Nazis had put people in secluded areas to live that were organized by the Judenrat, these were called ghettos. They made many ghettos and people had to be moved several times, to even more harsh ghettos. Hitler ordered the “Germanization” of Polish territory. German people started filling in the homes of Poland and their cultures started spreading as well. In the summer of 1941 “In mid-December of that year, Governor-General Frank told his cabinet in Krakow that he had asked Berlin what was going to be done with the Jews. The reply had allegedly been: "Liquidate them yourself." Frank, therefore, announced, "Gentlemen, I would ask you to steel yourself against any thoughts of compassion. We have to destroy the Jews wherever we find
Poland’s central location and having one of the largest Jewish populations made it a target of the Nazis. Not long after, the Soviet Union invaded Poland on September 17, 1939. Soviets patrolled the streets of eastern Poland while Germany patrolled the west. Soldiers often broke into homes and captured Jews or people who were in any of the targeted categories. The Ukrainians were also hunting for Jews on the street, acting like it was a game. They would beat up any Jew passing by, no matter gender or age, and sometimes they would leave them severely injured.Once the Nazis gained full control over Poland, people 's freedom was cut to a sliver. Nazis had put people in secluded areas to live that were organized by the Judenrat, these were called ghettos. They made many ghettos and people had to be moved several times, to even more harsh ghettos. Hitler ordered the “Germanization” of Polish territory. German people started filling in the homes of Poland and their cultures started spreading as well. In the summer of 1941 “In mid-December of that year, Governor-General Frank told his cabinet in Krakow that he had asked Berlin what was going to be done with the Jews. The reply had allegedly been: "Liquidate them yourself." Frank, therefore, announced, "Gentlemen, I would ask you to steel yourself against any thoughts of compassion. We have to destroy the Jews wherever we find