War and Genocide: A Concise History of the Holocaust

In 1939, Germany went to war against Poland. Chapter 5 examines “the first year of the war as a period of Nazi experiments in conquest, persecution, and mass killing” (131); it also surveys the Nazis’ “cynical manipulation” of their subjects (102). Bergen introduces the concept of “divide and conquer” in this chapter: “Whenever possible [German decision-makers] stirred up dissention and hatred among those over whom they ruled in order to advance their own cause” (102).

On September 1, 1939, German forces invaded Poland. They staged a mock radio station attack that framed Polish citizens for the death of ethnic Germans. In reality, this hoax left 70,000 Poles dead and 1,000,000 Poles imprisoned by German and Soviet forces. France and Britain declared war on Germany in response. The Soviets invaded Eastern Poland, as previously agreed upon in the Hitler-Stalin NAP, where they maintained control until 1941.

The Germans annexed one portion of Western Poland and treated the other portion as a German colony. They installed a General Government there led by Governor General Dr. Hans Frank. The former Polish government fled and established government-in-exile in Britain. Bergen characterizes Nazi governance in Poland as chaotic and disorganized.

Under Nazi occupation, ethnic Poles were terrorized and brutalized, and Polish Jews were treated even worse.