Die Verfolgung und Vernichtung der Juden im Reichsgau Wartheland 1939-1945

Chronicles the history of the Holocaust in the largest of the Polish territories annexed to the Reich, from the early antisemitic measures through the ghettoization, forced labor, and deportations. Details the structure of the civil administration and the political police, and the names and backgrounds of the Nazi decision-makers. The Gau was to be settled by Volksdeutsche; to make room for them, Poles and Jews were to be deported to the Generalgouvernement. This plan failed when the overcrowded Generalgouvernement refused to accept more deportees and the Soviets halted the German advance. The Jews, empoverished, starving, and prey to epidemics, became a problem for the local administrations. Rather than admit that they had created this problem themselves, they called for the elimination of the Jews; and, since all other avenues were closed, proposed that they be killed. Himmler and Heydrich gave their permission in late summer 1941. Jews were killed in gas trucks, later centralized in Chełmno, the first extermination camp. Those capable of labor were concentrated in forced labor camps and in the Łódź ghetto. The camps were gradually liquidated, but the Łódź ghetto, because of its importance to the war effort (and to the private pockets of the administrator, Biebow, and Gau leaders) functioned until August 1944. Points out that the ideological framework for the Final Solution was established by Hitler, but the details of its implementation were determined by local administrators. Originally presented as the author's thesis (doctoral)--Freiburg im Breisgau, 2001, under the title: Die Anfänge und die Durchführung der "Endlösung" : die Verfolgung und Vernichtung der Juden im Reichsgau Wartheland 1939-1945. xi, 574 pages : illustrations, maps ; 25 cm.