1939-1941

  • The Knauer case

    • Knauer family petitioned Hitler for permission to have their severely disable child "put to sleep"
    • Led to Child and Adult Euthanasia
    • kept a secret from the public - was outraged when they found outt
  • Decree bound all public, religious and private institutions to disclose mentally disabled patients

  • Einsatzgruppen formed

    role was to combat all anti-reich and anti-german elements in enemy territory behind the front-line troops and to 'render harmless' the leadership class in Poland
  • Approved plans for the demographic reorganisation of easter europe

    -After defeating Poland
    -approved the madagascar plan after the victory over france
    -more victories might lead to more radical policies
  • Hitler invades Poland

  • Mass shooting in Upper Silesia

    • special SS task force carried out mass shootings for Jews
    • Protests from Army High Command brought temporary halt to killings
    • 5000 Jews killed in first 6 weeks of German invasion of Poland
  • The Lublin Reservation

    • Jews and other undesireables should be sent to the Lublin district, the furtherest coroner of the German empire
  • Madagascar Plan

  • Warsaw ghetto sealed

    • 500,000 Jews, over 100,000 people per square kilometre
    • food rations fell below an average of 300 calories a day
  • Bishop von Galen on Musinter issued a sermon publicly denouncing the T-4 operation

    • Nazi leaderesip was furious
    • refused to sanction agaisnt him - didnt want a matyr
    • Hitler ordered a stop to the gassings and circulated a rumour that he was unaware of the programme
    • child euthanasia still continued until 1945
    • adult euthanasia resumed out of public view - used other methods such as malnuirtion and drug overdose