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Hitler addresses Wehrmacht commanders
Hitler addressed Wehrmacht commanders and declared that the impending war would not be fought according to customary military principles but rather as a war of extermination -
Meeting with State Secretaries
A meeting of various state secretaries on May 2 agreed that, as a consequence of prioritizing food supply for the army, “umpteen million people” in the occupied territories would necessarily starve to death -
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Lower Level Nazi take matters into there own hands
Meanwhile, lower levels of the Nazi command structure, particularly those mid-level planners who would be conducting the economic policies of the soon-to-be occupied territories, were also deliberating unprecedented levels of brutality. -
THe High Command issues Barbarossa directive
The High Command of the Wehrmacht issued its Barbarossa Directive, which preemptively granted immunity to German soldiers for participating in these genocidal operations. -
Commiddst Order
Two weeks before the invasion, the High Command issued its Commissar Order, demanding that political officers in the Red Army be identified, segregated, and ultimately executed. -
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Millions dead in the first 9 months
5,700,000 Soviet Soliders prisoners of war. 2,000,000 in the first 9 months on eastern front. -
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Winter of 1941 and Spring of 1942
The winter was a unexpected outcome for the nazi invaders. They expected to easily take out the Red Army, but was met with a harsh winter.
The spring of 1942 failed Germany blitz resulting in a failed victory. Because of the failed victory, Nazi seized Soviet POWs as forced slave labors.
