Expulsion of Poles by Nazi Germany
The Expulsion of Poles by Nazi Germany during World War II was a massive operation consisting of the forced resettlement of over 1.7 million Poles from the territories of German-occupied Poland, with the aim of their Germanization (see Lebensraum) between 1939 and 1944.
| Expulsion of Poles by Nazi Germany | |
|---|---|
| Part of German occupation of Poland and World War II | |
Poles expelled in 1939 from Reichsgau Wartheland | |
| Location | German-occupied Poland |
| Date | 1939–1944 |
| Target | Poles |
Attack type | population transfer, ethnic cleansing, massacre, kidnapping of children |
| Perpetrators | Nazi Germany |
| Motive | Anti-Polish sentiment, Germanisation, German irredentism, Lebensraum |
The German Government had plans for the extensive colonisation of territories of occupied Poland, which were annexed directly into Nazi Germany in 1939. Eventually these plans grew bigger to include parts of the General Government. The region was to become a "purely German area" within 15–20 years, as explained by Adolf Hitler in March 1941. By that time the General Government was to be cleared of 15 million Polish nationals, and resettled by 4–5 million ethnic Germans.
The operation was the culmination of the expulsion of Poles by Germany carried out since the 19th century, when Poland was partitioned among foreign powers including Germany.