Figure 1.--

A key elment in the Germanization of the east was finding Germans to populate it with. An important part of this process was to "reclaim" Aryan stock from the occupied territories and turning them into Germans. This process was termed Eindeutschung. The SS section responsible for Eindeutschung was Rasse und Siedlungshauptamt--RuSHA (Race and Settlement Head Office). Here the SS's authority also overlapped with Alfred Rosenberg's Ostministerium (Ministry for the Occupied East). While there were differences within the SS, there was agreement that the most of the population of the occupied East was not suitable for Eindeutschung and would have to be expelled to Siberia. The differences withinthe SS was the extent to which force should be used to bring about the emmigration to Siberia. [Padfield, p. 363.]

Terminology

We have tranlated Eindeutschung as "Germinization" a short convenient term. An accurate term is much more complicated. Eindeutschung as program implemented by the NAZIs. The NAZIs saw Eindeutschung as the reapprpriaton of stolen genetic material. The NAZI Eindeutschung program involved several different steps. First suitable individuals had to be identified. Second if the individuals are children, they have to be transferred to the approriate Eindeutschung authorities. Third, the children have to be culturally socialized to become Germans.

The Occupied East

The NAZI program for Lebensraum in the east was not just to acquire territory. The plans for that territory was monsterous beyond belief. he plan was to evacate Poles an Russians from these territories. Some would remain to serve as slave laborers. Millions would be expelled or "evacuatd" with the understanding that large numbers would die in the process. The goal was to make the east German. Here Reichsführer Heinrich Himmler had the responsibility for persuing this effort. He appears to have assigned his deputy Reinhard Heydrich appears to have coordinated this effort and essentially he SS's entire eastern operations. Heydrich ordered the Sicherheitsdienst (SD) (SS Security Service) in 1941 to begin the necessary planning. The Reichs-Sicherheitsdienst (RSHA) (Reich Decurity Head Office). There were differences of opinion within the SS and between the SS and Alfred Rosenberg's Ostministerium (Ministry for the Occupied East) over how to claim the East. There was agreemnt that large numers of Slavs had to be removed to Siberia. There were differences as to the extent to which forcible evictions should take place.

Covert Operation

Eindeutschung was one of several NAZI racil and eugenics programs that were conducted covertly. There were the T4 eutenasia program and 14f13 concentration camp euthensia killings. Both of these preceeded the mass killings in the Holocaust. Eindeutschung was also conducted covrtly nd officials discouraged the use of the term to describe the children involved. Thi wasbecause it might make the pogram more difficult to execute if it was widely known what the NAZIs were doing. In addition some Germans at home would object if it details of the program would publicized. It would also make it more difficult to place children if adoptive parents wre told that the children were Polish or Russian and not German orphans. There was also concern that the children would be stigmatized. The childrn were described as German orphanns from the reconqeredEast. [Padfield, p. 365.]

Population Assessments

While there were differences with the SS and Ostministerium on policies and progams in the occupied territories in the East. A conference was held between the SS and Ostministerium on February 4, 1942 to resolve some of these differences. The conference was chaird by Dr. Bruno Kleist, Chief of Department I 2 (Ostland). There was general agreement that the population of the occupied territories should be assessed racially to identify individuals suitable for Eindeutschung. Itwas decided that such an assessment should be disguied as a health inquiry

Himmler in October 1940 had suggested that Polish school children in the Protectorate (I think that meant the Goverment General) could best be asessed through a form purporting to be for health purposes. Thee were medical questions such as illnesses and state of the teeth and vision as well as informatin like height and weight. The important questions for the NAZIs, however, eye and hair color. There were three categories of eye color: 1) blue, grey, and green; 2) brown and dak brown; and 3) black. There were two categories of hair color: 1) blond and 2) brown, dark brown, and black. He also wanted full facial and frontal photographs, presumably to detect Slavic features like noticeable high cheek bones. [Padfield, p. 364.]

Poland

Eindeutschung was first persued in Poland after the NAZI invasion launching World War II (September 1939). Germany invaded Poland in September 1939 and defeated the Polish Army in a few weeks, introducing the world to Blitzkrieg warfare. They divided Poland woth the Soviet Union which after tghe German success invaded from the east. The SS conducted kidnappings take children children who matched NAZIs racial criteria by force. The occupation of Poland was one of the most brutal in European history. Occupation aithorities, especially the SS, were under no legal or moral constraints as regards their conduct and the execultion of occupation policies. Poles had no recourse. The NAZI set out to eliminate the Polish intelgencia and reduce the rest of the country to a vast population of slave labor. It is estimated that a quarter of the population of Poland perished during the occupation. Thousands of Polish children were transferred to special Lebensborn centers in order to be "Germanized". Most sources estimate over 0.2 million Polish children were kidnapped.

Sources

Padfield, Peter. Himmler: Reichsführer-SS (Henry Holt: New York, 1991), 656p.

Created: September 16, 2002
Last updated: September 21, 2002