Figure 1.-- The German occupation of Poland included the execution of large numbers of hostages, often Jews selected for that purpose. This was done in full public view. The Bundesarchiv identifies the Germans here an SS Eisatzgruppen, but we are not sure if there is evidence of this or the archivist just assumes such killing was done by the SS. Of course the SS did conduct such actins, but The Wehrmacht was also involved in executions like this. The victims and town here are unidentied, but similar Actions took place throughout German occupied Poland. The German authorities also began executing Polish intelectuals, including artists, college professors, government officials musicians, writers, and others as the firt step in destroying Polish mational life. The Bundesarchiv staff has dared un October 1939. It could have been taken in September 1939. Source: Bundesarchiv Bild 146-1968034=10A

Almost all of Europe, much of Oceania and Asia, and some of Africa was occupied by the Axis powers during World War II. The Japanese Militarists even before the NAZIs took power in Germany began invading and occupying Asian countries. The Soviet Union was for a time allied to the Axis and like the European Axis countries occupied several European countries at the onset of the War. Subsequently Italy joined the Germans and occupied several countries, oftn jointly with the Germans. Only the Americas escaped Axis occupation and even here, Vichy controlled French colonies for a while. The Axis abd Soviet occupation regimes were some of the most brutal and deadly in Europen history. There was really nothing like them since the Viking invasions during the Middle Ages, brining a mix of robbery, destruction, slaughter and slavery. The occupation experience varied from country to country. Here various factors were involved such as etnicity and willingness to cooperate with the invaders. Ethnicity was especially important to the race-crazed NAZIs, thus the occuoation regime was much more brutal in the East and the West. The German Generalplan Ost is perhaps the most horific document in European history. Few in the Western countries occupied, especially Vichy France, however, understood that the NAZIs were restrained during the War so as not to disrupt the economy and contribution to the War effort. Not was it known that SS think tanks were studing what was to be done with these counries and populations after the War was won. German plans for Britain after it was dfeated follow the outlines laborated in the East and he same wouls have followed in other Western countries like France, presumably more sever because the population was less Germanic/Nordic.

Defeat

World War II was launched by NAZI and Soviet dictators, Adolf Hitler and Josef Stalin (September 1939). The Axis countries and their Soviet allies achieved great victories, defeating one hapless victim after another, mostly small countries that could be defeated in weeks if not days. There were two primary reasons for this. First the NAZIs had invented modern warfare meaning combined arms operations. The Western press named this Blitzkrieg while not fully understanding it. Neither did the military establishments in the countries victimized. Second, the Western democracies horrified by the tragedy of Word War I, either attempted to appease the Axis countries or in the case of the United States, attempted to isolate itself believing that it was protected by two vast ocean barriers and could avoid another war. at the same time the Axis countries and Soviets devoted vast sums to building massive military forces and arms industries. The Western democracies refused to match Axis and Soviet military spending. The result was all too predictable--defeat on a massive scale. The bitter taste of defeat finally reached America when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor (December 1941). Defeat for most countries was final, there was no way a defeated country in its own could throw off their Axis occupiers willing to exert violence on a mass scale. Fortunately for humanity, Hitler attacked countries that could not be defeated in a few weeks. First, the channel stopped the NAZI Panzers from reaching Britain which as supported by its colonial empire and America. Then he broke broke the alliance with Stalin and invaded the Soviet Union, a vast country with enormous resources. Finally he declared war on America which he could not even reach because of the Atlantic Ocean. These were countries with enormous resources which had the time to learn modern warfare. Defeat was ominous, but the occupied people and the countries resisting the NAZIs (principally Britain and France) did not at first understand th enormity of the crimes these countries were perpetrating. Over 50 million people perished in World War II. This was diametrically different than World War I in which the casualties were primarily military. This is because of the violence of the Axis countries to which the defeted occupied countries were subjected. This is especially the case of the NAZIs for which mass murder was a primary war goal in its drive to reegineer not only the political map of Europe, but the ethnic map as well.

Occupation Policies

Several countries occupied other countries during World War II, including both Axis and Allied countries. This involved the various militaries in non-military functions called civil affairs by the Allies. It was another term for military government. Military government and occupation policies varied widely. Allied policies were more consistent. As the Allies moved into German occupation areas of Western Europe, the policy was essentially one of liberation and relief because the Germans had devastated local economies. At first Alied civil affairs involved assisting liberated countries. This in some cases meant populations in desperate states, although the liberation of France occurred so rapidly that battle damage was largely localized to the Normandy are. Italy whch swiched sides was in a desperated conditions. The Dutch north of the Rhine in particular were starving. The Allies did adopt occupation policies for the Axis countries (Austria, Germany, and Japan). Italy was a little different because as part of the Italian surrender, Italy joined the war against the Germans. Axis occupation policies varied widely, especially German policies. One consistent theme with the Axis was economic exploitation and/or efforts to annex occupied areas and suppress the population. Here German racial policies had a major impact. In line with Holocaust actions, Generalplan Ost, and the Hunger Plan , the goal was to substantially reduce the Slavic population and convert the survivors to slave labor. Soviet occupation policies were also very consistent. The goal was to annex some areas, deport selected groups, suppress democratic elements, and install compliant puppet regimes. The policy when they reach Germany was to exact substantial reparations and a generous dose of revenge.

Occupied Countries

Africa

(The) Americas

Only the Americas escaped Axis occupation and even here, Vichy controlled French colonies for a while.

Asia

The Japanese even before the NAZIs took power in Germany began invading and occuoyibg Asian countries. The Japanese had seized Formosa and Korea befoee World war I and after the war were awarded League of Nations Trusteeships in the Pacific. A isput arose over Shandong/Tsingtao. Japanese militrists gind controlof the Governemnt and seizd Manchuria (1931). They then invaded China prope (1937) and occupied much of the country. The Japanese carrier attack on Pearl Harbor launched the Pacific Wr (1941). Tthe Japanese in a 6 month peiod occupied most of the eastern Pacific in a series of stunning military campaigns. They were finally stopped by the American naval victory at Midway and the first Allied offensive on Gudalacanal (1942). The Japanese conducted a brutal occupation regime with variations from country to country. The approch in China was the Three Alls. Japanese policy was to convince Asians that they were liberators. They had some success, but the brutality associated with Japanese rule soon made their goals evident. Still some nationalists cooperated with them. Terrible faminens occurred throughout the Japanese occupied areas.

Europe

Almost all of Europe, much of Oceania and Asia, and some of Africa was occupied by the Axis powers during World War II. The Soviet Union was for a time allied to the Axis and like the European Axis countries occupied several European countries at the onset of the War. Subsequently Italy joined the Germans and occupying severl countries, often jointly with the Germans. The Axis and Soviet occupation regimes were som of the most brutal and deadly in Europen history. There was really nothing like them since the Viking invasions during the Middle Ages, brining a mix of robbery, destruction, slaughter and slavery. The occupation experience varied from country to country. Here various factors were involved such as etnicity and willingness to cooperate with the invaders. Ethnicity was especially important to the race-crazed NAZIs, thus the occuoation regime was much more brutal in the East and the West. The German Generalplan Ost is perhaps the most horific document in European history. Few in the Western countries occupied, especially Vichy France, however, understood that the NAZIs were restrained during the War so as not to disrupt the economy and contribution to the War effort. Not was it known that SS think tanks were studing what was to be done with these counries and populations after the War was won. German plans for Britain after it was dfeated follow the outlines laborated in the East and he same wouls have followed in other Westrn countries like France, presumably more sever because the population was less Germanic/Nordic.

Oceania

Created: December 29, 2002
Last updated: 10:45 PM 7/6/2022