Figure 1.--Here we see Soviet civilans living rough in the woods. The Germans kept food from civilians not working for them. Thus major cities started empyting out. People like this were forced to forage for food. Many did not survive, especially during the winter. Thevlocation here is not identified, except for the German occupied Soviet Union. The photograph was dated November 13, 1843. By that time much of the Ukraune had been liberated, but Belarus was stillm occupied. The press caotion read, "Protection: This is no picnic in the woods. No picnic! In this manner under the open sky, with scabnt sheter or blankets again rain and cild, live women and children. From nearby villages they have fledv from the brutal Germans to claim protection of the Guerilla band." The American newspaper was still talking about German brutality. Unknown at the time was the calcularted German policy to starve these people and millions more as part of the Hunger Plan.

Even worse off were the civilans trapped in German occupied areas. The phenomenal early successes of Barbarossa left the Germans in control of most of the best agricultural land of the Soviet Union--the highly productive black soil lands of the Ukraine and adjacent areas of Russia and Bylorussia. This had been one of the major attractions that had drawn Hitler to the East. Hitler believed that the vast tracts of productive land would feed the Reich during the War. It did not. It did meet the needs of the Whermacht, but very little food from the East reached German civilians. The Whermacht only fed the Soviets working for them. All other Soviet civilanss had to fend for themselves. Large numbers of civilians fled the major cities, seeking food in the country side or even living rough in the woods. Villages were also destroyed by the retreating Germans, forcing more people into the countrside. Food and shelter in the winter were their major problem. They had to forage for food, finding roots, nettles, wild berries, even pine needles and spruce branches. Many red Army soldiers were doing the same. [Collingham, p. 323.] Some werev taken in by the partisabns (guerilla) (figure 1). This ws not always possible. The partisans had trouble feeding themselves and a large civilian camp made it easier for the Germans to spot them. Some of these civilans were targeted by Geman anti-partisan campaigns. We do not have information on survival rates for these people. Perhaps readers will know more. Large numbers of these civilans must have petished. This is just what the Germans planned. Unless they worked for the Germans, there was no access to food which was a calculated policy as part of the German's horific Hunger Plan. This is one reason the population of major Soviets cities dwindled as people fled into the countryside seeking food. Major Soviert cities were depopulated. This essntually was what was planned by the NAZI Hunger Plan.

Sources

Collingham, Lizzie. The Taste of War: World War II and the Battle for Food (Penguin Books: New York, 1962), 634p.

Created: 2:01 AM 12/20/2013
Last updated: 2:01 AM 12/20/2013