Figure 1.--The primary NAZI policy after invading Poland was to ghettoize Jews. Once the ghettoes were closed, the NAZIs had complete control over what when in and out of the ghettos. This meant that they could begin starving their Jewish victims. They set rations at about 25 percent of what was needed to sustain life. Only the process of starvation took much longer than they desired. SS men controlling the ghettos began seprating the non-workers such as the children for immediate elimination. Here we see children that have already been separated touchingly cling to the last contact with their anguished mother, not understanding that they are about to be murdered. We are not sure what ghetto this was, perhaps Lodz.

The genocidal Hunger Plan unfolded differently in the various countries occupied by NAZI Germany and with different goals. The two countries most affected by the Hunger Plan were Poland and the Soviet Union, including Byleorussia, the area of eastern Poland seized by the Soviet Union (September 1939). This included most, but not all of the areas included in Generalplan Ost, but not of it. The draconian measures enforced in Poland and the Soviet Union were not implemented in the Baltics and Czechoslovakia. The Poles experienced extreme privation during World War II, but outright starvation was rare, with the exception of the Jewish ghettoes where people did stave in large numbers (especially by 1942). Outside the ghettos, rations levels for Poles were also very low (but higher than Jewish ration leves) , but the non-Jewish Poles had options that the Jews did not. Poland did not have many large industrial cities like the Soviet Union and the Germans wre not as intent in destroying Polish industry as was the case in the Soviet Union. They wanted to use it for the war effort ad to eventually eliminate or deport the Pole. The Soviet Union was the coutry that the NAZI Hunger Plan had its most diosastrous impact. Here the mortalities were not only the result of German deliberate deninal of food to the civilian populaton, but also war damage, actions impeding production, unreaistic expectations of harvest levels, and damage done as a resut of the Soviet Scorched Earth policies. As a result, many Soviet citizens died during the NAZI occupation. Bylorussia and the Ukraine was especially had hit. Greece and te Netherlands were two special situations.

Poland

The Poles experienced extreme privation during World War II, but outright starvation was limited, with the exception of the Jewish ghettoes where people did stave in large numbers (especially by 1942). Outsuide the ghettoes, rations levels for Poles were very rare, but the non-Jewish Poles had options that the Jews did not. Poland did not have many large industrial cities like the Soviet Union and the Germans were not as intent in destroying Polish industry as was the case in the Soviet Union. The extent of dislocations and racially based administration and rationing significanly affected the food supplies availavle to the Polish people. Not only were rations for Poles set at etremnely low levels in caloric terms. ["The food rationng ..."] Ration levels varied over time. We note levels of 600-700 clories during 1941, about a quater of what was needed to sustain life. [Madajczyk, p. 226.] Jews got even less. Poles were also prohibited from purchasing a range of specific food items even if available in the shops which was often not the case. These included: wheat bread, veal and pork, rice, honey, fish, berries, fruit juices, and onions. Children were especially impacted. People were forced to buy food on the black market. Many without funds had to sell what their possessions they had. One Polish woman describes how she avoided sarvation by trading clothes for butter, flour, barley meal, and other foods. [Brzeska] It was of course the urban population that especially suffered. The situation was at first ameliorated to a small degreeby the Commission for Polish Relief which provide emergency America food shipments. This ended when Hitler declared war on America (December 1941). Among the commodities also impossible to obtain were salt and sugar. People turned what ever groud was availabe into inpromtu gardens, growing potatoes and in larger plots rye.

Soviet Union

The Soviet Unon was the coutry on which the NAZI Hunger Plan as part of Generalplan Ost had its most disastrous impact. NAZI civilian officials and Wehrmacht planners studied the economic situation as part of the Barbarossa planning. [Welsh, p. 4.] The conclusion was that it was the agricutural and natural resources that were important. They were nor interested in Soviet industrial capscity, in fact an important war goal was to destroy it. Large areas of the NAZI occupied Soviet Union experienced famine. Here the mortalities were not only the result of German deliberate deninal of food to the civilian populaton, but also war damage, actions impeding production, unrealistic expectations of harvest levels, and damage done as a resut of the Soviet Scorched Earth policies. Barbarossa planners did not have any realistic idea of Soviet grain production. They had in their mind vast ripening fields of grain. This was all escalated by Soviet grain deliveries under the terms of the NAZI-Soviet Non-Agression Pact (1939-41). And the Sioviet production was affected by the German invasion. The Soviets destroyed a great deal of farm equipment as part of their Scorched Earth Policy. Even a more humanitarian administration would have had difficulty restoring production. nd the Germans had no such motivation. The Germans made some efforts bring farming back to normal, but the Wehrmacht as part of Barbarossa planning was expected to live off the and like a pilaging 17th century army. Actions such as seizing draft animals and livestock, usually slaughtered to fed the troops, undetmined such efforts. As much as the NAZIs headed Stalin, they decided to use one of the instiutions most assiociated wuith his regime--farm collectives. Stalin used the collectives to starbe Ukranian peasants. The NAZIs instead of disbanding Staklin's collectives, decided to maintain them. They would be used to starve Ukranians, Bylorussians, and Russians. [Snyder, p. 162.] As a result, many Soviet citizens died during the NAZI occupation. Bylorussia and the Ukraine was especially had hit. This was of course, precisely the goal of the NAZI planners. What they did not anticipate was that production would plummet. Somehow planners like Backe asummed that as Poles, Bylorussians, Ukranians, and Russians died, a vast agricutural surplus woud be created to feed the Reich. This did not occur. While the Wehrmacht was able to sutain itself, the massive grain shipments that Stalin had been sending to Gerany ended with Brbarossa.

Baltic Republics

We are not sure yet about German policies in the Baltic republics. They were before the War independent countries and then invaded and annexed to the Soviet Union (1940). Y hey were non-Slavic peoples, but still slated for massive destruction in Generalplan Ost. The Lithuanians were especially targeted, presumably because of their historic assocition with Poland. We are not yet sure about German-set ration levels and food policy in the Baltics. As far as we know, however, the draconian policies implemented in Bylorussia and the Ukraine were not implemnted in the Baltics. In the Slavic countries there were racial motives for murder. The Germans saw the Slavvs as a threat. The small Baltic populations wre, however, not a threat to the Germans. In the Baltics, however, the Germans seem to have orimarily just wanted their land.

Greek Famine (1941-42)

The Germans occupied Greece after invading Yugoslavia (April 1941). They seized control of the country's food supply, causing a terrible famine. In this case, it does not seem to have been a policy objective of reducing the Greek population, but more an unintended consequence. The German did little to address the situatin which they created. Thousands of adults and children starved in Greece as a result of famine. This was not plananned by the NAZIs in the same way that Jews were starved in the gettoes and concentration camps or that Stalin enginered the Ukranian famine. The Greek famine was the result of the fact that Greece imported food and after the occupation this was no longer possible. The condition was wornsened by shipments of food to Germany to support the NAZI war economy. The Germans engineered the famine, but more out of indiference than malovenence. No exact accounting exists of the death toll, but seems to have exceed 0.3 million people.

Dutch Hunger Winter (1944-45)

The Germans from the beginning of the occupation (Mau 1940) used the Netherlands as a source of food. Rationing meant that all but the Jews and those in hiding got enough food to survive. After the failure of Market Garden and the onset of the Dutch Railway Strike, the German authorities reetaliated by embargoing food transports to the western Netherlands. The Germans partially lifted thre embargo (early November 1944). They allowed restricted food on water transports--primarily barges. The early onset of a particularly harsh winter disrupted barge traffic. The canals froze over making barge operations impossible. Occupation authorities instituted mneasures which virtuall stopped farmers from delivering food to cities and towns. Coal, gas, and electricity was also cut off. Dutch municipal officials did as best they could. Rations were 1,500 calories in October, but sliced to 900 in November. Further cuts were made. Availability differed from town to town, but in some places had declibned to 230 calories and even that was not always available by April. Municipal kitchens were set up, but little food was available. Old buildings were cut down as well as avaiable trees. The children an elderly especially began to exhibit symtoms of starvation (January 1945). The underground issued pleas, but crossing the Rhine was a huge military obstacle. Children were sent by their parents into the streets to steel food. City dwealers in weakened conditions treaked into the country side attemoting to trade whatever they possesed for food. Some farmers tried to help, but others saw these city people as thieves and looters. Often the food they obtained at great cost was confiscated by German patrols when the treakers tried to return home.

Sources

Welch, Steven R. "The Annihilation of Superfluous Eaters": Nazi Plans for and Use of Famine in Eastern Europe," MacMillan Center Genocide Studies, No. 17 (2001).

"The food rationing system in Poland," Polish Fortnightly Review Vol. 55 (November 1, 1942), p. 7.

Created: 8:31 PM 3/22/2013
Last updated: 8:31 PM 3/22/2013



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