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1942–1945


Intensification of Mass Killings

German soldiers burn residential buildings to the ground, one by one, during the Warsaw ghetto uprising. [LCID: 46202]

German soldiers burn residential buildings to the ground, one by one, during the Warsaw ghetto uprising. Poland, April 19-May 16, 1943.

—⁠National Archives and Records Administration, College Park, MD

In early 1942, Nazi Germany stood at the height of its power. Germany and its allies controlled most of Europe and even parts of North Africa. The SS had established special killing centers with large gas chambers, expanding the “Final Solution,” the mass murder of European Jews. The perpetrators counted on the cooperation of government agencies, local collaborators, and the support or acquiescence of the general population. Even as the war turned against Germany, the Nazi leadership continued its murderous polices. By May 1945, when the war ended, the Nazis and their allies had killed about 6 million Jews. Millions more people had suffered grievous oppression or death under Nazi tyranny.

Highlighted events

  1. January 20, 1942

    Wannsee Conference

  2. April 19–May, 1943

    Warsaw Ghetto Uprising

  3. June 06, 1944

    D-Day

All events 1942–1945

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