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1939–1941


World War II and the Mass Killing of Jews

Polish civilians walk by a section of the wall that separated the Warsaw ghetto from the rest of the city. [LCID: 78390]

Polish civilians walk by a section of the wall that separated the Warsaw ghetto from the rest of the city. Warsaw, Poland, 1940–41.

—⁠Bildarchiv Preussischer Kulturbesitz

On September 1, 1939, Nazi Germany unleashed World War II by invading Poland. The war radicalized Nazi policies, leading to brutal occupations of conquered territory. German authorities in occupied Poland established ghettos for Jews. They also introduced harsh measures against non-Jewish Poles. Inside Germany and in occupied Polish territories, German physicians and SS staff used gas chambers to kill institutionalized persons with disabilities. In June 1941, German troops invaded the Soviet Union, unleashing a “racial war” that led to the mass murder of Soviet Jews and Soviet prisoners of war. In the weeks and months that followed, Nazi Germany’s leaders decided to carry out the systematic mass murder of Europe’s Jews.

Highlighted events

  1. November 15, 1940

    Warsaw Ghetto Sealed

  2. December 08, 1941

    Killing Operations Begin at Chelmno

  3. December 08, 1941

    United States Declares War on Japan

All events 1939–1941

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