They were invaded by Germany at the start of World War Two in September, 1939 and soon after became the home of hundreds of concentration camps (History.com staff, “The Holocaust” par. 6 & 10). Polish citizens were victims of the Holocaust, as the nazis sought to destroy the Polish culture. They shot and killed thousands of innocent civilians, killed Polish leaders, and required men to perform forced labor (USHMM, “Polish Victims” par. 1-2). The nazis forced thousands of jews into ghettos, the biggest of which being in the capital of Poland, Warsaw. These ghettos were unsanitary, overcrowded, and had limited amounts of food (USHMM, “Life in Ghettos” par. 1). Nelly Cesana, a survivor of the Holocaust, once said in an interview, “I remember the fear, of never feeling safe. You had to hide constantly” (qtd. in Lee par. 2). Not only Jews were forced out of their homes. Hitler ordered the Germanization of Poland, which expelled Poles out of their homes so Germans could move in. Throughout the time Poland was occupied, 1.5 million Poles were deported to labor camps while hundreds of thousands were deported to ghettos and then to concentration camps. (USHMM, “Polish Victims” par. 4 & 6) According to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, by the end of the war 1.9 million non-jewish Poles were killed along with 3 million jewish Poles (“Polish Victims” par. 6-7). Poland was finally liberated by Soviet troops by the end of January,
They were invaded by Germany at the start of World War Two in September, 1939 and soon after became the home of hundreds of concentration camps (History.com staff, “The Holocaust” par. 6 & 10). Polish citizens were victims of the Holocaust, as the nazis sought to destroy the Polish culture. They shot and killed thousands of innocent civilians, killed Polish leaders, and required men to perform forced labor (USHMM, “Polish Victims” par. 1-2). The nazis forced thousands of jews into ghettos, the biggest of which being in the capital of Poland, Warsaw. These ghettos were unsanitary, overcrowded, and had limited amounts of food (USHMM, “Life in Ghettos” par. 1). Nelly Cesana, a survivor of the Holocaust, once said in an interview, “I remember the fear, of never feeling safe. You had to hide constantly” (qtd. in Lee par. 2). Not only Jews were forced out of their homes. Hitler ordered the Germanization of Poland, which expelled Poles out of their homes so Germans could move in. Throughout the time Poland was occupied, 1.5 million Poles were deported to labor camps while hundreds of thousands were deported to ghettos and then to concentration camps. (USHMM, “Polish Victims” par. 4 & 6) According to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, by the end of the war 1.9 million non-jewish Poles were killed along with 3 million jewish Poles (“Polish Victims” par. 6-7). Poland was finally liberated by Soviet troops by the end of January,