1 implementation in poland
1.1 upper silesia
1.2 benefits of registration
1.3 polish response
1.4 results
implementation in poland
himmler had plan prepared , ordered administered wilhelm frick s interior ministry. deutsche volksliste mandated in march 1941 decrees of minister of interior of reich (frick) , of heinrich himmler in function kommissar für die festigung des deutschen volkstums (commissioner strengthening of germanhood). thus, himmler s plan implemented year , half after ad hoc categorization processes had begun in poland. on 3 april 1941 expanded western polish areas (reichsgau danzig-west prussia, upper silesia, , parts of east prussia).
upper silesia
the nationality policy in upper silesia different 1 applied in other polish areas included in reich. motivation difference different local economic conditions , necessity keep qualified manpower essential silesian heavy industry. in historical analyses, has been noticed, although less explicitly, nationality policy of local german elites deliberately different. apparently, gauleiter josef wagner, successor, fritz bracht, saw necessity exclude silesian people qualification made on basis of race criteria emphasized heinrich himmler when reich commissar strengthening germanhood.
fritz , bracht used political criteria, made situation similar pomerelia (former west prussia, annexed danzig-west prussia) , areas annexed germany in western europe (such alsace-lorraine). resulted in comparatively low number of deportations , in majority of upper silesians (both silesian west-slavs ethnic poles) being eligible german citizenship, although rights alleged have been limited compared of other german citizens.
benefits of registration
the german occupation authorities encouraged poles register volksliste, , in many instances compelled them so. in occupied poland, status of volksdeutscher conferred many privileges made 1 subject conscription german military.
polish response
polish response institution of deutsche volksliste mixed. being accepted class iii mean keeping 1 s property, might mean being sent reich labourer or being conscripted wehrmacht.
polish citizens of german ancestry, identified polish nation, confronted dilemma of whether sign volksliste. group included ethnic germans families had lived in poland proper centuries, , germans (who became citizens of poland after 1920) part of germany had been transferred poland after world war i. many such ethnic germans had married poles , remained defiant. choice either sign , regarded traitor polish, or not sign , treated german occupation traitor germanic race people became ethnic germans treated poles special contempt, , fact of them having signed volksliste constituted high treason according polish underground law. poles preferred stay friends , relatives resisted nazi pressures apply dvl, opting deportation general government on germanization. children taken germanization while deported.
in parts of silesia, volksliste compulsory, , both polish government in-exile , bishop of katowice, stanisław adamski, condoned signing mask , save polish element in upper silesia. ethnic poles silesia subject pressure nazi authorities sign category iii or iv. in many cases people imprisoned, tortured , close ones threatened if refused sign; deportation concentration camps common.
in cases, individuals consulted polish resistance first, before registering volksliste. these volksdeutsche played important role in intelligence activities of polish resistance, , @ times primary source of information allies. however, in eyes of postwar communist government, having aided non-communist polish resistance not considered mitigating factor; therefore, many of these double-agent volksdeutsche prosecuted after war.
results
according robert koehl, introduction of registration procedure known german national list (dvl) 900,000 more germans discovered, of them semi-polish minorities such kassubians, masurians, , local upper silesians whom germans called wasserpolen . few thousand re-germanizeables ...had been shipped reich. october 1943, around 90 percent (1,290,000) of silesians signed dvl.
the total number of registrants dvl estimated approximately 2.7 million, 1 million in classes , ii , remaining 1.7 million in classes iii , iv. in general government there 120,000 volksdeutsche. deutsche volksliste, late 1942
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