Okupacyjna administracja niemiecka na ziemiach Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej w latach 1939–1945
The German Occupation Administration on the Territory of the Republic of Poland in 1939–1945

Summary/Abstract: The problem of the organization and functioning of German administration on the occupied territory of the Republic of Poland during World War II still has not been thoroughly described in Polish historiography. This is why this article first of all presents the basic “legal acts” of the German occupant which created the fundamental structural and organizational-territorial frameworks for each of the German administration structures (models) in Poland in 1939–1945. In general, there were three such models: the first one referred to the Polish territories annexed to the Third Reich in 1939; the second one was related to the German administration in the General Governorate. The third model was connected with the Polish territories annexed to the Soviet Union after 17th September 1939 and incorporated into German rule after 22nd June 1941. Simultaneously, the process of establishing the structures of the German occupation administration on the occupied Polish territories in the years 1939–1945 consisted of several phases. The first one comprised the period from 1st September to 25th October 1939. That was the time of the establishing of the German military government and annexing a part of the occupied Polish territory directly to the German Reich. The second phase lasted from 25th October 1939 to 22nd June 1941. It was characterized by the dissolution of the German military government on the occupied Polish territory and simultaneous establishing of the civilian administration structures of the German Governorate. The third phase covered the period from 22nd June 1941 to the end of World War II in 1945. Its main characteristics include the German-Soviet war and the total German control of the territory of the Second Polish Republic in 1941–1944. It must be emphasized that the German occupation administration pursued the aims and performed the tasks of the German Reich on the occupied territory of the Republic of Poland during World War II despite the fact that Polish citizens also worked in that administration, but to a very limited extent. The authorities of the Third Reich considered that administration to be one of the most important instruments for implementing of extermination and genocidal policy aimed at Polish nation that fell partially, and then in 1941 completely under German rule. And it was only due to the lack of time that the strategic aim of the occupation had not been accomplished, i.e. the total removal of Polish citizens from the occupied territory of the Republic of Poland.

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