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Hitler is granted emergency power as a result of the Nazis burning a building to make a statement.
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this means he now has total control over the government
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created by Hermann Göring in the German state of Prussia.
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Also, Nazis pass Law to strip Jewish immigrants from Poland of their German citizenship.
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Jewish are now prohibited from several rights
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occurs as Hitler, Göring, and Himmler conduct a purge of the SA (stormtrooper) leadership.
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Hitler becomes Führer
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Austria has a population of 200,000 Jews, mainly living in Vienna. Hitler announces Anschluss (union) with Austria
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Nazis arrest 17,000 Jews of Polish nationality living in Germany, then expel them back to Poland which refuses them entry, leaving them in 'No-Man's Land' near the Polish border for several months.
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The St. Louis, a ship crowded with 930 Jewish refugees, is turned away by Cuba, the United States, and other countries and returns to Europe.
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Beginning of SS activity in Poland.
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the second camp at Auschwitz began. It would soon become the most brutal and overcrowded camp in Germany.
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The Nazis herded thousands of Jews from Kiev, in the occupied Ukraine, to the nearby ravine of Babi Yar. The Jews were forced to undress and hand over their valuables and then shot. Over the course of two days, 33,771 Jews were murdered.
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Killing operations began in Chełmno, the first stationary facility using poison gas for mass murder.
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The deportation of Amsterdam’s Jews from Westerbork transit camp to Auschwitz-Birkenau began.
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A decree was passed stating that all German Sinti and Roma were to be deported to Auschwitz and destroyed.
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The German Army surrendered to Soviet forces at Stalingrad, Russia, after 90.000 German soldiers had been encircled for several months. This was a key turning point in World War Two.
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The final liquidation of the Warsaw Ghetto began. The Jews, armed with pistols and rifles, resisted the Nazis. In response, the Nazis burned down the ghetto and murdered all of its inhabitants. The uprising became a symbol of Jewish resistance.
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Due to the approaching Soviet Army, 58,000 prisoners of Auschwitz were forced on marches to the concentration and labour camps in central Germany. These marches became known as death marches. Image courtesy of USHMM.
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The Soviet Army liberated Auschwitz and freed the remaining 7,650 prisoners.
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British forces liberated the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp.
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At 2.41 pm, General Jodl and Admiral Friedeburg signed documents of unconditional surrender at Eisenhower’s headquarters. The following day was declared the Day of Victory in Europe by Churchill and Truman.