Poles in Lwf

[Larry deZeng]

There were 620,000 Volksdeutsch living in the Wartheland and other German-annexed provinces of western Poland and 134,000 Volksdeutsch in Soviet-annexed eastern Poland in September 1939. A further 60,000 lived in the German-occupied region of Poland called the General Government (Generalgouvernement). Within several months, the 134,000 and the 60,000 were mostly resettled in the German-annexed areas. Beginning in 1940, a further 850,000 Poles applied for and officially became Volksdeutsch based on ancestry and other criteria. In 1942 all Poles who had lived under German rule prior to 1918 and their children were declared to be Volksdeutsch citizens. German conscription of Volksdeutsch in Poland began in 1940 with all males between 19 and 45 eligible. Towards the end of the war this was expanded to 16 to 60. At least 280,000 Volksdeutsch from Poland served in German uniform during the war and many of them were in the Luftwaffe. What we do not know is how many were trained and served as air crew. Remember, air crew personnel were less than 5% of the total strength of the Luftwaffe.

Source:
Ready, J. Lee. World War Two Nation by Nation. London: Arms & Armour Press, 1995. Pages 237-45.

L.