Europe in the Grip of the Police
The Second World War began with the invasion of Poland by the German Reich on 1 September 1939. The Wehrmacht offensive in 1940 led to the conquest of large parts of Northern and Western Europe. The war in the Balkans and against the Soviet Union in 1941 expanded the German sphere of influence to include almost all of Europe.
The police imposed their organizational structure on all of the occupied territories. As deputies of Himmler, higher SS and police officers exerted direct influence on occupation policy. To carry out their aims the German police were dependent on the support of the local population.
Police, SS and Wehrmacht reacted to attacks and sabotage with ruthless severity, even against uninvolved persons. Murder and terror by German police units became synonymous with Nazi tyranny. The brutality of the occupiers led to ever greater resistance in all of the occupied countries.
