the Russians. Warsaw fell on 27 September 1939 and all resistance ceased by 5 October. Some Polish soldiers and airman escaped through Hungary and Rumania to France and some Polish warships escaped to join the British navy. A Polish army was reformed in France and by the Spring of 1940 it had almost 200,000 men. (The Poles also fought in the Norwegian campaign in May 1940). After the fall of France in June 1940 Polish airmen played a major role in the Battle of Britain. Meanwhile parts of Poland were absorbed into Germany. The rest of German occupied Poland was organised under a General Government. The Russian occupied parts of Poland were absorbed into the Soviet Union. The German-Soviet occupation of Russia meant terrible suffering for the Polish people. Polish Jews were exterminated. Altogether about 3 million Polish Jews were murdered. About 3 million other Poles were killed. Hitler hated Slavs and he claimed they were sub-human. The Nazis planned to turn the Poles into a nation of slaves who would do menial work for their German masters. Poles would be given as little education as possible. Therefore vast numbers of highly educated Poles were murdered. All Polish universities and secondary schools were closed. Furthermore Polish industry and estates were confiscated by the Germans. Any act of resistance, however slight, was punished by execution of by deportation to a concentration camp. Despite the tyranny the Poles formed a powerful resistance movement. By 1943 partisans were fighting in the forests of