Operation Tannenberg

Operation Tannenberg (; ) was one of the first anti-Polish mass murders by Nazi Germany in occupied Poland from September 1939 to January 1940. The operation was conducted based on the Special Prosecution Book – Poland (), a list with the names of over 61,000 Poles chosen for execution.Stanisław Dąbrowa-Kostka, Hitlerowskie afisze śmierci (eng. "Nazi death posters"), KAW Warszawa 1983, p.339, (Polish),(German),(English)

Events

About 20,000 Poles were killed in the first phase of Operation Tannenberg, which involved the shooting and gassing of hospital patients and disabled people as part of the operation Aktion T4. 

The second phase of Operation Tannenberg saw the mass murder of 36,000–42,000 in Pomerania by the end of 1939 under the codename  ("Actions against the Intelligentsia"). The victims included children, doctors, priests etc. 
 Maria Wardzyńska, "Intelligenzaktion" na Warmii, Mazurach oraz Północnym Mazowszu. Główna Komisja Ścigania Zbrodni Przeciwko Narodowi Polskiemu. Biuletyn Instytutu Pamięci Narodowej nr. 12/1, 2003/2004, ss. 38-42. ceeol.com
  The  is estimated to have ultimately killed 100,000 Poles.


Mass murder of hospital patients

The mass murder of hospital patients was led by the SS commander Herbert Lange, who was later appointed as Chełmno extermination camp's commandment. By mid-1940, Lange was responsible for the death of at least 1,100 patients in Owińska, 2,750 patients at Kościan, 1,558 patients at Działdowo, and hundreds of Poles at Fort VII where the mobile gas chamber (Einsatzwagen) was made along with the first gassing bunker.

Related pages

 Wola massacre
 Genocides by the Soviet Union
 Mass murders by Nazi Germany

References

Category:World War II
Category:20th century in Poland
Category:Crimes against humanity
Category:Massacres in Europe during World War II