Albert Maria Forster (26 July 1902 – 28 February 1952) was a German
Nazi Party
The Nazi Party, officially the National Socialist German Workers' Party ( or NSDAP), was a far-right politics, far-right political party in Germany active between 1920 and 1945 that created and supported the ideology of Nazism. Its precursor ...
politician, member of the
SS and war criminal. During the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, under his administration as the ''
Gauleiter
A ''Gauleiter'' () was a regional leader of the Nazi Party (NSDAP) who served as the head of a ''Administrative divisions of Nazi Germany, Gau'' or ''Reichsgau''. ''Gauleiter'' was the third-highest Ranks and insignia of the Nazi Party, rank in ...
'' and ''
Reichsstatthalter
The ''Reichsstatthalter'' (, ''Reich lieutenant'') was a title used in the German Empire and later in Nazi Germany.
''Statthalter des Reiches'' (1879–1918)
The office of ''Statthalter des Reiches'' (otherwise known as ''Reichsstatthalter'' ...
'' of
Danzig-West Prussia (the other German-annexed section of occupied Poland aside from the
Warthegau
The Reichsgau Wartheland (initially Reichsgau Posen, also Warthegau) was a Nazi German ''Reichsgau'' formed from parts of Polish territory annexed in 1939 during World War II. It comprised the region of Greater Poland and adjacent areas. Parts o ...
), the local non-German populations of Poles and Jews were classified as sub-human and subjected to extermination campaigns involving
ethnic cleansing
Ethnic cleansing is the systematic forced removal of ethnic, racial, or religious groups from a given area, with the intent of making the society ethnically homogeneous. Along with direct removal such as deportation or population transfer, it ...
,
mass murder
Mass murder is the violent crime of murder, killing a number of people, typically simultaneously or over a relatively short period of time and in close geographic proximity. A mass murder typically occurs in a single location where one or more ...
, and in the case of some Poles with German ancestry, forceful
Germanisation
Germanisation, or Germanization, is the spread of the German language, people, and culture. It was a central idea of German conservative thought in the 19th and the 20th centuries, when conservatism and ethnic nationalism went hand in hand. In l ...
. Forster was directly responsible for the extermination of non-Germans and was a strong supporter of Polish
genocide
Genocide is violence that targets individuals because of their membership of a group and aims at the destruction of a people. Raphael Lemkin, who first coined the term, defined genocide as "the destruction of a nation or of an ethnic group" by ...
, which he had advocated before the war. Forster was tried, convicted and hanged in
Warsaw
Warsaw, officially the Capital City of Warsaw, is the capital and List of cities and towns in Poland, largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the Vistula, River Vistula in east-central Poland. Its population is officially estimated at ...
for his crimes, after Germany was defeated.
Early life
Forster was born in
Fürth
Fürth (; East Franconian German, East Franconian: ; ) is a List of cities and towns in Germany, city in northern Bavaria, Germany, in the administrative division (''Regierungsbezirk'') of Middle Franconia.
It is the Franconia#Towns and cities, s ...
, where he attended ''
volksschule
The German term ''Volksschule'' () generally refers to compulsory education, denoting an educational institution every person (i.e. the people, ''Volk'') is required to attend.
In Germany and Switzerland it is equivalent to a combined primar ...
'' and the ''Humanistisches
Gymnasium'' from 1908 to 1920. He then trained in banking for two years and began working at a Fürth bank in 1922. In November 1923, he joined the
Nazi Party
The Nazi Party, officially the National Socialist German Workers' Party ( or NSDAP), was a far-right politics, far-right political party in Germany active between 1920 and 1945 that created and supported the ideology of Nazism. Its precursor ...
, becoming the leader of its local branch in Fürth; he also became a member of the
SA at that time. In May 1924 he was dismissed from the bank for his Nazi activities, including
antisemitic
Antisemitism or Jew-hatred is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who harbours it is called an antisemite. Whether antisemitism is considered a form of racism depends on the school of thought. Antisemi ...
agitation. Following the
Beer Hall Putsch
The Beer Hall Putsch, also known as the Munich Putsch,Dan Moorhouse, ed schoolshistory.org.uk, accessed 2008-05-31.Known in German as the or was a failed coup d'état by Nazi Party leader Adolf Hitler, Erich Ludendorff and other leaders i ...
when the Nazi Party was outlawed, he became a member of a Nazi
front organization
A front organization is any entity set up by and controlled by another organization, such as intelligence agencies, organized crime groups, terrorist organizations, secret societies, banned organizations, religious or political groups, advocacy ...
, the
Greater German People's Community
The Greater German People’s Community (German: ''Großdeutsche Volksgemeinschaft'', GVG) was one of the two main front organizations established after the National Socialist German Workers' Party (Nazi Party) was banned by the government of the ...
, and served as its local leader. During this time he was befriended by
Julius Streicher
Julius Sebastian Streicher (12 February 1885 – 16 October 1946) was a German publicist, politician and convicted war criminal. A member of the Nazi Party, he served as the ''Gauleiter'' (regional leader) of Franconia and a member of the '' Reic ...
, the Party leader of northern Bavaria, and became a part-time journalist for Streicher's weekly antisemitic paper ''
Der Stürmer
''Der Stürmer'' (; literally, "The Stormer / Stormtrooper / Attacker") was a weekly German tabloid-format newspaper published from 1923 to the end of World War II by Julius Streicher, the '' Gauleiter'' of Franconia, with brief suspension ...
''. He was a spectator of the
treason
Treason is the crime of attacking a state (polity), state authority to which one owes allegiance. This typically includes acts such as participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to Coup d'état, overthrow its government, spy ...
trial of
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler (20 April 1889 – 30 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his suicide in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the lea ...
,
Erich Ludendorff
Erich Friedrich Wilhelm Ludendorff (; 9 April 1865 – 20 December 1937) was a German general and politician. He achieved fame during World War I (1914–1918) for his central role in the German victories at Battle of Liège, Liège and Battle ...
, and eight others ''putschists'' from 26 February to 1 April 1924 in the
Munich
Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...
court.
Nazi Party career
Franconia
Forster was in attendance in Munich when the Nazi Party was refounded by Hitler on 27 February 1925, and he again became the ''
Ortsgruppenleiter
''Ortsgruppenleiter'' (Local Group Leader) was a Ranks and insignia of the Nazi Party, Nazi Party political rank and title which existed between 1930 and 1945. The term first came into being during the German elections of 1930, and was held by t ...
'' (Local Group Leader) in Fürth. He officially rejoined the Party on 5 April 1925 (membership number 1,924); as an early Party member he was considered an ''
Alter Kämpfer
''Alter Kämpfer'' (German for "Old Fighter", ; plural: ''Alte Kämpfer'') is a term referring to the earliest members of the Nazi Party, those who joined it before the 1930 German federal election, with many belonging to the party as early as it ...
'' and would later be awarded the
Golden Party Badge
__NOTOC__
The Golden Party Badge () was an award authorised by Adolf Hitler in a decree in October 1933. It was a special award given to all Nazi Party members who had, as of 9 November 1933, registered numbers from 1 to 100,000 (issued on 1 Oc ...
. He soon became a ''Parteiredner'' (Party orator) giving speeches throughout the area. On 12 May 1926, he joined the ''
Schutzstaffel
The ''Schutzstaffel'' (; ; SS; also stylised with SS runes as ''ᛋᛋ'') was a major paramilitary organisation under Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party in Nazi Germany, and later throughout German-occupied Europe during World War II.
It beg ...
'' (SS), forming and leading the SS Group "Nurnberg-Fürth" in July 1926. From February 1928, Forster was employed as a payment office official by the
German National Association of Commercial Employees (''Deutschnationaler Handlungsgehilfen-Verband'', DHV), a nationalist and anti-Semitic trade union. Forster unsuccessfully sought a seat in the ''
Reichstag'' at the
20 May 1928 election. However, that year he advanced to Party ''
Bezirksleiter'' (District Leader) for
Middle Franconia
Middle Franconia (, ) is one of the three administrative regions of Franconia, Germany, in the west of Bavaria bordering the state of Baden-Württemberg. The administrative seat is Ansbach; the most populous and largest city is Nuremberg.
Subdi ...
, while also retaining his leadership in Fürth; he would continue to hold these positions through December 1929. At the
14 September 1930 election, Forster was elected to the ''Reichstag'' from electoral constituency 26,
Franconia
Franconia ( ; ; ) is a geographical region of Germany, characterised by its culture and East Franconian dialect (). Franconia is made up of the three (governmental districts) of Lower Franconia, Lower, Middle Franconia, Middle and Upper Franco ...
, the seat he would retain until July 1940. He was made the expert advisor on labor and clerical employee issues to the Nazi ''Reichstag'' faction. When elected, he was the youngest deputy in the ''Reichstag''.
Free City of Danzig
On 15 October 1930, Forster became the Nazi Party's ''
Gauleiter
A ''Gauleiter'' () was a regional leader of the Nazi Party (NSDAP) who served as the head of a ''Administrative divisions of Nazi Germany, Gau'' or ''Reichsgau''. ''Gauleiter'' was the third-highest Ranks and insignia of the Nazi Party, rank in ...
'' of the
Free City of Danzig
The Free City of Danzig (; ) was a city-state under the protection and oversight of the League of Nations between 1920 and 1939, consisting of the Baltic Sea port of Danzig (now Gdańsk, Poland) and nearly 200 other small localities in the surrou ...
(now
Gdańsk
Gdańsk is a city on the Baltic Sea, Baltic coast of northern Poland, and the capital of the Pomeranian Voivodeship. With a population of 486,492, Data for territorial unit 2261000. it is Poland's sixth-largest city and principal seaport. Gdań ...
,
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...
), replacing
Arthur Greiser
Arthur Karl Greiser (22 January 1897 – 21 July 1946) was a German Nazi Party politician, SS-''Obergruppenführer'', ''Gauleiter'' and ''Reichsstatthalter'' (Reich Governor) of the German-occupied territory of ''Wartheland''. He was one of the ...
who then became the Deputy ''Gauleiter''. This touched off a feud between them and Greiser was to remain Forster's lifelong nemesis. Many residents resented Forster as an interloper who had replaced Greiser, a native Danziger. Forster immediately embarked on an aggressive propaganda campaign and membership drive. In November 1930, he became the founder and publisher of the ''Danziger Beobachter'' (Danzig Observer). From December 1930 to December 1932, he increased the Danzig Party membership from 1,310 to 9,519, and the local SA from 150 to 1,500 members.
After the
Nazi seizure of power
The rise to power of Adolf Hitler, dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 to 1945, began in the newly established Weimar Republic in September 1919, when Hitler joined the '' Deutsche Arbeiterpartei'' (DAP; German Workers' Party). He quickly rose t ...
, Forster spearheaded the Nazi takeover of Danzig in spring 1933, attaining an absolute majority for the Nazi Party in the Danzig Senate. Hitler rewarded him with the leadership of the DHV on 10 May 1933, making him the head of all clerical employee organizations within the
German Labor Front
The German Labour Front (, ; DAF) was the national labour organization of the Nazi Party, which replaced the various independent trade unions in Germany during the process of ''Gleichschaltung'' or Nazification.
History
As early as March 1933, ...
. On 15 September he was appointed to the
Prussian State Council
The Prussian State Council ( German: ''Preußischer Staatsrat'') was the second chamber of the bicameral legislature of the Free State of Prussia between 1921 and 1933; the first chamber was the Prussian Landtag (). The members of the State Cou ...
and in January 1934, he was made honorary ''Führer'' of the 36th SS-''
Standarte
In Nazi Germany, the ''Standarte'' (pl. ''Standarten'') was a paramilitary unit of Nazi Party (NSDAP), ''Sturmabteilung'' (SA), NSKK, NSFK, and ''Schutzstaffel'' (SS). Translated literally as "Regimental standard", the name refers to the flag pa ...
'' in Danzig. In January 1935, he was named chairman of the Danzig branch of the ''
Nordische Gesellschaft
The ''Nordische Gesellschaft'' ("Nordic Society") was an association founded in 1921, with the objective of strengthening German-Nordic cultural and political cooperation. It was based in Lübeck, Germany. The association had both German and Scan ...
'' (Nordic Society) charged with strengthening German-Nordic cultural and political cooperation. On 23 January 1936, he became a member of the personal staff of ''
Reichsführer-SS
(, ) was a special title and rank that existed between the years of 1925 and 1945 for the commander of the (SS). ''Reichsführer-SS'' was a title from 1925 to 1933, and from 1934 to 1945 it was the highest Uniforms and insignia of the Schut ...
''
Heinrich Himmler
Heinrich Luitpold Himmler (; 7 October 1900 – 23 May 1945) was a German Nazism, Nazi politician and military leader who was the 4th of the (Protection Squadron; SS), a leading member of the Nazi Party, and one of the most powerful p ...
.
In 1937 Forster boasted about his fight against communists and other "subhumans".
In 1939, following orders from
Berlin
Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...
, Forster led the agitation in Danzig to step up pressure for annexation by
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...
and proclaimed that in future "Poland will be only a dream". On 23 August Forster replaced Greiser as Danzig's head of state. The Danzig issue was one of the pretexts used for the Nazi
invasion of Poland in 1939. He was hateful of Jews whom he called "dirty and slippery race" and he expressed his desire to control parts of Poland after Poles would be expelled from them.
Before
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, Forster had tried and failed to gain control over the organisation of the irredentist activities of the ethnic German population in the
Polish Corridor
The Polish Corridor (; ), also known as the Pomeranian Corridor, was a territory located in the region of Pomerelia (Pomeranian Voivodeship, Eastern Pomerania), which provided the Second Polish Republic with access to the Baltic Sea, thus d ...
neighbouring
Freie Stadt Danzig
The Free City of Danzig (; ) was a city-state under the protection and oversight of the League of Nations between 1920 and 1939, consisting of the Baltic Sea port of Danzig (now Gdańsk, Poland) and nearly 200 other small localities in the surrou ...
, which was created in 1920 by the
Treaty of Versailles
The Treaty of Versailles was a peace treaty signed on 28 June 1919. As the most important treaty of World War I, it ended the state of war between Germany and most of the Allies of World War I, Allied Powers. It was signed in the Palace ...
; rather it was the SS-dominated ''
Volksdeutsche
In Nazi Germany, Nazi German terminology, () were "people whose language and culture had Germans, German origins but who did not hold German citizenship." The term is the nominalised plural of ''wikt:volksdeutsch, volksdeutsch'', with denoting ...
Mittelstelle'' that won control. With Forster and
Himmler
Heinrich Luitpold Himmler (; 7 October 1900 – 23 May 1945) was a German Nazism, Nazi politician and military leader who was the 4th of the (Protection Squadron; SS), a leading member of the Nazi Party, and one of the most powerful p ...
engaged in a power struggle, this rendered the (ethnic) Germans suspicious of Forster. When these territories were annexed after the Invasion of Poland and they became Reichsgau Danzig – West Prussia, Forster's distrust of the local Nazi leaders led him to deny them political power. Forster filled all the significant positions with his allies from the pre-war Free City of Danzig. This snub provoked bitterness among the local Germans in addition to Forster's Germanisation policies, which denied them a higher status than local Poles.
In May 1934 Forster married Gertrud Deetz. The wedding took place in the Berlin chancellery, with Hitler and
Rudolf Hess
Rudolf Walter Richard Hess (Heß in German; 26 April 1894 – 17 August 1987) was a German politician, Nuremberg trials, convicted war criminal and a leading member of the Nazi Party in Nazi Germany, Germany. Appointed Deputy Führer ( ...
as witnesses and wedding guests. However, a 1943–44 report on Hitler titled ''
Analysis of the Personality of Adolph Hitler
''Analysis of the Personality of Adolph Hitler: With Predictions of His Future Behavior and Suggestions for Dealing with Him Now and After Germany's Surrender'' was a report prepared by Henry A. Murray for the United States Office of Strategic Se ...
'' by psychoanalyst
Walter C. Langer asserts that Forster "is known to be a homosexual" and was often addressed as "Bubi," a common term of affection among German homosexuals of the era.
World War II
Immediately following the German invasion of Poland, Forster on 8 September was appointed
Chief of Civil Administration
Chief of Civil Administration () was an office introduced in Nazi Germany, operational during World War II. Its task was to administer civil issues according to occupation law, with the primary purpose being the support of the military command in ...
in the military district of Danzig-West Prussia, which subsequently was annexed to the German Reich on 8 October 1939. The military administration ended and he was then appointed ''Gauleiter'' of the newly created
Reichsgau Danzig-West Prussia
Reichsgau Danzig-West Prussia () was an Reichsgau, administrative division of Nazi Germany created on 8 October 1939 from annexed territory of the Free City of Danzig, the Greater Pomeranian Voivodship (Polish Corridor), and the Marienwerder (regi ...
on 21 October. At the same time, he was also named ''
Reichsstatthalter
The ''Reichsstatthalter'' (, ''Reich lieutenant'') was a title used in the German Empire and later in Nazi Germany.
''Statthalter des Reiches'' (1879–1918)
The office of ''Statthalter des Reiches'' (otherwise known as ''Reichsstatthalter'' ...
'' (Reich Governor) of the new territory, thereby uniting under his control the highest party and governmental offices in his jurisdiction. Additionally, he was appointed
Reich Defense Commissioner Reich Defense Commissioner (German: ''Reichsverteidigungskommissar'', RVK) was a governmental position created in Nazi Germany at the outbreak of World War II on 1 September 1939. Charged with overall defense of the territory of the German Reich, th ...
of the newly established ''
Wehrkreis
The military districts, also known in some English-language publications by their German name as Wehrkreise (singular: ''Wehrkreis''), were administrative territorial units in Nazi Germany before and during World War II. The task of military dist ...
'' (Military District) XX, consisting of the new ''Reichsgau''. On 7 July 1940 he became a member of the ''
Reichstag'' as a representative for Danzig-West Prussia and would retain this seat until the end of the Nazi regime. A member of the
SS since 1926, Forster was promoted to SS-''
Obergruppenführer
(, ) was a paramilitary rank in Nazi Germany that was first created in 1932 as a rank of the ''Sturmabteilung'' (SA) and adopted by the ''Schutzstaffel'' (SS) one year later. Until April 1942, it was the highest commissioned SS rank after ...
'' on 31 December 1941. In September 1944, he was given command of the ''
Volkssturm
The (, ) was a ''levée en masse'' national militia established by Nazi Germany during the last months of World War II. It was set up by the Nazi Party on the orders of Adolf Hitler and established on 25 September 1944. It was staffed by conscri ...
'' forces in hie ''Reichsgau''. He would retain these posts until fleeing Danzig on 27 March 1945 ahead of the invading Soviet forces.
Extermination and ethnic cleansing
Adolf Hitler instructed the ''Gauleiters'', namely Forster and his rival Arthur Greiser, ''Gauleiter'' in the
Warthegau
The Reichsgau Wartheland (initially Reichsgau Posen, also Warthegau) was a Nazi German ''Reichsgau'' formed from parts of Polish territory annexed in 1939 during World War II. It comprised the region of Greater Poland and adjacent areas. Parts o ...
, to Germanise the area, promising that "There would be no questions asked" about how this "
Germanisation
Germanisation, or Germanization, is the spread of the German language, people, and culture. It was a central idea of German conservative thought in the 19th and the 20th centuries, when conservatism and ethnic nationalism went hand in hand. In l ...
" was to be accomplished. Forster's goal was to make the area fully Germanised within ten years, and he was directly responsible for extermination policy in the region.
Forster was directly responsible for the extermination of non-Germans in
Danzig-West Prussia. He personally believed in the need to engage in genocide of Poles and stated that, "We have to exterminate this nation, starting from the cradle" and declared that Poles and Jews were not human.
Around 70 camps were set up for Polish people in
Pomerania
Pomerania ( ; ; ; ) is a historical region on the southern shore of the Baltic Sea in Central Europe, split between Poland and Germany. The central and eastern part belongs to the West Pomeranian Voivodeship, West Pomeranian, Pomeranian Voivod ...
where they were subjected to murder, torture and, in the case of women and girls, rape before being executed. Between the 10th and 15th of September, Forster organised a meeting of top Nazi officials in his region and ordered the immediate removal of all "dangerous" Poles, all Jews, and all Polish clergy.
[Dieter Schenk (2002): ''Albert Forster. Gdanski namiestnik Hitlera.'' Gdansk: Wydawnictwo Oskar. , pages 212-213.] In some cases Forster ordered executions himself.
[Dieter Schenk (2002): ''Albert Forster. Gdanski namiestnik Hitlera.'' Gdansk: Wydawnictwo Oskar. , page 215.] On the 19th of October he reprimanded Nazi officials in the city of Grudziadz for not "spilling enough Polish blood."
The total number of victims of what
Christopher Browning
Christopher Robert Browning (born May 22, 1944) is an American historian and is Professor Emeritus of History at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC). A specialist on the Holocaust, Browning is known for his work documenting the ...
calls an "orgy of murder and deportation" cannot be precisely estimated. Forster reported that 87,000 people had been "evacuated" from the region by February 1940.
[Browning, page 33.]
Piaśnica
Forster was one of those responsible for the
mass murders in Piaśnica, where approximately 12,000 to 16,000 Poles, Jews, Czechs, Kashubians and even Germans were killed in the winter of 1939-1940.
Forster personally encouraged such violence; in a speech at the Prusinski Hotel in
Wejherowo
Wejherowo (; formerly ) is a city in Gdańsk Pomerania, northern Poland, with 48,735 inhabitants (2021). It has been the capital of Wejherowo County in Pomeranian Voivodeship since 1999; previously, it was a city in Gdańsk Voivodeship (1975–199 ...
he incited ethnic Germans to attack Poles by saying "We have to eliminate the lice-ridden Poles, starting with those in the cradle. In your hands I give the fate of the Poles; you can do with them what you want". The crowd gathered before the hotel chanted "Kill the Polish dogs!" and "Death to the Poles".
[Elżbieta Grot, "Ludobójstwo w Piaśnicy z uwzględnieniem losów mieszkańców powiatu wejherowskiego."] (Genocide in Piaśnica with a discussion of the fate of the inhabitants of Wejherow county", Public Library of ]Wejherowo
Wejherowo (; formerly ) is a city in Gdańsk Pomerania, northern Poland, with 48,735 inhabitants (2021). It has been the capital of Wejherowo County in Pomeranian Voivodeship since 1999; previously, it was a city in Gdańsk Voivodeship (1975–199 ...
, The
Selbstschutz
''Selbstschutz'' (German for "self-protection") is the name given to different iterations of ethnic-German self-protection units formed both after the First World War and in the lead-up to the Second World War.
The first incarnation of the ''Sel ...
later participated in the massacres as Piaśnica.
[ In 1946 a Polish National Tribunal in Gdańsk held Forster responsible for the murders at Piasnica.
]
Role in the Jewish Holocaust
Forster at the outbreak of the war declared that "Jews are not humans, and must be eradicated like vermin...mercy towards Jews is reprehensible. Any means of destruction of Jews is desirable." Jews were killed locally or deported to the General Government. By November 1939 Danzig-West Prussia was declared "Judenfrei". It is estimated that up to 30,000 Jews from Polish areas annexed by Nazi Germany in Pomerania and attached to Danzig-West Prussia were murdered during the war.
Germanisation policies
The terror policy instituted by Forster offered only two possibilities to the Polish population: extermination or Germanisation, genocide and forced assimilation.[Rees, Laurence ''The Nazis: A Warning From History'', New York: New Press, 1997 pages 141-142] At the start of the war Forster planned ethnic cleansing from his Gau of all Poles originating from Congress Poland and all Jews by February 1940, but unforeseen problems with agriculture workers and the inadequate character of German settlers forced him to revise his policies. Forster was willing to accept as Germans any and all Poles who claimed to have "German blood": all Poles who stated to Party investigators that they had German ancestry were taken at face value with no documentation required. Refusal of German identity was punishable by deportation to the General Government
The General Government (, ; ; ), formally the General Governorate for the Occupied Polish Region (), was a German zone of occupation established after the invasion of Poland by Nazi Germany, Slovak Republic (1939–1945), Slovakia and the Soviet ...
or imprisonment in a concentration camp
A concentration camp is a prison or other facility used for the internment of political prisoners or politically targeted demographics, such as members of national or ethnic minority groups, on the grounds of national security, or for exploitati ...
. In some cases whole settlements were classed German to meet Forster's quotas.[Mazower, M (2008) Hitler's Empire: How the Nazis Ruled Europe, Penguin Press P197] Practical issues like food production could influence Forster's expulsion decisions.
Arthur Greiser
Arthur Karl Greiser (22 January 1897 – 21 July 1946) was a German Nazi Party politician, SS-''Obergruppenführer'', ''Gauleiter'' and ''Reichsstatthalter'' (Reich Governor) of the German-occupied territory of ''Wartheland''. He was one of the ...
complained to Heinrich Himmler
Heinrich Luitpold Himmler (; 7 October 1900 – 23 May 1945) was a German Nazism, Nazi politician and military leader who was the 4th of the (Protection Squadron; SS), a leading member of the Nazi Party, and one of the most powerful p ...
, Reich Commissioner for the Strengthening of Germandom, that Forster's assimilation policy was against Nazi racial theory. When Himmler approached Forster over this issue, Forster simply ignored him, realizing that Hitler allowed each Gauleiter to run his area as he saw fit. Greiser and Himmler then complained to Hitler that thousands of Poles were being classified as Germans, but Hitler told them to sort out their problems with Forster on their own. Himmler's attempts to cajole Forster met with resentment and contempt. In a discussion with Richard Hildebrandt, Forster scoffed, "If I looked like Himmler, I wouldn't talk about race."
As a result, two-thirds of the ethnic Polish population of Forster's Gau was classed as German under the ''Deutsche Volksliste
The Deutsche Volksliste (German People's List) was a Nazi Party institution that aimed to classify inhabitants of Nazi-occupied territories (1939–1945) into categories of desirability according to criteria systematised by ''Reichsführer-SS'' ...
''.
Although far fewer Poles would be removed from Danzig-West Prussia than in the neighbouring Warthegau
The Reichsgau Wartheland (initially Reichsgau Posen, also Warthegau) was a Nazi German ''Reichsgau'' formed from parts of Polish territory annexed in 1939 during World War II. It comprised the region of Greater Poland and adjacent areas. Parts o ...
it is estimated that by the end of the war, up to 60,000 people had been murdered in the region and between 35,000 and 170,000 expelled.[Gilbert, M (1989) Second World War, Weidenfeld and Nicolson, P27] Forster himself reported that 87,000 people had been "evacuated" from the region by February 1940.
Conflict with SS and colonisation policies
Forster's conflict with the SS soured his attitude toward ethnic German
Germans (, ) are the natives or inhabitants of Germany, or sometimes more broadly any people who are of German descent or native speakers of the German language. The constitution of Germany, implemented in 1949 following the end of World War ...
refugees. During the war, hundreds of thousands of ethnic Germans were moved by Nazi-Soviet agreement from the Soviet Union into Poland and used as colonists in Nazi-occupied Poland. While Greiser did all he could to accommodate them in his Reichsgau, Forster viewed them with hostility, claiming that his region needed young farmers while the refugees were old and urbanised. He initially refused to admit any of them. When a ship bearing several thousand ethnic Germans from the Baltic states
The Baltic states or the Baltic countries is a geopolitical term encompassing Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. All three countries are members of NATO, the European Union, the Eurozone, and the OECD. The three sovereign states on the eastern co ...
arrived at Danzig, he refused them entry unless Himmler promised that they would not be settled in Danzig-West Prussia but proceed immediately elsewhere, an assurance that Himmler could not provide. It was only following a lengthy telephone consultation with the desperate Himmler that Forster allowed the passengers to disembark, on the understanding that their stay would be temporary, though most did not ultimately leave. In time he had to relent, and by June 1944, 53,258 colonists had settled in Danzig-West Prussia, though far fewer than the 421,780 settled in the Warthegau. One of Forster's motives may have been that his Germanization policies left less free land and housing than Greiser's mass expulsions, although his perception of the ethnic German refugees as wards of the SS clearly played in his attitude.
Trial and death
At the end of the war, Forster took refuge in the British Occupation Zone
The British occupation zone in Germany (German: ''Britische Besatzungszone Deutschlands'') was one of the Allied-occupied areas in Germany after World War II. The United Kingdom, along with the Commonwealth, was one of the three major Allied po ...
of Germany. The British handed him over to the Republic of Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...
.
In 1948, Forster was condemned to death by the Polish Supreme National Tribunal
The Supreme National Tribunal (; NTN) was a war crime, war-crime tribunal active in Polish People's Republic, communist-era Poland from 1946 to 1948. Its aims and purpose were defined by the State National Council in decrees of 22 January and 17 Oc ...
for war crime
A war crime is a violation of the laws of war that gives rise to individual criminal responsibility for actions by combatants in action, such as intentionally killing civilians or intentionally killing prisoners of war, torture, taking hostage ...
s and crimes against humanity
Crimes against humanity are certain serious crimes committed as part of a large-scale attack against civilians. Unlike war crimes, crimes against humanity can be committed during both peace and war and against a state's own nationals as well as ...
, with his sentence deferred. Forster was moved from Gdańsk to Mokotów Prison
Mokotów Prison (, also known as ''Rakowiecka Prison'') is a prison in Warsaw's borough of Mokotów, Poland, located at 37 Rakowiecka Street. It was built by the Russians in the final years of the foreign Partitions of Poland. During the Nazi Ge ...
in Warsaw
Warsaw, officially the Capital City of Warsaw, is the capital and List of cities and towns in Poland, largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the Vistula, River Vistula in east-central Poland. Its population is officially estimated at ...
, where he was hanged
Hanging is killing a person by suspending them from the neck with a noose or ligature strangulation, ligature. Hanging has been a standard method of capital punishment since the Middle Ages, and has been the primary execution method in numerou ...
on 28 February 1952. His wife, who had not heard from him since 1949, was informed of his death in 1954.
See also
* List SS-''Obergruppenführer''
References
Notes
Bibliography
*Levine, Herbert S. (1969
"Local Authority and the SS State: The Conflict over Population Policy in Danzig-West Prussia, 1939-1945"
in ''Central European History'' 2#2 pp. 331–355
*McNamara, Paul (2009) ''Sean Lester, Poland, and the Nazi Takeover of Danzig'' Dublin and Portland, Oregon: Irish Academic Press.
*
*Rees, Laurence (1997) ''The Nazis: A Warning From History'' New York: New Press.
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Forster, Albert
1902 births
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