German-occupied Europe
German-occupied Europe (or Nazi-occupied Europe) refers to the sovereign countries of Europe which were wholly or partly militarily occupied and civil-occupied, including puppet governments, by the military forces and the government of Nazi Germany at various times between 1939 and 1945, during World War II, administered by the Nazi regime under the dictatorship of Adolf Hitler.[2]
German-occupied Europe
The German Wehrmacht occupied European territory:
In 1941, around 280 million people in Europe, more than half the population, were governed by Germany or their allies and puppet states.[3] It comprised an area of 3,300,000 km2 (1,300,000 sq mi).[1]
Outside of Europe, German forces controlled areas of North Africa, including Egypt, Libya, and Tunisia between 1940 and 1945. German military scientists established the Schatzgraber Weather Station as far north as Alexandra Land in Francis Joseph Land. Manned German weather stations also operated in North America included three in Greenland, Holzauge, Bassgeiger, and Edelweiss. German Kriegsmarine ships also operated in all oceans of the world throughout World War II.
History
Several German-occupied countries initially entered World War II as Allies of the United Kingdom[4] or the Soviet Union.[5] Some were forced to surrender before the outbreak of the war such as Czechoslovakia;[6] others like Poland (invaded on 1 September 1939)[2] were conquered in battle and then occupied. In some cases, the legitimate governments went into exile, in other cases the governments-in-exile were formed by their citizens in other Allied countries.[7] Some countries occupied by Nazi Germany were officially neutral. Others were former members of the Axis powers that were subsequently occupied by German forces, such as Finland and Hungary.[8][9]
Part of German-occupied Europe
1941–1945