COPY
The Leader of the Central Landoffice for the Reichfuehrer SS Reich Commisioner for the Strengthening of German Nationalism
Berlin NW7, May 29, 1940
Friedrichstrasse 110-112
Tel. 42 38 62
Az. K Al
Subject: Report on the confiscations in the Bielitz District of May 22, 1940
Ref: Your letter of May 22, 1940, Br./Schl. to the Silesian Land Office
Kattowitz Bernhardstrasse 49
I have repeatedly pointed out to you that the Land Office is to concern itself exclusively with the tasks outlined in the Service Directive of Feb. 1, 1940. In accordance with this, the Land Office, in the case under discussion, is also to restrict itself to the seizure and proposal for confiscation of Polish or Jewish private agriculture enterprises that are needed in consequence of the construction of the concentration camp. I forbid you any participation in measures going beyond this and their preparation, such as, more or less, the evacuation, management or reoccupa- . tion of the enterprises concerned as well as the accommodation elsewhere of the Polish farm owners. In the same way, the Land Office is to do nothing further regarding the Bielitz district villages named in the report than to undertake the seizure of the Polish and Jewish agriculture enterprises and to propose their confiscation to the State Police. Arrangements which according to the Land Office report have been found too sweeping are in every case to be revoked immediately, in consideration of their invalidity I again point out that as against the other Land Offices, the Silesian Land Office has the poorest results to show in connection with seizures.
Signed : W Baron von Holzschuher,
SS Group Leader
Certified a true copy Signed: signature Administrative Leader. (L. S.)
]352—PS
Kattowitz, May 22, 1940
Ku/Ni
SECRET
Report on Details .of the confiscation in the Bielitz country
Some days ago the commandant of the concentration camp being built at Auschwitz spoke at Staff Leader Mueller's and we requested support for the carrying out of his assignments. He said that it was absolutely necessary to confiscate the agriculture enterprises within a certain area around the concentration camp, since not only the fields but also the farm houses of these border directly on the concentration camp. A local inspection held on the 21st of this month revealed the following: There is no room for doubt that the agriculture enterprises bordering on the concentration camp must be confiscated at once. Further than this, the camp commandant requests that further plots of farm land be placed at his disposal, so that he can keep the prisoners busy. This too can be done without further delay since enough land can be made available for the purpose. The owners of the plots are all Poles.
The following agreements have been reached by me with the Camp Commandant and the proper measures prepared. The Director of the Branch agency in Bielitz will immediately determine the names of the Polish farmers and will also divide the land to be confiscated into zones.
Zone 1. Enterprises whose plots border directly on the camp.
Zone 2. Agricultural plots with enterprises which are placed at the disposal of the camp for the employment of the prisoners, namely for about 2000 prisoners for the time being.
Zone 3. As in zone 2, with the only difference, that the number of prisoners has increased considerably. Zones 4 and 5 follow them. In the last case it must be determined to what extent it is possible to put that kind of terrain at the disposal of the camp. The result for Zone I must be known within a few days, in order to enable the Land office in Kattowitz to start the confiscation procedures. It will be necessary to state the size of the families whose enterprises have been confiscated, even giving age and sex.
I had the following discussion with the head of the labor-office in Bielitz.
The lack of agricultural laborers still exists in the old Reich. The transfer of the previous owners of the confiscated enterprises, together with their entire families, to the Reich is possible
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without any further consideration. It is only necessary for the labor office to receive the lists of the persons in time, in order to enable it to take the necessary steps (collection of transportation, distribution over the various regions in need of such labor). Furniture cannot be taken along under any circumstances in the course of the confiscation, the only things left to the Poles, were, anyway, only the most vital items, like bedding, ample food, clothes and other such things.
If the confiscation takes place the Poles will be billeted by the labor office in barracks, put at its disposal by the camp commandant, until their deportation. The deportation of the Poles of further zones will follow along the same lines.
This matter has already been discussed in its outlines with the agricultural management (Ruppert). A farmer will be appointed by the Association of Agricultural Management, who will supervise the agricultural labor of the prisoners at the agricultural enterprises and who, naturally, will carry the sole responsibility for the agricultural measures, which he alone determines.
As soon as the preparatory measures are finished, a meeting will be called on the spot, next week, with the participation of the agricultural management, in order to clear up and determine completely everything that might be necessary. The chief of the Branch Agency Bielitz has been ordered to report on Thursday the 23rd of this month to this office, in order to receive the necessary instructions.
Moreover, I have reached the following agreement with the camp commandant: As there are a number of villages in the district of Bielitz, which contain racial-German [Volksdeutschel farmers, the existing Poles must be sheltered in those villages in the very near future as quickly as possible, in order to realize a quick consolidation of German folkdom [Volkstume], The Poles of the confiscated enterprises are taken by the concentration camps then, but not as prisoners [Haeftlinge], rather until the Labor Office Bielitz has turned them over to the Reich as farm laborers.
. The following villages are to be considered for the time being: Alzen, Ernstdorf, Batzdorf, Lomnitz.
I have already spoken with the mayor of Alzen, and he will collect all the Poles who possess agricultural property by Saturday, 25th of this month, and submit the list to the Branch Agency Bielitz. The Chief of the Branch Agency Bielitz is requested to get that list personally.
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The confiscation of those Polish enterprises in Alzen will also be carried out within the next few days. The Commandant of the Concentration camp will furnish SS-men and a truck for the execution of the action. Should it not yet be possible to take the Poles from Alzen to Auschwitz, they should be transferred to the empty castle at Zator.
The liberated Polish property is to be given to the needy racial-German farmers for their use. The Chief of the Branch Agency must therefore on Saturday determine, in cooperation with the local authorities, the Germans who can be taken into consideration for that purpose.
The list of the Poles to be turned over to the Reich for agricultural labor is to be handed over to the labor office Bielitz, as quickly as possible. Care is to be taken that the size of the family, etc, is also indicated. The Poles in the other German villages of the district Bielitz, are to be determined in the same manner, in cooperation with the various mayors, in order to enable the office here to prepare the confiscation as quickly as possible. The execution of these measures naturally takes place simultaneously with those at Auschwitz. A discussion with the district-leader, the district head-farmers of the association of agricultural management for Eastern Germany [Kreislandwirt der Ostdeutschen landbewirtschaftungs-Gesellschaft] must of course, take place, before those measures are carried out.
signed : KUSCHE
Ku/Ni
CONFIDENTIAL
Report Re: Achievement of confiscations of Polish agricultural enterprises with the purpose to transfer the Poles to the Old Reich and to employ them as agricultural workers.
In the Old Reich again and again the complaint can be heard that a shortage of agricultural workers exists, and that it cannot be remedied by any means though Polish farm-workers have been placed at disposal. The employment offices have informed farmers and owners of estates who are looking for workers that it was difficult to get any workers at all from Poland, that the recruiting in the Government-General and also in the Eastern territory was initiated and the Poles who had applied were placed.
A few days ago, the Country Farmers Leader from Neutitschein called on our Office and told us that in his district many lands were still not yet tilled because there is a lack of any workers.
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The Reich Food Estate has decreed that everyone can procure himself Polish workers in the Eastern territory or in the Government General.
This appears preposterous if one knows that the office of the Higher SS and Police leader as deputy of the Reich commissar for the strengthening of German nationality, Land Office Silesia, cannot perform the confiscations of small and even very small agricultural enterprises for the reason that we do not know where to put the former Polish owners. Until now the work regarding the confiscation of Polish small farms has been limited to racial-German villages. I have already reported on this matter for the county of Blachownia as well as for the county of Bielitz-Biala, in connection with the institution of a concentration camp in Auschwitz.
I have made an arrangement with the Chief of an employment agency to transfer at once for employment into the Old Reich such Poles as agricultural workers who are designated by us.
It is possible without difficulty to accomplish the confiscation of small agricultural enterprises in the villages in which larger agricultural enterprises have been already confiscated and are under the management of the East German Corporation for Agricultural Development. For it is by no means difficult for the larger agricultural estate to manage a few hundred acres, of course consistent with its own character without any particular additional expenses. It is a matter of course that above all Polish arable lands adjacent to the land of the estate should be confiscated and added to the estate for exploitation. Agricultural-technical or other difficulties by no means can occur. The former owners of Polish farms together with their families will be transferred to the Old Reich by the employment agencies for employment as farm-workers.
In this way many hundred Polish agricultural workers can be placed at the disposal of agriculture in the Old Reich in the shortest and simplest manner. This way the most pressing shortage is removed that is now in a very disagreeable manner felt especially in the root-crop districts.
Besides, the settlers who are still working in the confiscated and formerly settled enterprises and who are superfluous are to be removed into the Old Reich, for until now they were only a burden for the respective enterprise if they are too numerous. In this way, Polish agricultural workers can be made free for the Old Reich.
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The confiscations of small enterprises already achieved together with the following transfer of the farmer owners as agricultural workers to the larger estates already in operation have not only brought experience but have proved unequivocably that no difficulties are to be expected. The measures themselves are only a matter of organization, and the success of the measures as proposed by me is based on the good will of cooperation of the other authorities with the office of the Reich Fuehrer-SS as Reich Commissioner for the strengthening of German folkdom.
Means of transportation to the railroad can be provided
1. by the enterprises of the Aast-German Corporation of Agricultural Development
2. by the SS NCO school in Lublinitz and the Concentration Camp of Auschwitz.
These two latter places will also detail the necessary SS-men for the day of the confiscation etc. In case that a place of assembly is necessary for the Polish land-workers who are to be transported into the Reich, for there too sufficient rooms and lodgings can be provided (Kaminiek, Zator Castle, barracks in Auschwitz).
I have already reported on the accomplishment of confiscations in Bielitz county and initiated the necessary measures.
For the purpose of accomplishing further measures proposed by me which envision particularly the supplying of the farms in the Reich with Polish agricultural workers, ask that I be given your consent and the necessary full authority.
(signed) Kusche
5/22/40.
Ku/Ni.
Kattowitz, 16 May 1940. CONFIDENTIAL
Report on the accomplishment of confiscations of agricultural enterprises in Blachownia County.
With the scope of responsibility of the Higher SS—and Police leaders as the deputy of the Reichs Commissar for the strengthening of German nationality, Land officer Silesia, a survey was made in Blachownia County since the beginning of April as to how far confiscations of agricultural enterprises in Polish ownership could be accomplished.
Before the outbreak of the war the present county of Blachownia was a part of Cz;estachowa County (before 1941 this territory
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belonged to Russian Poland). Only recently, it was decided to incorporate the present county area of Blachownia County into the district of Oppeln. Blachownia is a rather big market-place which in Polish times was even called a Spa.
As the necessary preparations can be considered closed in the following a short survey on the general conditions shall be given as far as they are at present of interest and importance.
At first, contact was made by the Chief of the local agency of the Land Office in Lublinitz, with the local authorities of the Party, the State such as the East German Corporation for Agricultural Development and the Secret State Police, and after a thorough exposition of the aims of the Land Office, excellent state of agreement was reached. Before this the Land Office of Katto-witz had discussions in the same direction regarding the Blachownia County with the higher authorities of the Party and the State District Governor [Regierungspresident], Provincial Governor | Oberpresident], Gauleitung.
The chief of the local agency at Lublinitz had found out that a number of villages exist in Blachownia County the inhabitants of which belong for the greatest part to the German nationality and that particularly in recent years the Polish nationality strongly penetrated into these small ethnic German islands.
Blachownia County comprises about 133,000 inhabitants. Of these, 2,000 can be considered without further ado as ethnic Germans. The number of Jews is estimated at 6,000. 260 villages are combined in 15 greater communities. In 3 of such greater communities to which also the German villages belong, racial German mayors are in office.
1. The greater community Lipie: Mayor Mueller, comprising the racial-German villages of Haukow, Lindow, Natalin and Rosalin,
2. The greater community Scharny-Las: Mayor Lorenz, comprising the racial-German villages of Schwarzwald,
3. The greater community Wrozosowa: Mayor Neugebauer, comprising the racial-German village of Alt-Hutau.
The rest of the communities are Polish throughout and have still an almost pure Polish administration.
To 1. In greater Lipie 20 of the 23 villages are destroyed up to 80%. The ethnic-German families are living in the most primitive conditions, closely compressed into the few dwelling-houses still remaining or into other poorly prepared shelters consisting of destroyed houses
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even in holes in the ground. The German villages mentioned were founded about BO years ago by Germans who came mostly from Middle-Silesia (Strehlen, dis-rict of Breslau). By hard work they have cleared the woods and created farms.
To 2. The Germans of this village immigrated about 100 years ago from the region of Frankfort on Main and have built up by their own work their economic basis of life.
To 3. In Alt-Hutau, it is a question above all, of Sudeten German-weavers, who immigrated in 1812 from Maeh-risch-Truebau. Because of shortage of raw materials for several months the looms have been idle, so that, on account of the cessation of this so necessary opportunity for additional income, the economic situation of these ethnic-Germans is endangered.
In course of time, of course, the Poles also have intruded into these German settlements with the purpose at first to weaken Germanism in its economic existence and finally to drive it out. The agricultural enterprises of the racial-Germans have sizes from 1 Yo to 5 hectares. In all probability the enterprises have become so small due to partitioning and above all to economic pressure from the former Polish masters.
By the quick advance of the German troops a terrible massacre of the ethnic Germans by the Poles of the Polish soldiery has been prevented. Before the outbreak of the war, the Poles in these German settlements behaved very aggressively against the German nationality and everything was made ready for its destruction during the disorders of war. Even if at the present moment the Poles have become a little more quiet it appears that it concerns only outward appearances. Therefore, it is absolutely necessary to bring about a strengthening of the German nationality in the small far advanced German linguistic islands. These ethnic-Germans make the best impressions. For whole decades they have not abandoned their German national culture despite terror and so on, but have confessed firmly and resolutely. Thus for example, the present Mayor Mueller of Natalin has given to German children during the Polish times lessons in reading and writing on Saturday and Sunday because a school for the German minority did not exist. The ethnic-Germans and above all the youth know the German language not only orally but even by the written word.
In order to break down the Polish nationality most quickly in the German villages, the Polish agricultural enterprises were
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confiscated. Therewith it has to be remarked further that also Polish enterprises were destroyed by warfare and the Poles too are partly in a situation which.gives grounds for fear in so far that theft of German property and other encroachments on the part of the Poles may occur. The confiscation was done in accordance with the directives of Reich Fuehrer-SS as Reich Commissioner for the strengthening of German nationality, on 9 May in the villages of Natalin, and Rosalin. As the Polish enterprises were from 2 to about 8 hectares in size and the arable land and
the farm-buildings are dispersed within the area. The County agronomist [Kreislandwirt] of the East-German Agricultural Development Corporation thought that a centralized management of the confiscated farms by appointment of a manager was impractical. He resolved therefore to give the arable land, livestock and other property to the trusteeship of needy racial-Germans. The agronomist who was present at the performance of the confiscation accomplished this at once on the spot. However he thought it necessary to take the former Polish owners as farm-workers to an estate in Blachownia County which is also managed by the East-German Agricultural Development Corporation, in order to enable the racial-Germans installed to run the Polish enterprises without friction. Today in fact farm-workers are lacking here, for the former workers were Jews and are useless for such work and moreover, they would endanger an orderly management. However, if the Poles would remain on their former farms the danger of the worst sort of sabotage to the agricultural property now at the disposal of the German Reich would exist. The Poles are paid for their work. The execution of the confiscation as well as the transfer of the Polish farm-workers to the estate of the East-German Corporation for Agriculture Management was accomplished quite quietly and without friction.
In the same way as it was done until now the break-up of Polish Nationality will be shortly accomplished in the other racial-German villages as well.
Because of the extremely good cooperation with the authorities, the party offices and the East German Corporation for Agricultural Development, and above all with the Secret State Police the confiscations etc. will be accomplished absolutely without friction in the future, as well especially as preparations of greatest minuteness will secure the success from the outset.
Before the end of June the soil in the ethnic-German villages of Blachownia County will be taken entirely from Polish hands and be confiscated for the German Reich at the disposal of Reich Fuehrer-SS as Reich Commissioner for the strengthening of German Nationality.
(signed) Kusche
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