Evacuation of the German Population from the Zhytomyr General District (November 1943 – March 1944)

Abstract

During the autumn of 1943, a mass evacuation of the German population took place from several occupied regions of Ukraine. One of them was the Zhytomir general district, where at that time more than 40,000 ethnic Germans lived. By early November 1943, its territory came under attack from the advancing Soviet troops. This was the impetus for the evacuation of the local German population. Its main initiator was the civil administration. SS personnel often played a supporting role. The Wehrmacht also took a noticeable part in this operation, especially from transport support. For transportation of the contingent, quite often (and at the beginning of 1944 exclusively), trains were used, which significantly accelerated the evacuation. Carts and vehicles were actively used only during its first phase. According to documents, the vast majority of refugees evacuated voluntarily, as they seriously feared new repressions by the Soviet government. At the same time, there were cases when the occupying authorities resorted to threats and forceful pressure against persons who, for one reason or another, decided to stay. The bulk of the refugees were initially transported to the General District of Volhynia and Podolia. Since January 1944, they were evacuated to the territory of the Bialystok district, where, according to the initial plans of the SS leadership, in the future, they were destined the role of settlers. However, in March 1944, this contingent was completely exported to Warthegau, where it remained until the end of hostilities in Europe.

In the framework of this article, based on attracting documents from German archival funds, the organization, the course, and features of the evacuation of the German population from the territory of the Zhytomyr General District in November 1943 – March 1944 are considered.