| March 6 (and June 6) 1941 Army and SS combine giving SS free reign in the war on the Eastern front (enabled to kill civilians in killing squads, or Einsatzgruppen) Spring 1941 Germany conquers N. Africa, Greece, Yugoslavia, Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, which become German satellites; Italy remains Germany's ally June 22 1941 Hitler violates treaty with Stalin to invade Soviet Union July 2 1941 Einstazgruppen leaders given license to kill communists and Jews (ostensibly those employed by government, but Heydrich verbally orders Jews killed) July 16 1941 Hitler announces that Germany would never withdraw from newly occupied Eastern territory July 31 1941 Goering gives Heydrich complete responsibility over "final solution" (Endloesung) of the Jewish question Summer 1941 Himmler instructs Rudolph Hoess to create Auschwitz (in Upper Silesia, Poland) Sept 1941 Euthanasia of 90,000 elderly, handicapped, and "mentally defective" people disbanded per wishes of the German church and public; SS Major Christian Wirth transported from head of euthanasia to head of Chelmno, the first death camp in Poland Fall 1941 First experiments with Zyclon B gas, a pesticide remover, conducted on Soviet Prisoners of War Oct 1941 Germany conquers Moscow and Leningrad; the end of Jewish emigration as German, Czech, Austrian Jews departed East to Riga and Kovno (once Soviet) and ghettoized or shot end 1941 Germany conquers W. Russia (much of Ukraine) Dec 7 1941 German ally Japan launches attack on Pearl Harbor naval base in Hawaii, US Dec 11 1941 Germany and Italy declare war on US |
| 1941 |