There were many areas annexed by Nazi Germany both immediately before and throughout the course of World War II. Territories that were part of Germany before the annexations were known as the "Altreich" (Old Reich).

Overview

The territorial expansions of Nazi Germany before and during World War II did not follow a uniform structure. Instead, the regime created a complex network of diverse forms of rule and administration, driven by racial ideology and power politics. Austria, the Sudetenland, the Memel Territory, parts of Poland, and Eupen-Malmedy were officially and permanently incorporated into the German Reich by law. The local population was granted Reich citizenship, provided they were classified as being of "German descent." The administration was fully adapted to the German legal system.

The occupied territories of Luxembourg, Alsace, Lorraine, Lower Styria, Upper Carniola, and the Bialystok District were placed under a "Chief of Civil Administration" (CdZ). These regions were annexed de facto and treated as an integral part of the Reich, without any formal declaration under international law. The objective was a gradual, seamless alignment with the Reich ahead of a later, official integration.Daniel-Erasmus Khan: Die deutschen Staatsgrenzen. Mohr Siebeck, Tübingen 2004

The Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia, as well as the General Government, were semi-autonomous territories that were nevertheless considered an inherent part of the German Reich. The Operational zones, on the other hand, were fully controlled by the Germans and administered like Reich territory, but were not officially considered part of the Reich.Michael Wedekind: Nationalsozialistische Besatzungs- und Annexionspolitik in Norditalien 1943 bis 1945. Die Operationszonen „Alpenvorland“ und „Adriatisches Küstenland“, Oldenbourg, München 2003

Fully annexed territories According to the Treaty of Versailles, the Territory of the Saar Basin was split from Germany for at least 15 years. In 1935, the Saarland rejoined Germany in a lawful way after a plebiscite.

The territories listed below are those that were fully annexed into Germany proper.

+Areas annexed by GermanyDate of annexation Annexed area Succeeded by Federal State of Austria Reichsgau Carinthia Reichsgau Lower Danube Reichsgau Salzburg Reichsgau Styria Reichsgau Tirol-Vorarlberg Reichsgau Upper Danube Reichsgau Vienna Sudetenland, Bohemia, Czechoslovak Republic Gau Bavarian Eastern March Reichsgau Upper Danube Reichsgau Lower Danube Territory of the Chief of Civil Administration of the Sudetenland Sudetenland, Moravia-Silesia, Czechoslovak Republic Reichsgau Lower Danube Territory of the Chief of Civil Administration of the Sudetenland Klaipėda Region, Republic of Lithuania Gau East Prussia Free City of Danzig Territory of the Chief of Civil Administration of Danzig Military Administration in Poland Gau East Prussia Gau Silesia Reichsgau Posen Reichsgau West Prussia Crowe, David M. (2021). The Holocaust: Roots, History, and Aftermath Łódź, General Government Reichsgau Posen Eupen-Malmedy, Liège Province, Military Administration in Belgium and Northern France Gau Cologne-Aachen (de facto) Military Administration of Luxembourg Territory of the Chief of Civil Administration of Luxembourg (de facto) Moselle, French State Territory of the Chief of Civil Administration of Lorraine Bas-Rhin, French State Territory of the Chief of Civil Administration of Alsace Haut-Rhin, French State (de facto) Military Administration in Yugoslavia Territory of the Chief of Civil Administration of Carinthia and Carniola Territory of the Chief of Civil Administration of Lower Styria (de facto) Ocinje, Kingdom of Hungary Territory of the Chief of Civil Administration of Lower Styria Kramarovci, Kingdom of Hungary Fikšinci, Kingdom of Hungary Serdica, Kingdom of Hungary (de facto) Military Administration in the Soviet Union Bialystok District (de facto) Grodno, Reichskommissariat Ostland Bialystok District (de jure) Reichskommissariat of Belgium and Northern France District of Brussels Reichsgau Flanders Reichsgau Wallonia

Partially incorporated territories

The territories listed below are those that were partially incorporated into the Greater German Reich.

+Protectorate of Bohemia and MoraviaDate of establishment Preceded by Succeeded by Czechoslovak Republic Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia

+General Government for the Occupied Polish Territories / General GovernmentDate of establishment Preceded by Succeeded by Diemut Majer (2003). "Non-Germans" Under the Third Reich: The Nazi Judicial and Administrative System in Germany and Occupied Eastern Europe with Special Regard to Occupied Poland, 1939–1945. JHU Press. pp. 236–246. Military Administration in Poland General Government for the Occupied Polish Territories Military Administration in the Soviet Union District of Galicia, General Government Kraków District, General Government

+Operational zonesDate of establishment Preceded by Succeeded by Province of Gorizia, Kingdom of Italy Operational Zone of the Adriatic Littoral Province of Ljubljana, Kingdom of Italy Province of Pola, Kingdom of Italy Province of Fiume, Kingdom of Italy Province of Trieste, Kingdom of Italy Province of Udine, Kingdom of Italy Province of Belluno, Kingdom of Italy Operational Zone of the Alpine Foothills Province of Bolzano, Kingdom of Italy Province of Trento, Kingdom of Italy

Planned annexations In the coming Nazi New Order, other lands were considered for annexation sooner or later. Territorially speaking, this encompassed the already-enlarged German Reich itself (consisting of pre-1938 Germany proper, Austria, Bohemia, Moravia, Czech Silesia, Alsace-Lorraine, Eupen-Malmedy, Memel, Lower Styria, Upper Carniola, Southern Carinthia, Danzig, and Poland), the Netherlands, the Flemish part of Belgium, Luxembourg, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Iceland, Liechtenstein, and at least the German-speaking parts of Switzerland.Rich 1974, pp. 401–402. The goal was to unite all or as many as possible ethnic Germans and Germanic peoples, including non-Germanic speaking ones considered "Aryans", in a Greater Germanic Reich.

In Norway, construction of the city of Nordstern began during the German occupation of Norway. It was intended to be administered directly from Germany.

The eastern Reichskommissariats in the vast stretches of Ukraine and Russia were also intended for future integration into that Reich, with plans for them stretching to the Volga or even beyond the Urals, where the potential westernmost reaches of Imperial Japanese influence would have existed, following an Axis victory in World War II. They were deemed of vital interest for the survival of the German nation, as it was a core tenet of Nazism that Germany needed "living space" (Lebensraum), creating a "pull towards the East" (Drang nach Osten) where that could be found and colonized.

North-East Italy was also eventually to be annexed, including both the Operational Zone of the Adriatic Littoral and the Operational Zone of the Alpine Foothills, but also the Venice region.Petacco 2005, p. 50.Santi Corvaja, Hitler & Mussolini: The Secret Meetings, p. 269 Goebbels went as far as to suggest taking control of Lombardy as well:

The annexation of the entire North Italy was also suggested in the long run.Kersten 1947, p. 186.

See also Administrative divisions of Nazi Germany

German–Soviet Border and Commercial Agreement For the map of a small area Germany annexed in southern Lithuania under the German–Soviet Boundary and Friendship Treaty

Territorial evolution of Germany

References

Notes