Ostland

historical province, Europe

Learn about this topic in these articles:

history of Baltic states

  • Baltic states
    In Baltic states: German occupation

    …into a new territorial unit, Ostland, for which outright Germanization and eventual incorporation into the Reich was envisaged. Baltic cooperation became less forthright or ceased altogether.

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  • Latvia
    In Latvia: The Soviet occupation and incorporation

    …a province of a larger Ostland, which included Estonia, Lithuania, and Belorussia (now Belarus). Many Latvians were recruited into German military units during the Nazi occupation. The Latvian Legion (a unit of the Waffen-SS troops) was formed under German order in 1943, and Latvian males were conscripted. A resistance movement…

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  • Lithuania
    In Lithuania: Independence lost

    …on July 28, 1941, an Ostland province, consisting of the three Baltic countries and Belorussia (now Belarus), was created. The Lithuanian provisional government refused to serve as administrative agent for the German occupation and disbanded. A German occupation regime was established, but it enjoyed only limited success in fulfilling the…

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