Interpreting ethnic German sentiment in Nazi-annexed Poland: a comparative analysis of underground and SS intelligence reports (1942–1944)

This article examines the attitudes and emotional responses of ethnic German civilians in the Polish territories annexed to the Third Reich during the Second World War. Drawing on two underutilized source types – reports of the Polish Underground State and internal assessments of the Nazi Security Service (SD) – it reconstructs shifts in morale, political loyalty, and intergroup relations between 1942 and 1944. The study situates these developments within the broader context of Nazi occupation policies, including population transfers and the Volksliste classification system aimed at the “Germanization” of annexed lands.By reading these intelligence materials comparatively, the article treats them as functional equivalents of public opinion research in a regime where surveys and free media did not exist. Although shaped by institutional bias and censorship, the reports reveal patterns of enthusiasm, disillusionment, conformity, and fear among both Reich Germans and resettled Volksdeutsche. Their convergence across regions allows for a nuanced reconstruction of social perceptions under totalitarian rule. The analysis demonstrates that intelligence documents, when critically interpreted, provide insight into not only administrative priorities but also the moral and psychological dimensions of life in Nazi-occupied Poland.