# Operation Reinhard (1942)

URL: https://poland-history.com/timeline/1942-operation-reinhard
Location: Poland

The Germans opened extermination camps at Bełżec, Sobibór and Treblinka to murder the Jews of the General Government. Within the broader World War II period: Invaded by Germany and the Soviet Union, Poland suffered brutal occupation and the Holocaust, while its underground state and armed forces fought on every front of the war. At this point in the timeline (1942), the governing authority was Władysław Raczkiewicz (President of Poland (in exile)). President of the internationally recognised Polish government-in-exile in France and London during World War II. Operation Reinhard mattered because it was part of the deliberate destruction of human lives that devastated Poland's Jewish and Polish populations and remains central to the memory of the twentieth century. The event is placed here so readers can follow it alongside changes in government, warfare, society, religion and culture across Polish history.

## Why it matters
Operation Reinhard mattered because it was part of the deliberate destruction of human lives that devastated Poland's Jewish and Polish populations and remains central to the memory of the twentieth century.

Ruler at the time: [Władysław Raczkiewicz](https://poland-history.com/rulers/wladyslaw-raczkiewicz)

## Sources
- [Wikipedia — Operation Reinhard](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Reinhard)
- [Encyclopaedia Britannica topic lookup — Operation Reinhard](https://www.britannica.com/search?query=Operation+Reinhard)
- [Wikipedia — History of Poland (1939–1945) (period overview)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Poland_(1939%E2%80%931945))