Calendar of remembrance · February
Anniversaries in February: 8 events connected with Nazism, the Second World War, the Holocaust, occupation, resistance, liberation and the accountability of perpetrators. Each entry leads to an institutional source and, where the connection is documented, also to profiles in the Nazi Report archive.
On 2 February 1943, the surrender of German forces at Stalingrad ended the major battle and became a turning point in the war.
The defeat on the Soviet front affected the subsequent course of the war and the situation in occupied Europe.
Stalingrad marks the point at which the prospect of a German victory gave way to mounting military pressure on the Third Reich.
Institutional source: United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
Permanent link to this entryThe Yalta Conference began on 4 February 1945, with the Allies discussing Germany's defeat, occupation and the prosecution of perpetrators.
The talks also concerned Poland, borders and future criminal accountability.
Yalta connects the military end of the war with decisions about the postwar order and accountability for crimes.
Institutional source: United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
Permanent link to this entryOn 8 February 1940, the German authorities established the Łódź ghetto, which was sealed in April.
The ghetto operated for a long period, and its functioning was tied to an economy of forced labour.
The ghetto's history shows how the isolation of the Jewish population was combined with systematic exploitation.
Institutional source: Jewish Historical Institute
Permanent link to this entryOn 9 February 1939, the Wagner–Rogers bill was introduced in the United States to permit the admission of 20,000 refugee children, but it was not enacted.
The bill concerned children at risk in the Third Reich and exposed the limits of prewar United States refugee policy.
The initiative's fate shows the gap between awareness of the danger and willingness to offer refuge.
Institutional source: United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
Permanent link to this entryOn 13 February 1945, Soviet troops liberated Gross-Rosen concentration camp in Lower Silesia.
The camp's history includes an extensive network of subcamps and the death marches associated with its final period.
The liberation date opens a perspective broader than a single camp site and leads to the experiences of prisoners dispersed throughout the subcamp system.
Institutional source: United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
Permanent link to this entryOn 26 February 1943, a family camp for Roma and Sinti was established at Birkenau.
The history of this site extends from its establishment to the events of 2 August 1944.
The family camp is central to the history of the persecution and mass murder of Roma and Sinti in the Auschwitz complex.
Institutional source: Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum
Permanent link to this entryOn 28 February 1933, the decree issued after the Reichstag fire suspended fundamental rights and enabled mass political repression.
In Germany, the state of emergency became a tool for destroying the rule of law.
The decree shows how measures presented as exceptional can be used for the systematic persecution of opponents.
Institutional source: United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
Permanent link to this entryOn 29 February 1944, prisoner Mordka Cytryn began an attempt to escape from Auschwitz by hiding in a prepared bunker.
The unsuccessful escape was connected with the solidarity of those involved in preparing it.
The event recalls individual prisoner resistance and the risks taken in attempts to leave the camp.
In non-leap years, this entry is observed on 28 February while retaining the historical date label 29 February.
Institutional source: Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum
Permanent link to this entry