the German armed forces would be fully nourished by the resources of the Soviet Union, without taking into account the needs of the Soviet population. In accordance with the order of the Supreme Command Chief of Staff of the Wehrmacht Wilhelm Keitel (dated June 16, 1941), the main economic challenge for the territories seized from the Soviet Union, was described as "an immediate and full exploitation of the occupied areas in favor of the war economy of Germany, particularly in the areas of food and oil". Göring, directly supervising the "Oldenburg" headquarters, wrote: In the East, I intend to loot and pillage effectively. All that may be suitable for the Germans in the East, should be extracted and brought to Germany immediately. Shortly after the beginning of the German campaign against the Soviet Union, on July 15, 1941, he wrote in his "Green Folder": Use of the occupied territories should be made primarily in the food and oil sectors of economy. Get to Germany as much food and oil as possible - that is the main economic goal of the campaign. Initially, the German military leadership believed that during the war, it would not be necessary to rebuild the Soviet Union's industry or to use its natural wealth, and that a policy of seizing only finished products and raw materials in warehouses would be sufficient. Subsequently, they made an accounting of industry and mines to ensure their safety and to establish civil administration of captured territories. When the expected rapid end of the war did not materialize and Germany had suffered great losses in manpower, equipment and weapons, the existing stocks began to be depleted quickly. The German leadership urgently started to develop a plan for the economic use of the occupied territories, during the war itself. Thus German leadership had to abandon the implementation of the plan Oldenburg, recognizing its unsuitability. After the war ended, the activities of Staff Oldenburg were the subject of consideration and condemnation at the Nuremberg Tribunal. See also A-A line Generalplan Ost Operation Barbarossa Reichskommissariat — particularly the areas within and adjacent to Lebensraum territory World War II References Sources Nuremberg Trial document International Military Tribunal in Nuremberg Planning the Holocaust Hermann Göring 1941 documents Holocaust historical documents