As noted by World War II historians , the pacification actions were separate from the likes of Operation Tannenberg . They were not a part of the indiscriminate killings by the mobile '' Einsatzkommando '' death squads active during the invasion of Poland of 1939 , and characterized by often deliberate targeting of civilian population by the invading forces , with the active participation of the German minority living in the Second Polish Republic whose men joined the SS armed '' Volksdeutscher Selbstschutz '' battalions in West Prussia , Upper Silesia and Warthegau . In total , up to 200,000 Poles lost their lives at the beginning of war regardless of the nature of the conflict . Likewise , over 100,000 Poles died in the Luftwaffe 's terror bombing operations
Operation Tannenberg
Operation Tannenberg
Pacification actions in German-occupied Poland