Elimination of Polish elites and intelligentsia was part of Generalplan Ost . The Intelligenzaktion , a plan to eliminate the Polish intelligentsia , Poland 's ' leadership class ' , took place soon after the German invasion of Poland , lasting from fall of 1939 to the spring of 1940 . As the result of this operation in 10 regional actions about 60,000 Polish nobles , teachers , social workers , priests , judges and political activists were killed . It was continued in May 1940 when Germany launched AB-Aktion , More than 16,000 members of the intelligentsia were murdered in Operation Tannenberg alone
Intelligenzaktion
Intelligenzaktion
Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact