Every trace of French culture was gone from public life. Even memorials to the dead were twisted to honor German heritage. Education, culture, and leisure were necessarily made German. Even first and last names were Germanized. Street signs, public notices, newspapers, postage stamps, and town names were all replaced with German versions, with French and Alsatian languages banned from use in print or speech.

Also referred to as the de-Francization, Alsace’s entire administrative and public language and culture was seemingly flipped on its head. The declaration of citizenship gave way to the Nazi Germanization of Alsace. In January of 1942, Alsatians were declared German citizens, excluding the Alsatians they considered “undesirable,” who were either denied entry to the region after evacuation or deported to concentration camps. It was a win-win situation for the Nazis, as they were able not only to culturally convert a long-disputed territory but also gain profit from it to go towards the war effort. The goal of a complete and homogenous Germany was supported by regions like Alsace, which had both cultural and economic connections to Germany. The culture, in theory, could be further Germanized and bolster the Reich. Hitler was particularly interested in incorporating the region into the Reich rather than simply occupying it because of its historical significance as a part of Germany. Under the leadership of Gauleiter Robert Heinrich Wagner, Alsace was paired with the German state of Baden, forming a unitary administrative region called Gau Baden-Alsace. Hitler forced the French officials to sign an armistice that, in turn, enacted a series of secret laws that incorporated Alsace into the Reich. Less than ten days later, France surrendered to the German invasion, and the Nazi annexation of the country was complete. On June 13, 1940, Paris fell to the Nazi Regime. The evacuation continued until 1940 when France capitulated, and the Germans rounded up citizens of Alsace back into their homeland.

Alsatians left with no promise of when they would return or whether they would see their homes and possessions again. The entire city of Strasbourg sat empty for many months, and the citizens of the rest of the region were displaced to areas within the southwestern Vichy territories, like Aquitaine. Annexation and Incorporation of Alsace Hitler at Strasbourg Cathedral, via Le Bonbonīefore Nazi occupation and immediately after the French declaration of war against the Third Reich, Alsace, as a border region, was evacuated.

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