Surviving World War II

[Nuka-sama]

My question is fairly simple; if you're the average, run of the mill citizen, where in Europe are you going to be living? From 1939 to 1945, where are you wanting to be?

Note, a poll is coming, and the only options are belligerents that were occupied, excluding the United Kingdom (it was never occupied) and Denmark (who had an incredibly easy occupation)

 

[christos200]

To greece.

 

[Leoreth]

Am I an "undesirable" from Nazi perspective?

No matter what, it'd probably be Norway, but I always assumed their conditions of occupation were rather similar to Denmark's. Am I wrong in that?

 

[Cutlass]

Canada

 

[Verbose]

As a civilian? Finland. No contest. A not occupied democracy. Some bombing, but not too bad compared to most. Civilian casualties light, about 2500 for the entire WWII. I wouldn't want to hail from the areas ceded to the Soviet Union mind.

 

[Louis XXIV]

Am I an "undesirable" from Nazi perspective?

No matter what, it'd probably be Norway, but I always assumed their conditions of occupation were rather similar to Denmark's. Am I wrong in that?

That was my guess. I've assumed it was targeted more for airbases than anything else. Worst case, I'll try and make a break for Sweden.

 

[Verbose]

No matter what, it'd probably be Norway, but I always assumed their conditions of occupation were rather similar to Denmark's. Am I wrong in that?

Kinda sorta. There was no Danish govt in exile in London. The king chose to stick around. Authorities decided to try to mitigate the German invasion by cooperating at first. This changed in 1943 when direct resistance against the German presence was stepped up. At this point the German army in Denmark declared a state of emegency, disarmed the Danish forces, and took over.

There was immediately in 1940 a Norwegian govt in exile. Quisling tried to step up and be of use to the German occupiers, but inside days Hitler at al. realised Q. was just a big windbag with zero pull with the Norwegian public. So they booted him out and all power in Norway landed with the German occupation force under Reichskommissar Terboven. (That Quisling was somehow happy to still hang around as a complete Nazi toady was his problem.)

So Denmark remained under Danish civilian administration until 1943, while Norway was under direct German military occupation all the time (except that short Quisling stint).

In Denmark you might be sent to one of the German KZs - he entire Danish police force ended up there - but the Nazi camp system wasn't extended to Denmark. Norway got four camps all to its own within the Nazi system, Grini being the most famous.

 

[emzie]

Finland. It's not much of a contest. Even the Finnish population in Viipuri was evacuated when the Soviets won it, no? Austria got off quite lightly too.

Sweden, Switzerland and Lichtenstein would be the best options, but I kinda thought you meant countries that actually saw war.

 

[bombshoo]

Out of the choices? Norway. If you live somewhere rural, no one is going to really bother you much. Finland would be my next choice since I think I'd feel a little bad about my country collaborating with the Nazis.

 

[NovaKart]

Not being a Jew would make many of the options a lot safer.

 

[emzie]

Not being a Jew would make many of the options a lot safer.

Being a Jew in Finland was pretty safe. If I remember correctly, the Finnish army operated field synagogues -- so you were a Jewish Finn defending your homeland while defending the SS' flank.

 

[Tee Kay]

Norway or Finland, probably.

 

[carmen510]

Probably Norway or Finland.

Obviously, I wouldn't want to be in any part of Eastern Europe (or the Soviet Union), the Balkans, Germany, or Italy.

Benelux and France would be tolerable; I'm guessing rural southern France would be the best as you wouldn't get bombed as much. Czechoslovakia also isn't too bad as it wasn't hit particularly hard by the war.

 

[Nuka-sama]

If you're into Heydrich, I guess Czechoslovakia is pretty cool

 

[LightSpectra]

Poland, I'd love to go down in a blaze of glory against the Soviets and Nazis.

 

[chad187]

Why did the Germans let off Denmark and Norway compared to other countries?

 

[Lord Baal]

Why did the Germans let off Denmark and Norway compared to other countries?

They had an almost entirely Nordic population with few Jews. The Dutch received similarly preferential treatment, though there were far more Jews in the Netherlands.

Finland is far and away the best choice listed. The Finnish government even not-so-politely told Himmler to go to hell when he travelled to Finland to request they deal with their Jewish population (he was told "there is no Jewish problem in Finland'). They also didn't suffer that badly from the Soviets, due mostly to walloping the Soviets severely enough that the Russkies cut them a deal to avoid having to pacify them.

 

[Dachs]

I like how the number of people voting for the joke option equals the total number of other votes.

 

[Lord Baal]

I like how the number of people voting for the joke option equals the total number of other votes.

Norway? It's not the correct answer,but I don't see how it's a "joke option."

 

[Dachs]

Wow, I completely misread that as "Occupied Soviet Europe" getting ten votes and believed it because of the high proportion of noted lefties and/or joke lefties in the group that voted for it.