Reichskommissariat Ostland

"Für Ordnung und Raum im Osten" – For Order and Space in the East

General Overview

The Reichskommissariat Ostland (RK-Ostland) is one of the main colonial administrative entities of the German Reich in Eastern Europe, created after the invasion and defeat of the Soviet Union during the Great Eastern War. Officially founded in 1941, Ostland encompasses the territories of present-day Baltic republics (Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania), parts of western Belarus, and in its modern version, some annexed areas of northeastern Poland.

Since its foundation, Ostland has been key to German plans for Germanization, agricultural-industrial exploitation, and military control of the northeastern Slavic and Baltic regions.

Administrative Structure

• Capital: Riga
• Reichskommissar: Hinrich Lohse (succeeded by more radical bureaucrats after 1946)
• Official language: German
• Subject population: Balts, Belarusians, Jews (partially eliminated), minor Slavs
• Military protection: SS, Ordnungspolizei, and loyal auxiliary militias (mainly Latvians and Lithuanians)

The territory is divided into administrative districts (Generalkommissariate), with German high command overseeing forced labor policies, cultural Germanization, and political suppression.

Political and Social Realities

RK-Ostland is considered one of the most brutal and tightly controlled of the reichskommissariate. It is defined by:

• Selective assimilation policies, where "racially acceptable" Balts are Germanized, while Slavic elements are marginalized or deported.
• Systematic eradication of Jewish and communist culture through pogroms, extermination camps, and urban cleansings.
• Massive forced labor, especially in agriculture, rail infrastructure, forestry, and mining.

Military Presence

RK-Ostland hosts one of the highest concentrations of SS and Ordnungstruppen in the East, due to:

• Ongoing guerrilla activity by communist fighters and “green bands” in the forests of Belarus.
• The need to maintain order among a resentful and resistant population.
• The strategic importance of guarding the Reich’s eastern frontier near still-unstable areas beyond Moscovia.

Notable units include:

• SS-Grenadier Division "Langemarck" (Flemish volunteers)
• Lettische SS-Freiwilligen-Brigade
• Belarusian Hilfspolizei (local auxiliaries)

Economy and Role in the Reich

Ostland functions as a breadbasket for the Reich, exporting grain, timber, and mineral resources. It plays an integral role in the Generalplan Ost, the Nazis' long-term vision to fully Germanize Eastern Europe over several decades.

Its transport system is essential for the railway lines connecting Berlin with the eastern front and territories in Moskowien and the Caucasus.

Resistance and Suppression

Baltic resistance remains active, though fragmented — including Latvian nationalists, Belarusian communist guerrillas, and clandestine peasant cells.

The SS responds with extreme violence: mass reprisals, village destruction, and large-scale deportations.

Jewish and communist survivors live on the margins — hidden or as part of the “Belarusian Communist Republic,” a clandestine socialist cell.

Propaganda and Identity

RK-Ostland propaganda portrays the territory as a “fortress of civilization against Slavic and Asiatic barbarism,” presenting it as a model of “racial harmony” under Germanic guidance.

In reality, Ostland stands as one of the most brutal examples of colonization, ethnic cleansing, and modern slavery in the Reich’s empire.