German police round up Jews on Francuska Street in the Dąbrowa Górnicza ghetto, April 4, 1942. Pre-1939: parts of the Kielce, Kraków, and Śląskie województwa, Poland; 1939–1945: Ost-Oberschlesien, parts of Regierungsbezirke Kattowitz and Oppeln, (1939–1941: Provinz Schlesien) from 1941, Provinz Oberschlesien, Deutsches Reich; post-1998: parts of województwa śląskie, małopolskie, and opolskie As a result of the Third Reich’s invasion of Poland in September 1939, territories to the east of Provinz Schlesien were annexed and incorporated into the Third Reich. Regierungsbezirk Oppeln saw the addition of three new counties: Zawiercie, Blachownia, and Lubliniec. Furthermore, on October 8, 1939, Adolf Hitler issued a decree establishing a new administrative unit—Regierungsbezirk Kattowitz—composed of parts of the Kielce, Kraków (counties Biała and Żywiec and parts of the counties of Chrzanów and Wadowice), and Śląskie województwa. Also reassigned to Regierungsbezirk Kattowitz were the exis...