Operation Reinhard:
Geographic Location and Background

Preparations for Operation Reinhard began with the appointment of Globocnik and Höfle (see Administration, below) to oversee it. Globocnik was given near-unlimited police power in the Lublin district of the General Government area of Poland, and Höfle given responsibility for organization and manpower as his Chief of Operations. (See Yad_Vashem yvs16.01)

Three camps, Belzec, Sobibor, and Treblinka, were established. They had to be close to railways, and located in isolated areas, as far as possible from population centers, so their grisly work would not attract unwanted attention. In addition, in order to lend a semblence of credance to the cover being used--that the Jews were being transferred to work "somewhere in the east" in occupied Soviet territory--the camps had to be near the eastern border of the Government General.