Shortly after the German invasion on Poland in September 1939 the so-called Government General was founded. The area of the Governement General had been, before the war, very backward with crops yields ranging between 50 and 60 percent of German averages. Therefore the provisions for the Wehrmacht and the deliveries to the Reich resulted in a dramatic food shortage. Many cities started already in 1939 to ration the food supplies by means of ration cards which were only locally valid. Only by the end of 1940 the central governement introduced a unified system of food ration cards for the whole Governement General.

In this article we describe all types of ration cards as far as they are known. Original documents concerning ration cards in the Government General were never published during the war.  I have been able to find only a few of the original rationing orders which are reprinted here.