Brutality left room only for “ersatz diplomacy”, in the phrase of Count Ciano, the disappointed Italian Foreign Minister. Sincere collaborators like the Norwegian Vidkun Quisling and the Frenchmen Pétain and Laval — and even Hitler’s primary ally Mussolini — were exploited rather than rewarded. For the Germans, the New Order meant unrelieved plundering of resources and property, exec­ution of hostages in revenge for resistance, labour and exter­mination camps. For the ­occupied and victimised people it meant fear, resentment and terror.

Danes, Greeks, Bulgarians, Yugoslavs and renegade Russians took to resistance each in their separate ways, often foreshadowing the Communism and Cold War that was to come. Poles showed particular bravery and panache, at one point circulating a spoof SS pamphlet to the Polish public — but directed at the Germans — with the title “Learn German!” The underlying warning became clear with the words: “We will deal with you as the Germans dealt with us.” In contrast, René Bousquet, head of the ­police, placed the French police at German service. Himmler ­described him as a “precious collaborator in the framework of police collaboration”.

When eventually “Hitler Kaputt!” became the order of the day, the sight of dispirited German soldiers retreating was to the watching Poles “heavenly”. Evacuating Cracow Castle, where he had made his headquarters, the head of the occupation, Hans Frank, himself pulled down the swastika on the flag-pole and drove home to Bavaria with truckloads of loot. In his local café, to the astonishment of visitors, he then hung the famous masterpieces he had stolen.