The Wannsee Conference marked a significant turning point in Nazi Germany's policies towards the Jewish population. Held on January 20, 1942, in a villa in the Berlin suburb of Wannsee, the meeting featured 15 senior officials from various Nazi ministries and branches, including representatives from the SS, Gestapo, and other state departments. The main agenda was to discuss the coordination and logistics necessary to carry out the mass extermination of Jews in Europe. Reinhard Heydrich, who headed the Reich Security Main Office, presided over the conference and articulated the concept of the 'Final Solution.'

During the meeting, the officials acknowledged the existence of approximately 11 million Jews in Europe and outlined plans for their systematic murder. They discussed methods of deportation to extermination camps and the implementation of mass shootings, gas chambers, and other forms of extermination. The conference concluded with the understanding that various governmental and administrative bodies would work together to facilitate these plans, highlighting the role of bureaucratic efficiency in carrying out genocide.

The impact of the Wannsee Conference resonated throughout Europe as it directly influenced the policies of annihilation that followed. The logistical discussions at the conference were chillingly methodical, showing a bureaucratic approach to mass murder that would lead to the deaths of millions.