The brink of oblivion: Color photos from Nazi-occupied Poland

Elderly Jewish man speaks with German officers rounding up Kutno Jews, German-occupied Poland, 1939. (Hugo Jaeger—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images)

Unidentified young women, Kutno, Nazi-occupied Poland, 1939. (Hugo Jaeger—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images)

Warsaw, Nazi-occupied Poland, 1940. The signs read: "Typhus area. Passage permitted only while traveling." (Hugo Jaeger—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images)

Warsaw, Nazi-occupied Poland, 1940. The sign warns: "Danger zone, do not proceed." (Hugo Jaeger—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images)