A look at the minutes of the Wannseekonferenz ('Wannsee Conference') might be
an instructive thing to consider for this question. It is fairly long in full
but perhaps the part that talks about what constituted a Jew in this context
will work. The Nuremburg laws weren't the full extent of it (and yes indeed they used the term half-breeds) even for the Final Solution of the Jewish question:
In the course of the proposed final solution, the Nuremburg laws shall
be the basis whereby the assumption of the completed clean up of the
problem also would include the solution to mixed marriages and the
half-breeds. Heydrich discussed at first theoretically the following
points in view of a letter from the chief of the Reichs Chancellory:
I) Treatment of Half-breeds First-degree
Half-breeds of the first degree are in view of the final solution of
the Jewish question to be equal to the Jews.
Exclude from this treatment:
a) Half-breeds first degree married to people of German blood, from
which union their children (half-breeds second degree) came forth.
These half-breeds second degree are essentially to be put on a par
with Germans.
b) Half-breeds first degree who have received an extraordinary
exemption from the highest places in the Party and the government.
Every single case has to be investigated, whereby it is not precluded
that the decision may be unfavourable to the half-breed.
A prerequisite for an exemption must be based exclusively on the
accomplishments of these half-breeds themselves. (Not on any merits
of their German-blooded parents or marriage partners.)
Those half-breeds first degree who are exempted from the evacuations
will be sterilised in order to clean up once and for all the
half-breed problem and to prevent any offspring. The sterilisation is
to take place voluntarily. It is a prerequisite to remain in Germany.
The sterilised half-breed is from then on exempt from all laws
concerning Jews to which he had been subjected up to now.
2) Treatment of Half-breeds Second Degree
The half-breeds second degree categorically are to be with the
German-blooded with the exception of the following cases in which the
half-breeds are put on the same footing as the Jews:
a) Descent of the half-breed second degree from a bastard marriage
(both parties half-breeds).
b) Special unfavourable appearance of the half-breed second degree in
which his outer appearance makes him look Jewish.[1]
c) Particularly poor record with the police and political arm of the
Party of the half-breed second degree, which shows that he acts and
feels like a Jew.
In these cases there shall also be no exceptions if the half-breed
second degree is married to a full-blooded German.
3) Marriages between full-blooded Jews and full-blooded Germans
Each of these cases must be judged simply and determination made if
the Jewish partner should be deported or if he will be sent to an
old-age ghetto because of the detrimental effect on the German
relatives of this mixed marriage.
4) Marriages between half-breeds first degree and full-blooded Germans
a) without children
If there are no children from this marriage the half-breed first degree will be either deported or put into an old-age ghetto. (Same
treatment as marriages between full-blooded Jews and full-blooded
Germans, point 3).
b) with children
If there were children in the marriage which are half-breeds second
degree they will - if they are put on the same footing as Jews are -
be deported together with the half-breeds first degree or sent to an
age-old ghetto. If in special cases those children are put on the same
footing as the Germans they are to be excluded from the evacuation and
with them also the half-breeds first degree.
5) Marriages between half-breeds first-degree and half-breeds first
degree or Jews
In these marriages (including the children) all parties will be
treated like Jews, and therefore deported or respectively sent to an
old-age ghetto.
6) Marriages between half-breeds first degree and half-breeds second
degree
Both marriage partners will be deported without consideration if there
are children or not, or sent to an old-age ghetto. This is because
children as a rule show a stronger Jewish blood content as Jewish
half-breeds second degree.
SS Major General Hofmann is of the opinion that sterilisation must be
widely used, particularly since the half-breed, if given the choice
between deportation or sterilisation, will prefer to submit to
sterilisation.
State Secretary Dr. Stuckert stated the practical execution of the
above-mentioned solution possibilities to clear up the question of
mixed marriages and half-breeds will cause a never ending amount of
administrative work. In order to take into account also the biological
facts, State Secretary Dr. Stuckert proposed proceeding to forced
sterilisation.
In order to simplify the half-breed problem, further possibilities
should be contemplated toward the goal that the legislature just needs
to say, 'These marriages are terminated.'
It goes on but that is what it says about what constitutes a Jew with respect
to deportation which of course had an ultimate outcome in most cases. And even when they're worked there was no problem in their mind if they're worked to death. What they didn't think too well about was the fact they forced prisoners to help with the manufacturing of arms which helped matters in certain uprisings e.g. the Kapo uprising of Auschwitz where they disabled a crematorium (which was what the Germans called the gas chambers).
If there are any odd things in the transcription or otherwise it's my fault; I just got the ashes back from my beloved dog who I had to put down on the 27th of January and so I was in tears for a good while.
