[Ger-Poland-Volhynia] Propaganda

[Dave Obee]

A couple of dozen books were produced in Germany in that time frame, and all
that I have seen would qualify as propaganda. "The call of the fatherland,"
for example, is an odd way to refer to the forced migrations that were part
of the deal with the Soviet-German invasion of Poland in 1939.

It should be noted that when these books refer to Volhynia, they are
referring to Polish Volhynia, not the Russian side. The migration from
Russian Volhynia was a few years later under decidedly different
circumstances.

I think it would be valuable to gather as much information as we can from
the survivors of that period. That would complement the official
documentation (ie, the EWZ files) and help correct any misconceptions that
may have resulted from the publication of those books.

Dave Obee

----- Original Message -----
From: <rlyster at telusplanet.net>
To: <ger-poland-volhynia at eclipse.sggee.org>
Sent: Sunday, December 24, 2006 9:37 AM
Subject: [Ger-Poland-Volhynia] Propaganda


>
> I recently read the captions of pictures published in "Der Treck Der
> Volksdeutschen aus Wolhynien, Galizien und Dem Narew-Gebiet" (published
1943)
> and "135,000 Gewannen das Vaterland" (1940).  I have not read the booklets
yet
> especially the second will require some study with the old script.
>
> Anyway, I then read the captions to my mother (who is blind) and we
discussed
> this with her real life experiences of the process.  The photos show
smiling
> faces and a gate with "welcome banner".  I interpret the gist of the story
as
> a "propaganda" opportunity of the Nazi's welcoming home these people with
> other place to go.  However I think the underestimated the response and
were
> then not able to deal with the volume of people who answered the call to
> return to the Vaterland.  My Mom says many got sick in the camps and died.
> Most who went to hospital never returned.  Horses were taken away and
given to
> the war effort or butchered for food.  Food that the refugees packed was
taken
> to the collective kitchen however never seemed to make it's was to the
eating
> table.  Farm produce, slaughtered poultry brought along must have been
taken
> away.  They were fed "ein topf" with everything cooked in one pot which
was
> foriegn to them and at first difficult to stomach however later when you
are
> hungry, you just eat.
>
> My Mom says there was no welcome banner.  And although they were ethnic
> German, they still were tagged as "Polacken" and didnot receive this open
arms
> welcome.
>
> When they were finally resettled, they realized there would be potential
> trouble in the future as the farms they were given were vacated just hours
> before by the Polish who were given just an hour to take their belongings,
be
> loaded on a truck and shipped out.  In some instances, bread was rising,
ready
> for the oven.  No wonder the treatment that was received in 1945 when the
> Germans left and then had to come back because there was no place to go
> however now the Poles were back in charge and these Germans paid the
price!
>
> Very interesting what the books say and how the experience really was!
>
> Season's greetings to everyone out there....May 2007 bring you all you
wish
> for!
>
> Rita Lyster
>
>
>
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