[Ger-Poland-Volhynia] Propaganda

[Paul Rakow]

 Rita, 

     I've seen the book "135,000 Gewannen das Vaterland - Die Heimkehr
 der Deutschen aus Wolhynien, Galizien und dem Narewgebiet", and photo-
 copied parts of it. It's an interesting account of the resettlement
 from western Volhynia , but as you say, definitely written as propaganda
 (chapters with titles like "Heil Hitler - those are their first words"
 rather give it away). 

     It was written when Germany and the Soviet Union were allies, 
 so it is coolly polite about the Russians - Ed is guessing wrongly about
 the content. 

    You wrote: 

>  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. 

     It wasn't a voluntary call - part of the 1939 pact between Germany
 and the Soviet Union was an agreement to transfer all the ethnic Germans
 out of the parts of Poland that were assigned to the Soviet sphere of 
 influence, whether they wanted to leave their homes or not. 

     I think I've got the picture you are talking about here - the
 entrance to the camp in Lodz, with "Grossdeutschland greets you!" on
 a banner over the entrance, and two long swastika banners on either side. 
 
    There's another propaganda book from the same period that I haven't
 managed to see: 

  "Tipp und Tapp, der Junge und der Dackel aus Wolhynien" (1941)

  "Tipp and Tapp - the boy and the sausage-dog from Volhynia; 
 a resettlement story with colourful pictures by Erik,
 and cheerful verses by Walter M Pogge" 
     
    Has anybody seen this book? It sounds worth a look. How was the 
 resettlement explained to children? The National Library in Berlin lists
 this book in their catalogue, but their copy seems to have been
 destroyed in the War. 

     By the way, where did you find copies of those two books? 

           Paul Rakow
           rakow at ifh.de 
 
 (Sorry for the late reply - I'm still catching up on e-mails from the 
 Christmas period.) 

-------------

 rlyster at telusplanet.net wrote: 
> 
> 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
>