Poland
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I could nearly do a whole blog on how inappropriate this evil man’s name Gottlieb—translates to God Love. I doubt that very much. Gottlieb Hering was involved in the T4 program and later on, was the second and last commandant of the Belzec Extermination Camp. After Action T4, Hering was posted briefly to the Sicherheitsdienst…
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On May 20, 1940, the first group of prisoners arrived at Auschwitz: approximately 30 German inmates classified by the SS as “professional criminals.” They had been selected from the Sachsenhausen concentration camp near Berlin. Less than a month later, on June 14, 728 Polish prisoners were deported by German authorities from a prison in Tarnów,…
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The “Westerbork Film” refers to a film shot by Rudolf Breslauer at the Westerbork transit camp during World War II. This film is a significant historical document because it provides a rare visual record of life in a Nazi transit camp. The film was commissioned by Albert Gemmeker, the Westerbork Camp Commandant in 1944. He…
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The Polish Blue Police (Granatowa Policja), officially known as the Policja Polska Generalnego Gubernatorstwa, represents one of the more controversial aspects of Poland’s experience under Nazi occupation during World War II. Established by Nazi Germany following its invasion of Poland in 1939, this police force, composed primarily of pre-war Polish police officers, operated under the…
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I had a chat a few days ago with a friend. We were talking about the Holocaust, and we both agreed that the Germans, specifically the German Nazis, were the main instigators and culprits of the world’s biggest crime. Without them, there may not have been a Holocaust or at least not on the scale.…
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The Izbica ghetto was a Jewish ghetto established by Nazi Germany in the town of Izbica, in Poland, during the Second World War. It functioned primarily as a transit ghetto, serving as a transfer point for the deportation of Jews from Poland, Germany, Austria, and Czechoslovakia to the extermination camps at Bełżec and Sobibór. Although…
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Two definitions of a Hero are: 1. A person admired for achievements and noble qualities. 2. one who shows great courage. Both definitions apply to Józef Cebula and Sophie Scholl. The reason why I am remembering these two people is because of today’s date May 9. Sophie Scholl was born on May 9, 1921, and…
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Neuengamme concentration camp was a significant and harrowing part of the Nazi concentration camp system during World War II. Located near Hamburg, Germany, Neuengamme was established December 13, 1938, and initially served as a satellite camp of Sachsenhausen. By 1940, it became an independent main camp (Hauptlager), and it was the largest concentration camp in…
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Although the Red Cross does important work, it often got it wrong in the past, and arguably in the present, when it’s about political positions. They appear to take one side—usually the side that controls the data. One infamous example is the visit by the International Red Cross to Theresienstadt Concentration Camp in 1944. The…
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(Re-post from April 27.2025) Witold Pilecki stands as one of the most courageous and selfless figures of the 20th century. A Polish cavalry officer, intelligence agent, and resistance leader, Pilecki did what few could even imagine: he voluntarily infiltrated the Auschwitz concentration camp to gather intelligence and organize resistance from within. His mission was unparalleled…
History of Sorts 