Propaganda anti-German national camp in conspiracy. “Szanec” – a biweekly survey of Polish cases in captivity

The two-week "Szaniec" was the authoritative press body of the pre-war russian National Camp in the conspiracy. Initially it was issued as a joint letter of the National organization and ONR, but as a consequence of an unexplained conflict to date, the paper was completely taken over by the environment of the erstwhile ONR, later occurring from the title of the letter under the name of the “Szaniec” Group.

The beginnings of the writing date back to November 1939, and the first issue according to the preserved numbering most likely appeared in early December.¹ General James Jasiński said: “Do not take care that you are in dense shackles. erstwhile the people said, I want to be free! - He has always remained so.” The “Szaniec” began to be published as a weekly, but since March 1941 it became a two-weekly, the first numbers were issued in A4 format, on a duplicator. The copy consisted of two, 3 cards both side-written, connected with staples.² The one-time printout was about 5-8 1000 copies. The pivotal period for the writing was March 1940, erstwhile the A5 format and the printed form were adopted. The ‘szanac’ was of an information and propaganda nature. It discusses current issues, information on German and russian occupation, and ideological issues. The writing became a carrier of national thoughts - radicals, who frequently published their own programming assumptions, methods of current actions and fighting, and systemic solutions of future post-war Poland. According to Wojciech Muszyński's calculations, 155 or 156 of his numbers were released until the end of the writing.³ To this day, many printing workers, specified as scercers, printers, or even workers supplying consumables, stay unknown.

SEE ALSO: "Shaniec Group". Geneza, postulates and political program of the National-Radical Camp in the conspiracy

What distinguished “Szaniec” from another conspiracy writings was a program-political orientation, aimed “to the west” i.e., at the German and future border of the Polish state, intended to cover plundered western areas. In the brochures and books published by the Library of Szaniec, the subject was frequently discussed, but the book during the business was a hard-to-access promotional and information medium. So it was decided to transfer this content to a more accessible and easier to sale printed press.

The first numbers of the “Shancer” besides became a carrier of information on the Western fronts, especially in France, which was at the time the only force capable of stopping the triumphal German march. In issue 23 of June 6, 1940, in the article “Winning Will Be Ours”, concerning the assessment of the situation on the Western Front, we find an analysis of the operation of the German war machine. According to the authors, it has been severely strained, especially for supplies of petrol and lubricants, by deficiency of which The tanks will stand on the roads and roads, stick to the ground, fields and wettereps, and frost as a magnificent part of shit, nothing more dangerous than the Hitler-Bachore scooters⁴ . The language of disdain which authors specify the German occupier in this passage is no exception, as it will frequently appear in subsequent articles. This article besides marks the betrayal of the king of Belgium and the attitude of the collaborator utilizing the situation, Benito Mussolini. This is an attitude for reprehensible authors and in occupied lands branded with full firmness, hence number 28 (July 17, 1949) calls to stay vigilant and to make no alliance with any of the occupiers. The authors in the article on “Attention to both fronts” call: We must not quit in continuous, persistent action, on all occasion and chance to spread passwords: no cooperation with Germany and Bolsheviks! No deal! No kindness to both of our mortal enemies!⁵ In March 8, “Szaniec” of 1941, we read a message referring to the above, which he ordered: voluntary enlistment for auxiliary service to the German police should be absolutely boycotted, and all the ancillary work done to the German occupier, will be considered a national treason.⁶

About the first announcements of the break-up of German-Soviet cooperation, he informed the number 43 "Szaniec" on 8 November 1940, in which, on the basis of observations of the mobilisation of the 3rd Reich's troops and industry, the German invasion of the russian Union was predicted. This number reported that mechanical plants in Ostrowec have received an order for 500 wagons, equipped with wheel-spreading wheels along the axles, allowing them to be utilized on tracks of different widths (as is known, in Russia the railway tracks are wider than in the remainder of Europe). According to the reports of the “Szaniec” a large quantity (about 50,000) of sleds was besides placed ⁷.

In the face of the upcoming conflict between fresh allies, the national camp proclaimed the slogan: “Let us not disturb!”. The war between Germany and the Soviets was thought to be beneficial for the Polish cause, that common demolition of the invaders would be beneficial in the long term. In the July 1940 issue of July 28, mentioned earlier, it says: in the anticipated conflict between the 2 invaders, the conflict that must come and may shortly take place on our lands⁸. In addition to the benefits of common elimination − an chance was besides seen in this conflict for the Polish case to arise in western lands. It was believed that erstwhile Hitler concentrated all his military effort on the east front – a convenient situation would arise to reprove Western lands. These hopes are reflected in the text of the article “Eyes to the West” published on 29 August 1940. The authors postulate in it as minimum rewinding determination of the land lying east of Nysa Lusatia and Oder, with for defence purposes the border must cover both of these rivers and even the protective belt on their left, west bank⁹. According to the authors of the article, fight against an eternal enemy, a robber from the west, is not capture, not sepulchre, but the strategy of historical justice¹⁰. This article is simply a typical example of the Western and anti-German program. In addition, we can find characteristics in the text the racial German, who, according to the authors, is rude, beheaded, and wicked¹¹ . What facilitated the peoples of this kind of comparison and the popularity of the Western program was the German propaganda itself, which frequently referred to the Teutonic Order, the Prussian partition and the expected advancement of civilization and culture expressed in the Germanization of the Polish people. Anti-German radicalism did not decrease even after the Germans discovered and announced the Katyn crime, with which the propaganda of the 3rd Reich attempted to justify its attack on the russian Union and gain Poland as a collaborator and co-partaker of the further east campaign.

SEE ALSO: Otmar Wawrzkowicz ps. ‘Oles’, Head of Propaganda Division of the Shaniec/OP Group

The environment of the “Szaniec” Group was aware of the danger of a minute erstwhile Polish-German rapprochement could take place. Therefore, number 7, dated 19 April 1943, recalled the German crimes committed in the Polish people, admitting at the outset that in this case uniquely this 1 time the German reptile does not lie¹². The author further warns against taking information about this crime as a good coin, stating that this The false patos of the German gadzinka, is the cabotin act of “terror” is utilized by the German propaganda machine, hereinafter referred to as the bastards, the bad guys. and preying on corpses with basilicas, vampires, Judases and crusaders¹³. The continuation of the article confirms the thesis of the National Armed Forces, which stated that Poland has 2 enemies – national socialist Germany and Communist russian Russia, no of which is number 1 or number 2, both occupiers are number 1. According to this thesis, authors calculate and compare the horrors and the number of victims that have so far consumed the criminal actions of Germans and Soviets. The German hypocrisy, which carefully enumerates the victims of russian crime, is condemned here and Germany is despised as butchers and spreaders of German humanitarianism and civilizationWho at this crime want to sanction the 3rd Reich as leader punishing the crusade defending civilization¹⁴.

The lost influence of German propaganda and the false message addressed to the Polish society was besides noted in “Shaniec” No. 2 (51) of 10 January 1941, in which it was warned against the German-owned company “Move” which was liable for the urban and provincial press colporteur. According to the conspirators of the “Szaniec” Germany, without an extended network of sales during the occupation, which is the basis for the success of the printed propaganda, utilized the pre-war institution “Ruchu”. The authors believe that "Move", acting in the service of enemy propaganda, sells mass books and German press, press and reptile brochures¹⁵.

The anti-German propaganda was constantly present in the pages of “Szaniec”. In addition to political or ideological matters, German crimes were reported on the Polish and judaic population. This confirms, for example, the description of the panic in the judaic territory of Lublin ("Szanac" no. 10 (59) of April 1941) or the arrangements of pogroms on the judaic population ("Szanac" no. 15, April 1940). An interesting article on attempts to Germanize Gdynia was published in “Szaniec” (November 43, 1940) in which the author conducted an analysis of the confiscation of material goods, the number of people and the crimes committed on the Polish population and identified them as an example of the German extermination policy, which was intended to lead to the exchange of nationalities in a given area, in this case in Gdynia. According to the author of the article, Germany planned to make Gdynia Prague City, as evidenced by the fresh name Gotenhafen, i.e. the Port of the Goths,¹⁶. This policy of the sexualisation of Poles is not only physical but besides cultural, as we read in the final part of the text, in which the authors inform that The Church of Our woman on Świętańska was replaced by Marcin Luther, the chapels of the Jesuits and the Franciscans service as apartments for auxiliary police, consisting of volksdeutschs¹⁷.

Anti-German propaganda, which is full understood, intensified especially during the Warsaw Uprising, erstwhile “Szaniec” became 1 of the main conspiracy writings of the fighting Warsaw. Already in 1 of the first numbers that appeared in August (number 13), the authors, in the article “The triumph Will Be Ours!” predicted a breakdown and defeat A beastly enemywhich, in view of the failures on the east Front, is on the eve of the final crash¹⁸.

In the articles published in the Insurgent “Szaniec” there is peculiarly a belief in the future triumph over the German occupier, hence the increasingly emerging titles referring to the heroic, victorious and full sacrifice of the fight. The content of the articles is intended to sustain the soldiers fighting in the uprising. In the text entitled “For burnt houses, destroyed workshops...” (number 17, dated 21 August 1944), the authors study the brutalization of the fighting: In the ongoing fight, we see the biggest victims at all turn. This is simply a truly complete fight, which is surely not known by the screamer Goebbels. As the barbarous activities of the enemy develop, the number of harm increases, the number of homeless is increasing.¹⁹. In the further part of the material there was besides a threat regarding the future of the German criminal formations: Active organization members, especially its political formations (SS, SA, HJ) will be executed. About German crimes, in an article entitled “Record of Crime”, he informed number 19 “Szaniec” in which we can read that In Pruszków Germans gathered the population of about 70 1000 people expelled from Warsaw. surviving conditions in this camp are terrible. [...] This is the destiny which Germany besides cooked for those who in leaflets assured about peace and safety after leaving Warsaw²⁰.

A summary of the increasing anti-German sentiments is the text under the notable title “Catch the fangs of the beast!” (number 29). The author cites the information obtained by the Western correspondents “Szaniec” about the impending defeat of Germany and the organization of opposition troops with a view to further fighting. Knowing the German war effort so far, the author states that German guerrillas and the fake troops are not afraid, especially since specified ideas show the weakness of German military power. He besides calls for this kind of German thought to be prevented and a final blow, which, coordinated with the actions of the Western Allies, will be an effective means securing Europe from the emergence of Hitler's or his successor's clicks into a fresh nightmare reality²¹. The text besides refers to the thought of the “Szaniec Bolesławów” as thoughts A United Nation and, in view of the situation at the time, more and more real to realise²².One of the last numbers of the insurgent “Szaniec” (number 45) with a title from the first page calls that in the face of the losses suffered by occupied Warsaw, for panic and execution − Germany “They will pay us!”²³.