How many Poles were forced into the Wehrmacht?

magnapolonia.org 1 month ago

For years as a nation of Poland, we have rightly celebrated the large victories of our ancestors in the fight against the enemies of our Homeland. Memoirs of specified victorious fights against Nazism as Monte Cassino, Falaise, Lenino or Bircza's defence should inspire a sense of pride from our ancestors, who, frequently disagreeing with the political reality surrounding them, guaranteed their blood a commitment to the origin of Polish and Polish citizens.

How many Poles were forced into the Wehrmacht? During the Second planet War and fighting against Ukrainian chauvinists for the durability of Polish lands, our soldier wrote beautiful cards of valor and perseverance in defence of Homeland. Unfortunately, due to the confusion of politics into history, the subject of forced military service of Poles in the ranks of hated Wehrmacht is pushed to the margin of discussion. According to historians, the number of Poles forced into the German army reaches up to 250 1000 people.

As a consequence of the failure of the 1939 Polish campaign, Germans from the lands which occupied their business joined, without global powers, the 3rd German Reich. In these areas (they included Silesia, Pomerania, Wielkopolska, so-called. Warta Country – Wartegau and any areas of the erstwhile Kraków, Kielce and Warsaw provinces) there were tragic events related to the coercion of military service for the hated German occupier.

Due to the deteriorating situation on the fronts, national lists created by the German occupier were sent to people against their cognition or agreement. It should be remembered that Poles, protecting their families' lives and possessions, signed the German national list. Unfortunately, accepting this list was bound by the work of military service in hated enemy uniform. Therefore, the negative overall approach to the issue of military service in Wermachta by Poles can consequence only from the deficiency of historical cognition or intentional action.

It is worth mentioning here the memories of Dr. Adam Majewski doctor of the 3rd Battalion of the 3rd Karpack firearm Division (Army of Anders in Italy) with meetings of Poles who were previously forced into the Vermacht, but deserted and joined Polish units fighting on the Apenin peninsula:

I was in my community, and Pythle and I arranged the records. We sat leaned over the table lit by the wide-open door of the barn. abruptly something obscured our light and I heard a crack. Pytl and I were both instinctively inclined. Fortunately, however, we did not “fall down”. There were 3 shooters in the door wearing brand-new uniforms. They looked so prescriptively uniformed, they were so relaxed, and they saluted so fast, I opened it.The lips of surprise.

It went right through my head, "What the hell, ours, not ours." And that noise? It was a hoo-ha-ha-ha-ha. The oldest right wing shooter one more time slammed his hooves, approached, as at the parade, 2 steps in my direction and checked in with an assignment to the BPO. I was accustomed to our alternatively casual customs inside the battalion, and I was delighted with their soldierly attitude on the 1 hand, but on the another hand, I was somewhat sad to be struck by this automatic behavior...

I was in the brigade 3 days ago, and I was doing 1 thing at the firm, and here comes this “keselringer” with a tupot, reaching his hand up and shouting, “heil!” He didn't have time to add “Hitler” due to the fact that all the religion in the law firm if he didn't laugh. mediocre guy's turned red like a girl. He stood like a string and didn't know what to say, tears in his eyes. He was no more than nineteen. Finally, we feel sorry for him. The captain came up to him, patted him on the back and said, "Don't worry, man, he'll come off you like a bad skin from a snake (...)

The Krauts trained them especially hard as Poles. They trained them like dogs to hunt. The point was not to think anything, but to act instinctively and without knowing what to do.[1].

Such stories of our ancestors are numerous, it is our work to honestly and truthfully bring this tragic past of our ancestors closer to us, to show what moral choices our countrymen stood against in order to defend their families during the German occupation. The communicative is not black and white, it has many shades and it frequently comes to the situation that an analysis of a peculiar case is needed in the given events, alternatively than a general outline of the event. We owe it to our ancestors.