The German magazine “Compact Geschichte”, which infamously became famous for falsifying the history of World War II and slandering Poland, not only that it has nothing to reproach itself for, but also tries to convince – contrary to the facts – that it wrote the truth in the edition of “Hidden Wine of Poland”. As confirmation of his theses, he quotes out of context and manipulated statements of one of the Polish historians.
In the on-line edition of “Compact Geschichte” it notes as a confirmation of the theses it pushes through, that “Professor Marek Białokur, a professor of the Upper Silesian city of Opole, admits regarding to the Lamsdorf concentration camp run by Poles after the war: ‘We have the example of Lamsdorf, a German camp in the Opole region, where a group of people who were to be resettled was found. Yes, the conditions were difficult and there were crimes, such as the one when in the autumn of 1945, dozens of people died because of the commandant of the camp, Czesław Gęborski. However, juxtaposing and comparing the conditions in which they functioned for several months, in relation to what the Germans created, are things that are completely incompatible'”.
Meanwhile, the historian quoted by the Interia.pl portal earlier said clearly: “Let me start with the fact that it is not worth discussing for two reasons. The first is the scandalous level of the texts published in “Compact Geschichte”, in which historical events were treated selectively and tendentiously. Second, although not historical, but more important in the whole matter, is a deliberate action intended to provoke the Polish side to a diplomatic reaction. And here, in my opinion, there is no polemic with whom and about what”. On the other hand, to the statement cited by “Compact Geschichte”, in the interview with Interia.pl prof. Białokur added: “These people would never have been in any camp, had it not been for the outbreak of World War II, if the Germans had not occupied the territory of the Second Polish Republic and had not started a war”. He points out that “These were not concentration camps in any way. Few people today know that these were often places where such people, deprived of their homes, could feel safer before they found new ones”. These words, however, the German magazine is silent about.
“Compact Geschichte” states that “Unfortunately, a historian from Opole then gets carried away with false testimony in another quote. Referring to Bloody Sunday in Bydgoszcz, the massacre of German civilians by Polish citizens in early September 1939, Białokur notes that that it was caused by shots fired by German volunteers”. Meanwhile, in an interview with Interia, prof. Białokur notes: “How were the Polish troops supposed to behave when they were attacked? Some believe that it was a spontaneous act of the Germans. The question is, where did the “spontaneous Germans” get their weapons?”.
“However, it is gratifying that the historical book COMPACT “Hidden fault of Poland” is the starting point, thanks to which people in Poland at least start to deal with crimes against the Germans – at least Marek Białokur does not deny the crimes committed in the Lamsdorf camp” – “Compact Geschichte” concludes its argument . In fact, the stalags of Lamsdorf (Łambinowice) were a place of detention established by Nazi Germany mainly for soldiers of the anti-Hitler coalition. One of the first inmates were soldiers of the Polish Army, who were sent there at the beginning of September 1939. Then they were joined by, among others, French, British and American prisoners of war. From 1944, Warsaw insurgents were also among the prisoners. In total, about 300,000 people passed through the camps during their entire operation.
According to the Polish Institute of National Remembrance, “in the period 1939-1945, one of the largest Wehrmacht POW camp complexes was created in Łambinowice, which consisted of: Stalag VIII B, Stalag 318/VIII F, Stalag 344”. Historians estimate that there were about 300,000 prisoners of war in these camps, including 200,000 Russian soldiers. “Until mid-1940, only Polish soldiers stayed in Łambinowice, then Allied soldiers began to be brought, from July 1941 Russian, then Italian. In 1944, Warsaw insurgents and participants in the uprising in Slovakia appeared. About 40,000 prisoners of war died in Łambinowice, Russian soldiers predominated among the victims (including Poles conscripted into the Red Army), buried in nameless graves” – the historians of the IPN enumerate. The place of collective burials has been commemorated with a monument.
“In July 1945, the authorities of the Niemodlin district decided to establish a labor camp in Łambinowice, also known as a camp for displaced Germans or a resettlement camp. The facility was supervised by the local Public Security Office. The largest group of prisoners in the camp was the population of 30 nearby towns, which, after a short stay, were to be displaced deep into Germany. Among the inmates there were also people who considered themselves Polish. The number of prisoners who passed through the camp is estimated at 5,000, of whom about 1,500 died, mainly as a result of the typhus epidemic” – reminds the Institute of National Remembrance in the material surrounding the exhibition on the camps in Lower Silesia.
“The desire to take revenge for Nazi crimes and the lack of supervision by the authorities were the reason for brutal harassment by the camp guards. Commander Czesław Gęborski, who served from July to October 1945, was particularly remembered by the prisoners. During his reign, the most cases of abuse took place. The persecution culminated on October 4, 1945, when the guards opened fire on the prisoners during a fire in one of the barracks (more than 40 people died). In 1946, the camp gradually depopulated, people of German nationality were displaced, the others were released. In October 1945, the camp was liquidated” – we can read on the website of the Institute.
The problem is that “Compact Geschichte” diligently conceals each of these facts, as it does not fit the preconceived theses. The honor of Germans demands that they clearly dissociate themselves from these publications and all extremist circles that support them.
Anna Wiejak