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Polish Forced Labour (Zwangsarbeiter/Fremdarbeiter) collection

Article about: by A.J. Zawadzki Hi Stefan, yes, very perceptive of you. Definitely the efforts of a left leaning group. You'll quickly spot the less-than-subtle hammer and scythe imagery on the cover: Atta

  1. #71
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    Default re: Polish Forced Labour (Zwangsarbeiter/Fremdarbeiter) collection

    I wish I could find out more about the person in the documents. I lived in Elblag, Poland for one year as a teacher. I met my wife through a friend - she lived in Katowice - I would take PKP back and forth to see her. She now lives with me in Atlanta. I knew a bit about Polish history before moving there. It was not until later that I truly grasped the betrayal of the Allies. Also, I do wish that people, especially in America knew the plight of the Poles during the war and especially the amount lost in the Holocaust. It is so often brushed over. Since living in Poland I've collected a small library about this era and there are some great books that set things right, but I guess - they are not often read. It is just such a tragedy that the Polish were and are still often grouped as participants of the holocaust or forgotten about. You'll always hear "Jews, Gypsy's, Jehovah's Witnesses, Gays" perished in the holocaust, but they forget the millions of Gentile Poles. The misinformation fed in this country is often just ridiculous. Anyway, I'll stop there, but I've been collecting what I can of Polish documents and I.D.'s from this era. Usually with the help of Allegro and my wife. Thank you so much for this thread! There is such great information here!

  2. #72
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    Default re: Polish Forced Labour (Zwangsarbeiter/Fremdarbeiter) collection

    Quick question - can you tell me anything about this?

    Would this just be for a forced laborer?

    Thanks
    Click to enlarge the picture Click to enlarge the picture Polish Forced Labour (Zwangsarbeiter/Fremdarbeiter) collection  

  3. #73

    Default re: Polish Forced Labour (Zwangsarbeiter/Fremdarbeiter) collection

    Hello reidii,

    Thank you for your heartfelt comments and for your efforts at setting the record straight regarding “the plight of the Poles”. You are absolutely correct that this history remains a largely unknown chapter of the WW2 era. And as you hint, it is the misinformation and twisting of history that really is the insult to injury.

    Quote by reidii View Post
    . . . I've collected a small library about this era and there are some great books that set things right, . . .
    Please feel free to share some of the titles with us. No doubt you’ve noticed the “books” thread devoted to recommend reading:

    Books

    Thanks again for your contribution. It’s great to have you aboard

    Regards,
    Tony
    All thoughts and opinions expressed are those of my own and should not be mistaken for medical and/or legal advice.

    "Tomorrow hopes we have learned something from yesterday." - John Wayne

  4. #74
    ?

    Default re: Polish Forced Labour (Zwangsarbeiter/Fremdarbeiter) collection

    I will start posting those - of course some are probably already named. They're all in English too, due to my lack of learning Polish - which can make an unhappy Polish wife...

  5. #75

    Default re: Polish Forced Labour (Zwangsarbeiter/Fremdarbeiter) collection

    Quote by reidii View Post
    Quick question - can you tell me anything about this?

    Would this just be for a forced laborer?
    Yes, this appears to be a forced labourer “Work Card” or “Job Card”. '4th Scorpion' Stefan is our resident expert on these documents in their various forms and he may be able to provide more details.

    Quote by reidii View Post
    . . . They're all in English too, due to my lack of learning Polish - which can make an unhappy Polish wife...
    The hoped for intent of that thread was to list English language books as many of our members do not speak Polish, yet are hungry for good solid information. And as far as learning to speak Polish, it’s never too late, especially as you have a live-in teacher right at home with you!

    Pozdrawiam!
    Tony
    All thoughts and opinions expressed are those of my own and should not be mistaken for medical and/or legal advice.

    "Tomorrow hopes we have learned something from yesterday." - John Wayne

  6. #76

    Default re: Polish Forced Labour (Zwangsarbeiter/Fremdarbeiter) collection

    Quote by reidii View Post
    Quick question - can you tell me anything about this?

    Would this just be for a forced laborer?

    Thanks
    Hi reidii,

    Despite what Tony has said
    I am no expert on forced labour, resident or otherwise, but I am an avid collector of Polish forced labour artifacts and documents.

    Would you be able to post an image of the front of this work/labour card? I cant read all of the handwritten German scrawl across the top of the card.

    Like you I am interested to try and find out something about the people on the I.D cards or at least about the German companies that used forced labour.

    Most of these companies still exist and despite agreements by the German government over forced worker compensation many are still very reluctant to divulge information about the employment of forced workers in their company histories.

    I have personal experience of this. A while back, I wrote to the mayor of the German town where my father was deported to work in an arms factory. The mayor denied any such facility existed and that if there was there would probably be no surviving information in the town archives. The denial was absurd as some months later I discovered from the town council website that this mayor had recently opened a business park constructed on part of the arms factory site!! The site was taken over by the US Army after the war as it contained huge ammunition storage facilities built by the Nazis in 1935! So quite how the mayor had the affront to deny his own town's history beats me

    This was in total contrast to the attitude I found when requesting information from German concentration camps archives whom I found to be extremely willing to assist and often went out of their way to help me with contacting other archives on my behalf.

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    You are right, the story of the non-Jewish Polish experience of WWII is not widely appreciated and sometimes that experience is portrayed in a negative light. There are many reasons for this, some based on fact and much on "perception" rather than reality, however in regards to the Holocaust, it was not the same experience (or scale of tragedy) as that which befell the "Jews, Gypsy's, Jehovah's Witnesses, Gays" at the hands of the Nazis and IMO it is quite wrong to equate the two. But I totally get where you are coming from and understand the sentiment perfectly.


    Last edited by StefanM; 05-11-2010 at 12:45 PM.
    I collect, therefore I am.

    Nothing in science can explain how consciousness arose from matter.

  7. #77

    Default re: Polish Forced Labour (Zwangsarbeiter/Fremdarbeiter) collection

    Some more from my collection:
    Click to enlarge the picture Click to enlarge the picture Polish Forced Labour (Zwangsarbeiter/Fremdarbeiter) collection  

  8. #78

    Default re: Polish Forced Labour (Zwangsarbeiter/Fremdarbeiter) collection

    Hi Kindzjal,

    A very nice example of P.O.W. transit camp id tag? Any history behind the items?

    Kr. Gef. (Kriegsgefangene—P.O.W) Durchgangslager (Transit camp)
    I collect, therefore I am.

    Nothing in science can explain how consciousness arose from matter.

  9. #79

    Default re: Polish Forced Labour (Zwangsarbeiter/Fremdarbeiter) collection

    I'm so glad I found this forum re: Polish Forced Laborers.

    My mother and father were both survivors, and although am uncertain about my father, my mother was definitely deported to Germany as a forced laborer. According to her arbeitskarte, she worked for "VDM Halbwerkzeug.Eveking".

    Does anyone know what camps were associated with VDM? I've been given suggestions, but they are all over the map. I am assuming that she was sent to work for VDM branch in Eveking (now Werdhol) - but don't know what camps (Private or otherwise) where in that location.

    My parents never spoke about their experiences. Our family knows very little about their lives there. I've contacted ITS and am waiting for them to research my parents, as well as my two oldest brothers who were born in DPs camps in Germany.

    There is not enough information on Polish non-jewish laborers on the web. This disappoints me. Considering that they were the second largest group to be murdered by the Germans, it amazes me that there isn't enough information documenting this.

    Thanks for listening

  10. #80

    Default re: Polish Forced Labour (Zwangsarbeiter/Fremdarbeiter) collection

    Quote by 4thskorpion View Post
    Hi Kindzjal,

    A very nice example of P.O.W. transit camp id tag? Any history behind the items?
    Hi,

    there must be a history behind those items but I don't know it

    As we talk about the VDM I would like to show a VDM forced worker dog tag that belongs to a friend of mine.



    Bestreg.

    kindzjal
    Click to enlarge the picture Click to enlarge the picture Polish Forced Labour (Zwangsarbeiter/Fremdarbeiter) collection  

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