Jew Killing WWII by Poles: Warsaw 1944 a Myth. Kornas

Mity Powstania Warszawskiego, by Jaroslaw Kornas (ed). 2020. Capital Books, Warszawa

The Warsaw Uprising in the Context of Polish-Jewish Relations. No Proven Polish Jew-Killing

MYTHS OF THE WARSAW UPRISING is the title of this Polish-language anthology. It features many authors in a round-table discussion, mainly Jaroslaw Kornas, Leszek Zebrowski, Stanislaw Michalkiewicz, Ireneusz Lisiak, Przemyslaw Czyzewski, and Jacek Stykowski. It raises many different issues, of which a few I discuss.

THE ARMIA KRAJOWA (HOME ARMY) ACCUSED OF NAZI COLLABORATION

Communist propaganda painted all non-Communist units as collaborators. They were not. Now, in the Kresy, the retreating Germans occasionally dropped off some arms for the A. K., as a counterweight to the Soviets, but that is not collaboration. What’s more, both the German and Polish commanders that had agreed to this arrangement were shot by their respective sides. (p. 19).

THE GERMANS SHOULD HAVE LEFT WARSAW ALONE

The discussion centers on what would have happened if the Germans had abandoned the Warsaw Uprising, thus leaving Warsaw in Polish hands, as a present to the incoming Soviets. The latter would have repressed Warsaw, just like they earlier did Wilno and other places in the wake of Operation Burza (Operation Tempest). However, it would have been more difficult to do so, because there would have been a Polish government in Warsaw. (pp. 54-55). It would have been interesting.

THE NSZ IN THE WARSAW UPRISING

Part of the NSZ subordinated itself to the AK. For background information, see:

Of these, approximately 2,000 to 4,800 NSZ guerrillas took part in the Warsaw Uprising, of which 79 were killed. (p. 70). Otherwise, the attitude of the NSZ to the Uprising was decidedly negative. The NSZ leadership had contended that the Germans had already lost the war because of Stalingrad, and that Polish guerrilla organizations should conserve their resources to fight Poland’s other enemy–the encroaching Soviets. (pp. 94-95).

THE CALUMNY ABOUT ARMIA KRAJOWA KILLING JEWS DURING THE WARSAW UPRISING

This section is a follow-up to the refutation of Michal Cichy’s falsehoods, for which he has “apologized”. See:

Jacek Stykowski, the son of accused Jew-killer Waclaw Stykowski, examines the claims against his father. There are several such accusations, and none of them are based on verifiable evidence. All are based on journalism, not history. Even historian Gunnar S. Paulsson, who should know better, does nothing more than repeat the journalists. (pp. 178-179). Polish educators are very shallow, and also parrot these lies. (p. 213).

A BRIEF SURVEY OF INTERWAR POLISH-JEWISH RELATIONS

Ireneusz Lisiak has some helpful comments on these subjects. He notes that Jews dominated commerce, notably at the wholesale level, and dictated low prices for farm produce. There was frequent criminality associated with usury and shopkeeping, as well as tax cheating. (pp. 105-106).

Universities required payment for admission, and this favored the rich, which in turn favored the Jews. (pp. 106-107). The medical and legal professions were dominated by Jews, largely owing to Jewish “dynastic” family ties, and it was very difficult for Poles to get into these fields. Lisiak concludes that the ghetto benches were a protest against these realities. (p. 106).

THE WARSAW GHETTO UPRISING

Lisiak (p. 120) reminds us that, before the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, Hersch Berlinski showed overt disloyalty to Poland. He openly backed the Soviet Union in any conflict with Poland. This is confirmed by Jewish sources. See:

And to think that Poles are blamed for not more fully supporting the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. The chutzpah!

Let us consider the accusations, against the Policja Granatowa, of Jan Grabowski. Lisiak reminds us that the Blue Police was not used against the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. The dirty work was done by the Germans, and their Ukrainian and Baltic collaborators. The Blue Police was relegated to an entirely peripheral role, and made to guard the rears of the SS units. (p. 114).

Jan Peczkis
August 4, 2020.

=================

Original article here:  https://www.polishclub.org/2020/08/05/new-bookwarsaw-insurgents-did-not-kill-fugitive-jews/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+PolishClubOnline+%28Polish+Club+Online%29