History /
Who here lost out because of WW2? [9]
In the course of my geneological research, I ran across an old man (ethnic German),who had lived about 30 miles from where my grandmother had lived in Russian-Poland. My grandmother emmigrated to the USA before WWI, but his family stayed in Poland.
I enjoyed hearing his stories of how Polish people and German people got along before WWII. (I am half Polish and half German).
Anyway, they were poor farmers and worked for a Polish nobleman. He recalls that the Polish nobleman had him stay on the manor during the summer to play with his son. The first time he had icecream and went to a movie was with the Polish family.
After a number of years his parents earned the right to their farm. His father was in the Polish armed forces when WWII broke out, and he and his mother were alone. He remembers how they cheered when the Polish planes flew overhead.
During the winter, when Germany was losing the war and the Russians were advancing, he and his mother and their neighbor were told to flee to Germany. All Ethnic Germans were ordered to leave. They put all their clothes layered on their backs and rode the neighbor's horse.
There were bombs exploding, bridges down and people crossing the rivers in wagons and however they could do it. He told me of having to pee and going behind a bush to see a dead man with his eyes open. He was 14 years old at the time. Anyway, with the Pottsdam Treaty in effect they had to leave behind everything, even though they were not part of the Germans who came in with Hitler. Their ancestors had lived in Poland for hundreds of years, and they were Polish citizens.
They made it safely to Germany, but were not fully accepted at first by the Germans as being German, but gradually integrated into post-war Germany. Eventually, he moved to Canada.
He tells me that when he hears the German national anthem or the Canadian national anthem, neither move him. It is when he hears the Polish anthem that he feels a sense of pride.He has had a good life in Canada, but finally in the 1980's he got to go and visit Poland. He looked for his family's old farm, and it was there. Of course, Poles from further east had been settled in his old farmhouse. I wish more people were like him. He never resented them, in fact they had a son of about 14 years of age and he identified with the teen. The family and him have kept in close touch and send birthday and Christmas presents to each other. I think he has become an "honorary part of their family."
I thought I tell this because these threads usually wind up saying that my people suffered more than your people did as a result of WWII. My conclusion is that it was horrible for all. I hope that people can remember, and learn a lesson, but forgive and realize that the people living nowadays did not have anything to do with all the pain and suffering. I am extremely proud of Poland even though I am an American. I admire how it has risen from the ashes so many times and always stood for freedom.