| Ethnic Cleansing I One Hundred Witnesses of Exodus, Expulsions and Deportations By Rudy Maskus |
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Copyright by Hausner Foundation, Oak Brook, IL, USA
(Permission to publish Given by Hermina Hausner)
(Permission to publish Given by Hermina Hausner)
PROLOGUE TRUTH AND WISDOM By Karl Hausner If You are seriously ill, you are advised to consult at least two, preferably three, physicians independently. If you wish to purchase a major piece of equipment, such as an automobile, a house, etc. or want to remodel your home, you should get three estimates. You will be surprised about the difference. If you wish to know historic truth, you must at least consult five different essays on the same subject, preferab;y produced in different countries and, if possible, one or two must come from neutral sources. Remember, our public schools and the primary media are tools of politics and/or government. History is written by the mighty and cultivated by groups who benefit from it. INTRODUCTION The world reacted, horrified, at the brutal expulsion of hundreds of thousands of people from Kosovo before responding with weapons to stop the inhuman events. It seems inconceiveible that an act akin to the expulsion of the Germans half a century ago could be repeated. It was assumed that human beings had learned a lesson from history, but these historical, barbaric acts had been forgotten by the world or simply silenced. At the same time, more than sixteen million Germans were driven from their homeland, of which over two million died. This was a catastrophe never before known in German history. Yet, even now, it is widely and deliberately ignored. Schools and universities very rarely mention this topic, and usually only as a casual subject. They would have to admit that the Germans were also victims, not just the perpetrators. This reasoning does not fit into the contemporary era; a certain popular spirit of the age, spread by the influential opinion builders prevails. We owe future generations the complete picture of our recent history, letting them know about our ancestors, and also to learn from them. Crimes committed by the Germans are constantly published by the mass media. We do not deny the facgt tat Hitler started the war, and that he carried it out with great harshness. The brutal expulsion of the people from their homeland, and the confiscation of their properties are also crimes, according to existing human rights statutes of international agreements, and unjustified for any reason. The displaced Germans are mindful that such crime should never happen again. The declaration, in their charter of 1950, promises to forgo revenge and retaliation. They extend their hand of reconciliation to those who brought on their terrible suffering. Many expelled Germans hae since visited their former homeland, finding cordial contacts from one human being to another; however, this does not mean that they gave up their homeland. They will be forever connected! Many of them have reached for pen and paper to tell their stories: of their homes, their forced exodus and cruel deportations. In a short time, the author of this book (excerpted here) received seven hundred eyewitness reports, all of which deserve telling. But there is space here for only one hundred selected excerpts that capture the horror of that era. Note: If anyone has witnessed these horrors and has not yet told their stories, please Email same (with photographs if possible) to johannes@gawhs.org. FROM EAST PRUSSIA, INCLUDING DANZIG AND WEST PRUSSIA 1. BAUER, GERDA: IT WAS HELL! I was born in 1036, at Elbinger Hoehe in Doerbeck, County Elbing in West Prussia. I lived a carefree, happy childhood there. At the end of 1945 my childhood ended, as war rolled over our village, leving nothing but death, fear and desperation. My father and brother were soldiers on different fronts. The war came to our village. What took place there was pure hell! These horrendous events and experiences are buried very deep in my memory. The conquerors behaved inhuman; they plundered, desecrated and burned everything. We heard the cries of the women and girls from the houses, where people lived together in a group. The Russian soldiers were merciless, as they attacked and raped day and night. Most of the time they were drunk. Senselessly, we were chased to different houses, to other villages and back again. Whether we were old or young, we all had to march somewhere without nourishment and without sufficient clothing. None of us was asked if we were able to go, we were pushed along with the use of rifle butts. Whereever people collapsed, they died. People were locked up like animals inside the freight cars. For many weeks, these trains traveled east, the destination, Siberia. There, under barbarous conditions, women as well as men suffered terribly, forced to work so hard in the mines and the forests. Most of them never came back; their graves lie somewhere along the railroad tracks, or in Siberia. My cousin, her parents and an aunt were sent there. My cousin returned in 1947, deathly ill; her parents and her aunt are still missing. Soon after the Russians arrived, many of the German soldiers and the civilians had to be buried inDoerbeck. There were dead bodies lying everywhere. Since there were no longer any men in the village, the women had to dig the graves, commanded by the Russians. he corpses were dumped into the mass graves that were dug in the fields, while the Russians gleefully watched. I also had to help dig the graves. My mother worked nearby, but she kept a watchful eye on me, since I was the only living member of her family. The uncertain fate of her husband and son left her very despondent. In Doerbeck, our situation became even more desperate. The food supplies that were left were either used up or destroyed, on purpose, by the invaders. Our animals starved to death. The few cows, that were still alive, were driven away by the Russians. There were no grain seed supplies left to sow in the fields. The many ditches crisscrossing the land, the so-called panzer-blockades, made working in the fields impossible anyway. Besides, there were no horses or machines left. The time came when hunger dominated our lives and resulted in diseases. Added to that was the constant, deadly fear of the Russians. I got sick with typhoid. My mother worried about me for many weeks. She got sick herself and died inSeptember of 1945, of typhoid and pneumonia. Another mother's sister and her son and daughter took me under their wings. I have to thank them for my survival. Following the deaqth of my mother, we were completely downcast. Then the Poles took over our village of Doerbeck. Whoever had escaped the brutal raping by the Russians had to hide now from the Poles. I cannot imagine that hell could be more horrible than this! The Poles, driven from their homes by the Russians, came to our village. They were outraged that nothing was left for them to pillage, so they tortured the Germans who were still there. In December of 1945, we no longer saw any reason to remain in our village. With heavy hearts, we left everything our ancestors had worked so hard for. The city of Elbing was totally bombed out. As we found our way to the railroad station, we were robbed of the rest of our belongings. At the railroad station, we were crammed into a freight car. It was too tightly packed, and to cold for anyone to sit down. The journey toward western Germany, without food, seemed endless. In Koeslin, we spent the night in a military barrack. Then we moved on in a train without windowpanes. The Russians hung sackcloths on the windows. From a small basket in the corner, we heard the whimper of a baby. A few days leter the whimpering stopped. Either the child froze to death or it died from starvation. Whenever the train stopped to get water, the dead bodies were placed next to the tracks in the snow.. The ride seemed endless to me. Hunger was our constant companion. Finally, the train reached Kuestrin, where we lived in a horse stable inside the military barracks. We barely survived there, since all the German farmhouses had been taken over by the poles. My head was covered with pustules. But my father and brother had survived! The Red Cross located them in Hessen, where I joined them. Doerbeck is the home of my childhood and my nightmare. (Now: Schwarzenhasler Strasse 12, 36199 Rothenburg a.d. Fulda) |
