Holocaust – The Nazis’ Wartime Jewish Atrocities

When we think about the Holocaust today, many people automatically think of Auschwitz the Nazi extermination camp in Poland. When Auschwitz became part of the Nazi killing machine in 1943, most Jews of Eastern Europe were already dead. My family were originally from Skalat in what was Poland, now Ukraine, where the Germans, backed up by the UPA (Ukrainian Army) rounded up the Jews and murdered them. Men, women and children were not spared.

But this excellent short book from Stephen Wynn, looks at what started as painting the Star of David on Jewish Business’s and making German Jews where the star too. From there to the atrocities that wartime Germany undertook, in the name of Adolf Hitler. That some Germans tried to say they did not know is a lie, and again this book is a reminder of that.

So we get reminders of The Wannsee Conference, where the Final Solution was made real, Reinhard Heydrich and the Einsatzgruppen. The organ and the man who put the plan in to action, before being killed during the war, by Czech partisans.

Wynn looks at some of the Operations of the Nazis such as Operation Harvest Festival, as well as some of the female Nazi guards. As well as explaining the work of some of the death camps, not only Auschwitz, but Treblinka, an area even today you cannot hear birds singing, Sobidor a place that should send shudders down anyone’s spine. While there is no mention of the massacre of Wolyn, it is not surprising as the Ukrainian collaborators would not like that being highlighted.

With short chapters of when the Allies knew, I would say quite early, but the Polish Home Army was not believed by the Allies. Some even suggested the Poles were exaggerating the position. Even today more information comes to light and Wynn does mention the Holfe Telegram which came to light in the Public Record Office at Kew, in London in 2000, from 1943. This contained a number of cables that discussed how many Jews had been murdered in the occupied General Government area, and Ukraine.

This book will raise eyebrows if you do not know the full story of the Holocaust and this is an excellent introduction to the historiography which is consistently developing. Unfortunately, the Holocaust deniers will ignore this book, and basic facts. But for those wanting to start learning more about the Holocaust this is an excellent starting point. ( )