When The Prussians Came To Poland: The Experiences Of An American Woman During The German Invasion

by Laura De Gozdawa Turczynowicz

""When The Prussians Came To Poland"" is a first-hand account of the German invasion of Poland in 1914, written by Laura De Gozdawa Turczynowicz, an American woman who was living in Poland at the time. The book details Turczynowicz's experiences as she witnessed the invasion and its aftermath, including the destruction of cities and villages, the displacement of civilians, and the mistreatment of prisoners of war. Turczynowicz also provides insight into the social and political climate of Poland during this time, as well as her own personal struggles and triumphs. The book offers a unique perspective on World War I and its impact on the people of Poland, as seen through the eyes of an American woman living among them.This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the old original and may contain some imperfections such as library marks and notations. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions, that are true to their original work.

Genres: History, Nonfiction

320 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2009

Reviews

[Jaylia3]

What was the first World War like for those who lived near the front lines of battle? Peter Englund’s book The Beauty and The Sorrow excerpts diaries, letters and memoirs of twenty people who experienced that war firsthand, and this riveting book by American opera singer Laura Blackwell de Gozdawa Turczynowicz is one of his sources. Laura moved to Europe in the early years of the last century where she performed in Munich and Bayreuth, met and married a Polish aristocrat, and was living a life of genteel, Downton Abbey-like luxury until her privileged world and beautiful home were ransacked by the Great War.

Though her husband, serving in the Russian military, had to flee when the Germans got near, Laura remained behind with their three young children because one of her twin sons was deathly ill with typhus and far too weak to travel. The four of them lived under German occupation for seven months, cramped into an ever-diminishing number of rooms in their large but now ruined and filthy home, a space they shared with rotating contingents of German fighters and an ever-expanding military hospital in which formerly timid Laura acted as a nurse.

Laura was forced to wait on German officers while people in her village starved and soldiers abused prisoners and villagers for sport. Hearing approaching sounds of battle brought hope not fear; maybe their own soldiers were making headway and would soon be able to liberate them. After seven months and with the European war still raging, Laura and her children were allowed to make their way to the United States where Laura wrote this book, hoping to inspire America and Americans to help free devastated Poland.