'Aussie Rick'’s Comments (group member since Jun 12, 2009)

'Aussie Rick'’s comments from the THE WORLD WAR TWO GROUP group.

"Empire of Destruction: A History of Nazi Mass Killing" - Chapter 2: Decapitation of Polish Society - Sister Alicja Kotowska:

https://melanierigney.com/blog/cathol...

"Empire of Destruction: A History of Nazi Mass Killing" - Chapter 2: Decapitation of Polish Society:

"One of the most infamous mass-murder sites of the Intelligentsia Operation was Piaśnica Wielka (Groß Piasnitz) near Wejherowo in Danzig-West Prussia. From the second half of October 1939 until April 1940, between 10,000 and 12,000 inhabitants of Danzig, Gdynia, Wejherowo and Kartuzy (Karthaus), as well as 1,400 German psychiatric patients from several Pomeranian institutions, were killed in the woods around Piaśnica. One of the victims of the Piaśnica massacres was the head of the convent at Wejherowo, Sister Alicja Kotowska. She had been arrested by the Gestapo on 24 October 1939 during prayer. The nuns knew that one of the workers at the convent was an ethnic German. Before she left the convent, Sister Alicja declared: 'I forgive Franciszek for everything'. On 11 November, National Independence Day in Poland, Sister Alicja was among 314 Poles and Jews murdered at Piaśnica. The killings that day lasted from early morning until three in the afternoon. Men and women were led in groups of five to the previously dug graves and shot. Some of the victims were buried alive. Witnesses report that, as she was being transported from the prison to the execution site, Sister Alicja huddled with and comforted Jewish children who were also going to their deaths in Piaśnica. Though the post-war examination failed to identify her corpse, it did uncover a grave containing a rosary of the kind worn by the sisters of her order."

The massacres at Piaśnica:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Massacr...

https://muzeumpiasnickie.pl/en/massac...

"Empire of Destruction: A History of Nazi Mass Killing" - Chapter 2: Decapitation of Polish Society:

"The express desire to kill all Poles who 'could be bearers of Polish resistance in the future' meant that not even Polish schoolchildren were safe, especially when German retaliation for even the most trivial of incidents was often barbaric. On one occasion in the village of Obluze, near Gdynia (Gdingen) in what had now become Danzig-West Prussia, the German authorities arrested some fifty Polish schoolboys in response to the alleged smashing of a windowpane in the local police station on the night of 11 November 1939. The Germans demanded that the schoolboys name the culprit. Unable to learn who was responsible, they ordered the boys' parents to thrash them publicly in front of the church. When the parents refused, SS men brutally beat the schoolboys, shot ten of them and forbade the removal of the bodies, which lay for twenty-four hours in front of the church."

Empire of Destruction: A History of Nazi Mass Killing by Alex J. Kay

Two very interesting posts Doubledf99.99, especially the last one about the American football tournament being played in Tokyo!

"Empire of Destruction: A History of Nazi Mass Killing" - Chapter 2: Decapitation of Polish Society:

"The express desire to kill all Poles who 'could be bearers of Polish resistance in the future' meant that not even Polish schoolchildren were safe, especially when German retaliation for even the most trivial of incidents was often barbaric. On one occasion in the village of Obluze, near Gdynia (Gdingen) in what had now become Danzig-West Prussia, the German authorities arrested some fifty Polish schoolboys in response to the alleged smashing of a windowpane in the local police station on the night of 11 November 1939. The Germans demanded that the schoolboys name the culprit. Unable to learn who was responsible, they ordered the boys' parents to thrash them publicly in front of the church. When the parents refused, SS men brutally beat the schoolboys, shot ten of them and forbade the removal of the bodies, which lay for twenty-four hours in front of the church."

Empire of Destruction: A History of Nazi Mass Killing by Alex J. Kay

Great review Geevee. Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts with the rest of the group as I am sure the book will interest a few members.

Manray9 wrote: "I have a copy of Patrick Desbois' --

[book:In Broad Daylight: The Secret Procedures behind the Holocau..."

That's a book I also have an eye-out for. Keep us all posted on your progress MR9.

Will do Mike. Sadly the first chapter covers child 'Euthanasia' within Germany and Austria starting in 1939.

I've just started reading this book; "Empire of Destruction: A History of Nazi Mass Killing" by Alex J. Kay.

Empire of Destruction: A History of Nazi Mass Killing by Alex J. Kay

Mike wrote: "A remake of All Quiet on the Western Front looks darn good:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qFqgm..."

Yep, I've got it marked out when it's released by Netflix :)

Today's morning arrival in the mail; "Devil Dogs: King Company, Third Battalion, 5th Marines: From Guadalcanal to the Shores of Japan" by Saul David.

Devil Dogs: King Company, Third Battalion, 5th Marines: From Guadalcanal to the Shores of Japan by Saul David

Keep us all posted once you get started Marc :)

Nice review Marc! Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts on the book with the rest of the group.

Some excellent books there Marc! I hope you enjoy Paul Ham's "Kokoda" as much as I did.

Marc wrote: "Started this new arrival on Guadalcanal last night:

The Cactus Air Force: Air War over Guadalcanal

The book was..."

Let me know how it goes Marc, I have been eyeing off a copy for a while now.

Liam wrote: "Right on, Rick! Professor Spector always has something interesting to say. Unsurprisingly, I've been eyeing that one too; hopefully the price will go down just a little bit more in the near future..."

Fingers crossed Liam :)

Keep us posted BA! I've seen that book around but haven't bothered, at this stage anyhow, in grabbing a copy, that may change :)

BA wrote: "I finished The Greatest Air Battle: Dieppe, 19th August 1942 by Norman L.R. Franks.

Interesti..."

Glad to hear you enjoyed the book BA, sounds like an interesting and detailed account.

My copy of Ronald Spector's latest book arrived today; "A Continent Erupts: Decolonization, Civil War, and Massacre in Postwar Asia, 1945-1955".

A Continent Erupts: Decolonization, Civil War, and Massacre in Postwar Asia, 1945-1955 by Ronald H. Spector

A few arrivals in the mail today, one new and one old:

Defeat and Division: France at War, 1939–1942 by Douglas Porch

When the Odds Were Even: The Vosges Mountains Campaign, October 1944-January 1945 by Keith Bonn