BLOOD SUNDAY IN BODGE
Despite many attempts, despite the ever-better documentation, Bloody Sunday remains a historical mystery years ago. In Polish historiography, they took to describe it as an incidental inspired by Germans, provoked and even fabricated by Nazi propaganda. German historians tend to support the argument about the Polish Volksdeutsch pogrom, pointing to anti-German sentiments and the deficiency of clear evidence of German provocation. Can you find whose side the fact is on? most likely not today. On the another hand, it is possible to reproduce what happened in Bydgoszcz on September 3, 1939 and effort to draw conclusions that do not necessarily gotta follow 1 or the another historical trend.
SEPTEMBER CAMPANIES IN "Little Berlin"
The 1920s were a truly hot period of reconstruction for Bydgoszcz. It primarily included social relations and the cultural structure of the city, which, after the First planet War, was considered 1 of the clear examples of multinationalism. After 123 years of partitions, the city was again in Polish hands, with a crucial proportion of its inhabitants being native Germans. In the interwar period, any of them left Bydgoszcz, despite strong German traditions. To the degree that they were then called "little Berlin". For a time this solved the problem of misunderstandings between Germany and Poles, who now constituted the vast majority of the city's population. On the eve of planet War II, the “little Berlin” began to boil. The German community grew stronger, supported by the services of the 3rd Reich, for which all tendencies that were spreading from the inside Polish statehood were desirable. Even before the beginning of the conflict in Polish territories, Nazi intelligence conducted extended operations to activate the pro-German origin to the upcoming war with Poles. Volksdeutsche gladly supported Berlin. At the same time, with the expanding conviction of the inevitability of the conflict, the level of common distrust between Poles and Germany grew. The erstwhile realized that due to the unfavourable location in the case of German aggression Bydgoszcz would rapidly become a front city. The others were waiting for a chance to reclaim the city, which was late under Prussian management.
The outbreak of the war on 1 September 1939 found Poles not prepared to defy the massive impact of Adolf Hitler's army. Defending the section of the north-western troops of the Army of Pomerania, General Władysław Bortnowski rapidly retreated south and east. The war rapidly arrived in Bydgoszcz. In the first 2 days there were preparations for the evacuation of the city, which yet started on September 3. Through Bydgoszcz he led the conflict way withdrawing parts 9 and 15. The Infantry Division of the Army "Pomorze", but besides many refugees – the civilian population who fled German troops in terror. Around 10.15 p.m. On 3 September, shots were fired from private premises to retreat troops of the Polish Army and civilian refugees. After a brief investigation, it was found that the fire was opened by German divers hiding in their homes now mainly in the area of Jagiellońska and Gdańsk Street. At least a fewer people were killed in the assassination, with shootings erupting at different locations, and the full Polish losses were estimated at around 40 killed. It is worth noting that any of the victims may have been the consequence of a defunct shooting, which was besides attended by Polish defenders of the city. Fear and chaos contributed to spontaneous exchange of fire, in which it was not entirely known who and to whom it was shooting. This does not make it easier to recreate the events of September 3, 1939.
POLICE REACTIONS
At the command of the commander of the garrison of the city, Major Wojciech Albrycht was formed troops to find the guilty firing of Polish forces. The operation was supervised by Gen. Zdzisław Przyjałkowski, who at the time commanded 15. Infantry Division. The city was swept in search of members of the German V Column, as they called the diversions favorable to the 3rd Reich. The evidence of the operation was repeatedly analysed by Polish and German historians, who tried to find what truly happened on Sunday, September 3, in Bydgoszcz. Polish soldiers penetrated another homes, extorting suspicious residents, at least any of whom were identified as Volksdeutschs equipped with German weapons characteristic of the Wehrmacht forces. This may have already suggested that the V Column was ordered by the 3rd Reich army, having equipment enabling diversion in the rear of the Polish Army. It is worth noting that there was chaos in the city. The overwhelming climate of suspicion was not conducive to just action against the diversions. Those who were caught with a weapon in their hand were killed instantly. In many cases, innocents may have been shot, who were only accused of favoring Germany due to their nationality. The executions were executed on an ad hoc basis, without any judgment. Poles were able to identify people who did not come from Bydgoszcz, dressed in a distinctive sport-military outfit. They were described as being sent to the city by German officers, who were tasked with insidiously attacking Polish soldiers.
On 3 September evening, General Bortnowski reported: "The self-judges made by the soldiers together with the civilian population are uncontrollable due to the fact that the police in most areas are no longer present." Even these words can indicate the nature of shootings in Bydgoszcz. In the absence of supervision, the Polish population could proceed to a trial with the Volksdeutschs. However, this relation is not supported by circumstantial data. Bortnowski only noted that shots were inactive heard in the streets, which would propose an ongoing fight or spontaneous exchange of fire. On the night from 3 to 4 September, there was again the firing of retreating Polish forces. And this time, Polish forces proceeded to speedily administer justice. civilian defender and police forces were liable for this. 1 of the German Protestant churches was destroyed. In the light of the relation and the general nature of the incident, we can presume that many Volksdeutsch were wrongly killed. Meanwhile, the forces of the Army of Pomerania left Bydgoszcz. At the velocity of the formed camp at the barracks of the 62nd Infantry Regiment, about 600 Germans were held, who were released to their homes on 4 September without drawing further consequences.
On September 5, Wehrmacht troops entered the city. From the place, it was started to find the guilty bloody trial with Germany and to estimation losses. From the position of respective decades of historical research, it was impossible to establish an unambiguous number of murdered people. The National Memorial Institute estimates it to be over 360 people, of which 263 were to be registered in Bydgoszcz. This number includes all killed in the city, regardless of the nation. According to Paweł Kosiński, about 250 people were to be German. These data can, of course, be understated due to the method of calculation adopted. According to various estimates, German losses could have reached up to 300 people killed, and it is worth noting that this number should include besides people killed during the fight and the exchange of fire with Polish forces. Although the situation was uncertain, in September 1939 ad hocly formed German Police-Criminal peculiar Committee on Polish Explanations The crimes were decided by the Poles. The body's activity was a denial of the thought of justice. The occupier decided to bring the Polish population to collective work and began the extermination of residents of Bydgoszcz in September. In the next fewer months, about 13-15 1000 Poles were killed and buried in mass graves. The crime in Bydgoszcz became an excuse for bloody persecution of Poles, among which the top donation of blood was made by representatives of pre-war intelligence, including teachers, priests, officials or doctors. It was besides a consequence of the implementation of the Nazi concept of demolition of occupied lands from the most dynamic and active social element, in which Germany saw the top underground threat with independent actions. Blood Sunday was thus a feed for the German extermination device and was actually treated as a convenient run for the pre-planned operations.
PROPAGANDA is moving
Goebbels propaganda rapidly formulated the catchy slogan "Bromberger Blutsonntag", which means "bydgos bloody Sunday". It appeared in the diary "Deutsche Rundschau" a fewer days after the incident. This slogan entered the authoritative nomenclature utilized by historians, which in itself is simply a origin of negative associations. The password carries a certain emotional charge. Its popular usage even after more than seventy years after the end of planet War II clearly indicates the effectiveness of German propaganda and the consolidation of certain historical stereotypes. This does not mean, of course, that any substitute for Blutsonntag should be introduced, but it is essential to make the public aware that operating this concept may be misleading due to the ambiguity of events in Bydgoszcz.
Joseph Goebbels made a large usage of propaganda possible in the Polish city. abroad media were informed about the case, and the correspondents were guided by Germans at the scene of the alleged Polish crime. Furthermore, the authoritative press releases utilized many lies, pointing to the sole responsibility of Poles and importantly overestimating the number of German citizens murdered. In 1940, 'Völkischer Beobachter' pointed to an absurd number of 58 000 victims. In this way the Germans tried to build a image of the Volksdeutschs persecuted by Poles, thus uncovering a convenient justification not only for aggression against the neighbour but besides later repression against the Polish population. The measures taken and the scale of the repercussions were, of course, inadequate in relation to the alleged wines of the inhabitants of Bydgoszcz, but the transmission and the fact of the usage of force only in consequence to the aggression of Poles mattered. It is unknown how much the West public was affected by the reports of German propaganda. Its scope was limited, although the French and British could not yet realize the momentum and scale of the curses utilized by the Goebbels-led vertical. The Germans ruled that the soldiers of the Polish Army and the civilian population were responsible, focusing primarily on highlighting the engagement of the Army "Pomorze" and the individual decisions of General Władysław Bortnowski, who commanded the tactical union at the time.
HISTORY SPORS
Events in Bydgoszcz powerfully distinguished Polish and German historians, who for years defended more or little convenient versions of history. "Comfortable" in this case means the denial of "reliable", due to the fact that both sides tried to prove their rations and differently perceived Blood Sunday. For German historians, the events of September 3, 1939 were evidence of anti-German sentiments that contributed to the pacification of the innocent Volksdeutschs. For Poles, the diversion conducted by the V Column provided adequate justification for the measures subsequently taken by the soldiers of Gen. Przyjałkowski. In the course of proceedings conducted by the Main Commission for the Investigation of German Crimes in Poland and the Institute of National Memory, it was established beyond uncertainty that German diversions were active in the territory of Bydgoszcz and they provoked the events. However, it should be stressed that in many cases shootings may have been the consequence of mistakes by Polish defenders who mistakenly directed the fire at Polish units. Meanwhile, German historians emphasized the nature of the war crime and the prosecution of justice by Poles in conditions that prevented honest investigation. The execution of the German population was explicitly considered to be a self-righteousness unsupported by real reasons. Supporting the Goebbels propaganda, they ignored the fact that the 5th Column shot at Polish troops. Interestingly, the English teacher Lucy Baker-Beall, who was in the city in September 1939, testified in the course of the war that Poles were killing Germans who were captured with guns in their hands. According to the Polish side, this was to dismiss charges of shooting innocents. There's no telling where Lucy Baker-Beall got specified accurate information. Her relation is of course a valuable historical testimony, but she may bear the mark of any manipulation and misinformation. In 2003, Günter Schubert's publication entitled "Bydgo's bloody Sunday caused rather a sensation. The Death of Legend". The German historian rejected the erstwhile thesis of Poles with clear guilt who murdered innocent Volksdeutsch. On the basis of many documents, including the Journals of the Army “Pomorze”, he made a rich analysis of events, pointing to the diversion of the German side and the firing of forces of the Polish Army in Bydgoszcz. The execution of Germans was a retaliation for erstwhile attacks on civilians and troops 15. The Infantry Division, with the scale of repression exceeding the real guilt of the diversions, and among the murdered were innocent people. Today, the story of Black Sunday seems little controversial than it was a twelve years ago. However, this does not mean that the subject has already been full developed and that all doubts have been resolved. However, due to the expanding number of witnesses of events and the deficiency of real opportunities to get to another accounts, it seems that the remaining disputed issues cannot be resolved.
Documents, sources, quotations:
World War II portal: texts by Mateusz Łabuz
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