American Holocaust

[cthulu2016]

105. A sad scene -- some eastern Jews fled west from the invading USSR seeking refuge with th German army

They had lived near the Rusiian borders for a long time. They knew they were dead if the Russians got them. They were not as well informed about the Germans.

The fact that Russia and Germany colluded in the invasion of Poland, and that Russia conquered as much territory as Germany from 1935-1945 was largely obscured before the fall of the USSR. Some out of WWII propoganda, some to cover British actions, so due to the USSR running a good PR shop. (I say this for other readers, not for you.)

Norman Davies NO SIMPLE VICTORY is a good account of the military and diplomatic history of the war from our better informed modern perspective. (After the soviet archives were opened.)

The usual jewish holocaust figures are poland 2.2 million, USSR 1 million. I suspect the true polish number is a little higher because populations were being disocated and some folks who started out in poland probably ended up in the USSR total.

Also, their are probably some holocaust deaths that were actually killed by Russia and even by non-Jewish poles. Should they count in the holocaust total? I say probably so. No reason for a genocidal movement on that scale at the same time to be parceled up and ascribed to particular criminals.

(From the native American perspective there wasn't much point keeping score as to who was being killed by the Spanish, English and French. The tragedy for the people is unitary.)