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Voices of Loss and Courage:
German Women Recount their Expulsion from East-Central Europe,
1944-1950
By Brigitte U. Neary and Holle Schneider-Ricks.
Pub' by Picton Books; 2002:
A Book Review By Douglas Brough
Bsc (Hons), Dip R/S, Cert Hum, Cert soc Sci
Reviewed August 2009: Contact Reviewer Here |
"Gasoline was poured over them and they were set on fire while still alive"
Testimony of Helga Leubner, Troppau, Sudetenland (p.152)
 Voices of Loss and Courage by Brigitte Neary and Holle Schneider-Ricks is indeed a book true to its words; it is the voice of the lost and the voice of the courageous; it is the voice of opposition; it is the voice of survival against a foe of forced expulsion, bitter retaliation and the indiscriminate loss of life.
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Voices of Loss and Courage
German women recount Their Expulsion From East-Central Europe 1944-1950
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Drawn into the book by a foreword by renowned historian, author, Professor of Law at the Geneva School of Diplomacy and former Senior Lawyer with the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Dr Alfred de Zayas, Neary and Schneider-Ricks take the reader on a journey through time to their ancestral lands and the time of their own forced expulsion.
But it is not hi-s-tory that they focus upon but her-story as they promote the story of thirty women, thirty vulnerable victims and their families "robbed of all dignity and self-respect, robbed of their very souls" (p. 23).
Brigitte Neary and Holle Schneider-Ricks travelled extensively throughout East-Central Europe to document the recollections of many women who form part of this little known, less talked about and even less taught element of World War II and its repercussions.
The talent within the pages of this book, and it is a talent, is knowing when to break with grammatical tradition in favour of the more ruggedly termed accounts of the interviewees: To some extent they have been allowed to speak for themselves in the only way they know how: Not only does this offer some credibility to the accounts given but it offers some realism to the stories told.
This is a well-planned strategy and one that is needed upon hearing of the experiences of these women; "their breasts were cut off (p. 5) states one survivor, another, "my daughter grew so weak that she could no longer walk" (p. 153) and another still, "when I close my eyes I see an image of someone being beaten to death from behind"
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Author Brigitte U. Neary |
Voices does however, challenge existing stereotypes and contemporary allegations relating to World War II and its bitter loathing, if not vengeful aftermath known as victory to many in the West.
One particular challenge portrayed in the pages of voices is the perception that the German people did little if anything to help those incarcerated by the Nazi Regime: In this instance Irmgard Gackowski tells of her horror seeing inmates of Auschwitz Concentration Camp march by and aunt's efforts to help as they all became prisoners in the same conflict as "the coffee was poured in the ditch" but the grain, hidden for the inmates by the expellees, "the grain had been eaten" (p. 9).
Another example is the case of the 'civilian target of Dresden' which was so vicariously bombed by the Allied Air Force: This atrocity is briefly though effectively drawn through the pages of 'Voices....' by the words of one woman who stated that "in Dresden she stood on a bridge and asked herself if she should jump in: It was all very cruel" she continued (p. 148).
Nonetheless, these accounts, so superbly researched and presented, highlight the attitude of hatred faced by the expellees, even from their own people. It encourages further research into the circumstances surrounding the concept of loathing ones own people. There was no mercy from the victors and these vulnerable survivors suggest that the prejudice against the refugees (expellees, survivors etc) made them feel like an outsider
(p. 54) and second-class citizens even within their own culture.
However the story doesn't stop there: 'Voices...' travels through to the present day by considering the legacy of the forced expulsions and its effect on its survivors, even to this present day. Some interviewees still couldn't give their full name because they were still afraid, even after 65 years or so, others took years for their injuries to heal, if at all, some never regained their family unit and others "still wake screaming from nightmares, unable to touch a gun or watch a war movie etc (pp. 23-61).
It is to their credit that they were able to travel the course of memory lane and recall deeply moving yet personal stories that unite their individuality into a little known story of where peace was hell and hell was war.
'Voices of Loss and Courage' is a much needed addition to the little that has learnt about the Expulsion of the East-Central European Germans. Much more needs to be learnt about this shielded era of her-story; much more needs to be learnt from history, the lessons need to and must be learnt. Brigitte Neary and Holle Schneider-Ricks have taken a positive step in this direction - their work must be continued!
The refugees existed in "a place where hell couldn't be worse" (p. 38).
"Nun Ade, du mein lieb Heimatland" (goodbye beloved homeland)
The words of Irmgard hertzigkeit (p. 137)
Voices of Loss and Courage: German Women Recount their Expulsion from East-Central Europe, 1944-1950: By Brigitte U. Neary and Holle Schneider-Ricks. Pub' by Picton Books; 2002:
A Book review by Douglas Brough © 2009 Douglas Brough: All Rights Rights Reserved
Read the Full Review Here
More Book Reviews Here
Author Profile Here
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Frauen und Vertreibung
Autor: Dr. Brigitte Neary
Publisher: Veröffentlicht Ares Verlag, Graz, 2008
Prüfer: Herr Julius Loisch:
Reviewed 2009: Contact Author Via friends of Germany Coalition Here |
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The German Flag, hereby signifying text in German |
Frauen und Vertreibung: Zeitzeuginnen berichten
Die gebürtige Deutsche, Prof. Dr. Brigitte Neary, lässt in diesem Buch- Frauen und Vertreibung- fünfzehn deutsche Frauen aus Osteuropa, die die Kriegs- und Nachkriegszeit erlebten, in ihren eigenen Worten berichten. Ihre Berichte übermitteln erschütternde Erlebnisse der Flucht, Vertreibung, Verschleppung, Vergewaltigung, und Mord.
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Frauen und Vertreibung
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Sie halten uns Not, Hunger, Krankheit und grausamste Behandlung vor Augen – obwohl die Frauen zu der Zeit zum Teil noch Kinder waren.
Ihre Worte drängen zu dieser Frage: was ist der Mensch heute, und was hat er aus dieser Vergangenheit gelernt?
Prof. Neary is Soziologin und Menschenrechtlerin. Das Vorwort zu diesem Buch schrieb der weitbekannte Menschen- und Völkerrechtler DDr. Alfred M. de Zayas. Wiederholt weist er auf das allgemein mangelnde Interesse, die Gleichgültigkeit, und das auferlegte Schweigen über diese Verbrechen hin.
Das Buch hat 160 Seiten und wird mit einigen Fotos ergänzt. Vergangenheit und Gegenwart gehen mit diesen Berichten Hand in Hand. In wenigen Jahren sind die Nachkommen, und Geschichtsforscher Träger der Geschichte. Frauen und Vertreibung ist ein Buch, welches gerade in der heutigen Zeit mit seiner unheimlich verzerrten und einseitigen Berichterstattung zum Ausgleich des Geschichtsbildes beiträgt .
Buy Frauen und Vertreibung by Dr. Brigitte Neary Here
Frauen und Vertreibung A Book review by Julius Loisch
Copyright © 2009 Julius Loisch: All Rights Reserved
Read the Full Review Here
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Author Profile Here
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Frauen und Vertreibung: Zeitzeuginnen berichten
(Women and Expulsion: Time-Witness Report)
Ares Verlag: Graz, Austria. 2008.
Reviewed by Julius Loisch
Reviewed 2009: Contact Author Via friends of Germany Coalition Here |
In her book, Frauen und Vertreibung the German-born American, Prof. Dr. Brigitte Neary permits fifteen German women from Eastern Europe to recall their brutal ordeals, 1944-1950.
This historical time period witnessed the destruction of Eastern-European Germans by the advancing Russian front and the subsequent "liberation" of Germany. The women describe in their own words the trauma they experienced decades ago as young girls or young women, of starvation, rape, beating, murder, plundering and abduction. red Army soldiers, but also Poles, Czechs, and Serbs were the perpetrators.
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Frauen und Vertreibung
Buy it Here | These gripping accounts of human suffering by the advancing Russian frontering at the hands of other humans demanded the questioning of what kind of human beings we are today and what, if anything, we have learned.
Prof. Neary is a sociologist and human rights advocate. The Foreward is by the prominent human rights advocate and scholar, Prof. Dr. Alfred de Zayas. He repeatedly condemns the persistent lack of interest, imposed silence, and violation of human rights surrounding these crimes.
The 160 page long book includes timely and telling photographs: Past and present go hand in hand. In the not so distant future our descendants and historians will be the bearers of history. We must insure there is a record of the collective trauma of millions of Germans. Frauen und Vertreibung significantly contributes to balancing the grossly distorted reporting of history.
This book represents a step towards reconcilling the publicly constructed memory regarding Germans and the personal memories of those who experienced the carnage: The time-witnesses and any others, eager for a balanced account.
Buy Frauen und Vertreibung by Dr. Brigitte Neary Here
Frauen und Vertreibung: Zeitzeuginnen Berichten A book review by Julius Loisch
Copyright © 2009 julius Loisch: All Rights Reserved
Read the Full Review Here
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Author Profile Here
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Picton Press
www.pictonpress.com
A Website Review By Douglas Brough
Bsc (Hons) Dip R/S Cert Soc Sci Cert Hum
Reviewed October 2009: Contact Reviewer Here |
Picton Press publish genealogical and historical books and CD's and can be reached Here or by mail to Picton Press, PO Box 1347, Rockland, ME, 04841 (Telephone (USA) (207) 596-7766) (Fax (USA) (207) 596-7767.
Their website located at www.pictonpress.com is a clearly defined blend of blue and grey: Having been a publisher for 40 years their website matches the clear-cut quality of their publications.
Picton Press is the official publisher for the Swiss American Historical Society as well as publisher for fine books concerning the German-American population and Germanic issues in Europe.
Picton Press have published books such as "Voices of Loss and Courage:
German Women Recount their Expulsion from East-Central Europe, 1944-1950" by Brigitte U. Neary and Holle Schneider-Ricks (Review Here) and "Wehrmacht War Crimes Bureau 1939-1945 by Prof. Dr. Alfred M. de Zayas (Review Here). Books such as these reinforce Pictons' committment to the publishing of fine quality, properly researched and informative books and CD's
Their website is easy to use, loads quickly and changes page equaly as fast: Its pale colouring subtly endorses their committment to scholarly publications, some of which are reviewed on this website.
All the links work, the colour is suitable for the layout of the website which adds to the professionalism shown by not only their publications but by the face of Picton Press on the internet.
In being easy to navigate Picton Press present theirselves in a user-friendly manner with an easy menu to the left of the page whilst the main body of the page is presented in a clear easy to read font with a layout to match.
As of October 2009 Picton Press remains the only publisher fully recommended by Friends of Germany Coalition.
Friends of Germany Coalition recommends that you visit their website which is located Here
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Picton Press website banner and mailing address |
Picton Press A Website Review by Douglas Brough Bsc (Hons), Dip R/S, Cert Soc sci, Cert Hum
Copyright © 2009 Douglas Brough: All Rights Reserved
Read the Full Review Here
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Human Rights Education Associates Newsletter
www.hrea.org
A Newsletter Review By Douglas Brough Bsc (Hons) Dip R/S Cert Hum Cert Soc Sci
Reviewed September 2009: Contact Reviewer Here |
Human Rights Education Associates offer various newsletters designed to inform, educate and spread the word about human rights - something that has become a symbol of the late 20th and 21st century.
Their newsletters which can delivered daily or weekly offer a condensed version of the latest news from the United Nations and European Union as
well as from other human rights sources throughout the world. Including the latest appeals for information their newsletters are lacking in the multi-graphic context of the 21st century: In this case this is a good thing as it allows easy to read information that loads quickly and is easy to understand. A newsletter i wouldn't do without: If you are interested in human rights you shouldn't do without it either.
Human Rights Education Associates:
A Website Review by Douglas Brough Bsc (Hons), Dip R/S, Cert Soc sci, Cert Hum Copyright © 2009 Douglas Brough: All Rights Reserved
Read the Full Review Here
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Voice of Reason Broadcast Network:
Dr. Tomislav Sunic Interviews Mr. Eberhard Fuhr
October 6th 2009
A Radio Broadcast Review
By Douglas Brough Bsc (Hons), Dip R/S, Cert Soc Sci, Cert Hum
Reviewed October 2009: Contact Reviewer Here |
October 6th 2009: Dr. Tomislav Sunic interviewed Mr Eberhard Fuhr, a spokesman for German-American civilians who were interned in prison camps on American soil during World War II.
Mr Eberhard Fuhr was interned alonside thousands of other German-Americans, Italian-Americans and Japanese-Americans during World War II for no other reason than their ethnicity. Most of them were American citizens but had their citizenship revoked as they registered under the Alien Registration Act.
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The plight of the German-American internees remains to be acknowledged by the United States government, despite its recognition of the plight of the Japanese-America internees.
Eberhard Fuhr, prisoner number 4056849, speaks candidly about his experience as a prisoner of the United States government.
Eberhard Fuhr explains the animosity towards anything German and how it was taken, somewhat on purpose as Nazi-loving. All it took for one to find themselves a prisoner was a careless comment, a picture on the wall or just blind lies from someone who didn't like the internee.
Mr Fuhr points out that The Holocaust wasn't generally known about at the time, suggesting that this couldn't have been the reason for the mass internment of american citizens: Indeed he points out that the SS St Louis, full of Jewish-German refugees, was turned away from the United States of America - a land that some would, and indeed have, called the 'land of the free'.
Mr Fuhr, prisoner number 406849, was interned at Crystal City, Texas, a new camp built to ease the U.S government's "internee problem." He candidly points out the contradictory attitudes that society has had with the German people and how the eye for an eye principle was very much applied.
He states how companies who had factories in Germany, such as those belonging to Henry Ford, were victimized, drawing heavy criticism from those around: He states how those who were interned were denyed due process (legal representation, witnesses) in contradiction to the United States Constitution; How they were constantly harrassed by the authorities and guards, some of whom considered them as Nazi's and threatened them with violence, death and other unwanted fate's.
It is worth noting Mr Fuhr arrived in the U. S. A. with his parents in 1928 and was only 17 young years old when he was interned - hardly a born and bred Nazi nevertheless. But because of the mass hysterior and internment he, alongside his brother Julius, were forced to fend for themselves, unable to pay the mortgage on their parents home, or the utility bills: Even though he was 17 at the time, it is a matter of historical fact that many younger children were also left to fend for themselves in similar circumstances.
Mr Fuhr suggests that every effort was made by the United States government to avoid neutrality and go to war on the Allied side. This supports what Mr Fuhr and others have told this reviewer, that the United States of America, Land of the Free, was vehemently anti-German - an attitude that survived the war years and indeed the 20th century upon the knowledge that the Japanese, interned alongside the Germans recieved $20,000 each, not a dime to the German-Americans.
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Crystal City Internment Camp |
Mr Fuhr also considers the situation at the end of World War II and in the years afterwards where he considers how a great amount of patents, ideas and inventions were stolen from Germany and used by the Americans in their shield against Communism during the Cold War years.
Mr Fuhr and Tom Sunic both identify the amount of German technology that benefited the American people and subsequently the Western world: Alongside space and military technology there was the rubber industry and even the computer which you are using to browse this site, has its origins within the Nazi Regime (See Here).
Quite ironically, Mr Fuhr recalls his eighteenth birthday behind wire and how he was forced to register for the military draft - even though they were deemed enemy aliens they still had to register for military service.
He also briefly mentions the case of Art Jacobs who was interned alongside him at Crystal City who was expelled to Germany: Art Jacobs, after intense pleading, managed to convince the authorities in Germany that he was in fact an American. He was subsequently allowed to return and joined the United States Airforce: He retired as a United States Airforce Major.
Excluded from society like second-class citizens, they have constantly had to fight against the Hollywood stigma of Nazism which still prevails today: Therefore it is worth noting that it is a matter of historical fact that not all Germans were Nazi's.
An informative presentation that only falls short due to time constrictions: It is something we must learn more about: Something which i feel sure that Tom Sunic will help us do in the months to come.
Both Eberhard Fuhr and Art Jacobs were interviwed by the BBC for a documentary some years ago.
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Eberhard Fuhr's passport: For more information and to see the souce of this image please visit the Traces website Here |
Perhaps Mr Fuhr's internment can be characterized by the following statement from his interview with Tom Sunic.......
When he asked if he could visit his parents looted home he was told that,
"he could go as long as he took three guards with him, paid all of their expenses and returned within the parole period"
So much for Land of the Free: The United States treated their own people as criminals charged with nothing - nothing except being who they were: Who were they? American citizens or Americans seeking full citizenship; children who knew little of the country they were suposed to be associated with and adults who had taken their family to the United States of America to give them a better life: If seeking a better life for our family is a crime whilst obeying the laws of one's adopted country then we are all guilty!!!
To visit Tom Sunic's spot on the web go to the Voice of Reason Broadcast Network Here
Dr. Tomislav Sunic Interviews Mr. Eberhard Fuhr October 6th 2009
A Radio presentation review by Douglas Brough Bsc (Hons), Dip R/S, Cert Soc sci, Cert Hum
Copyright © 2009 Douglas Brough: All Rights Reserved
Read the Full Review Here
More Radio Presentation Reviews Here
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1929: The Great Crash,
BBC 2 Broadcast Wednesday 9th October 2009
A Documentary Review by Douglas Brough Bsc (Hons), Dip R/S, Cert Soc Sci, Cert Hum
Reviewed October 2009: Contact Reviewer Here |
The Wall Street Crash of 1929 has probably become more well known because of the recent global ecomonic meltdown, which had its origins in Wall Street.
But it is easy to blame the bankers and money-men who trade to the value of millions each and every day; it is easy to complain at their slightest mistake because of its global implications.
This documentary, broadcast by the British Broadcasting Corporation, attempts to analyze not only Wall Street, but the whole culture of money, bonds, stocks and securities.
In exploring the causes of the 1929 Wall Street Crash, surviving eye-witnesses describe the biggest financial catastrophe in history: Karen Blumenthal of the Wall Street Journal and author of 'Six Days in October' helps explain how history has indeed repeated itself in that "human folly and greed are much stronger forces in financial affairs than reason and restraint - a concept brought home by the recent financial catastrophe.
Using first-hand testimony and the testimony of relations this programme attempts to offer a personal view of the crash - both the shoeshine boy and various bankers have their say.
However, in offering some personalization to a global incident the programme lost its effect: The Wall Street Crash affected almost every country in the world, including Germany who had been saddled with debt to the Americans ever since the dictated peace of World War I.
In devoting little over three minutes to the effect of the Wall Street Crash on other countries, it still managed to squeeze Great Britain into those minutes alongside Germany. There is so much more that should have been said about the world-wide impact of the Wall Street Crash that its absence almost makes this documentary a total failure.
1929: The Great Crash A Documentary Review by Douglas Brough Bsc (Hons), Dip R/S, Cert Soc sci, Cert Hum
Copyright © 2009 Douglas Brough: All Rights Reserved
Read the Full Review Here
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Bombing Germany!
Broadcast: Military History Channel, Monday 21st September 2009 (UK)
A BBC-History Channel Co-Production
A Documentary Review By Douglas Brough Bsc (Hons), Dip R/S, Cert Soc Sci, Cert Hum
Reviewed September 2009: Contact Reviewer Here |
“German civilians were supporting the Nazi war effort: That made it total war and justified the bombing of civilian targets”
Paraphrased comments of a RAF Bomber Command Pilot
What this pilot states is that collective guilt is acceptable: In other words that the Allied Air Forces had the right to kill civilians because of the governmental hierarchy in place at that time.
The subject of this documentary review by Douglas Brough is the delicate subject of the area or carpet bombing of mainly civilian targets in Germany by the Allied air forces during World War II; A subject that has sustained continued controversy ever since the end of hostilities in 1945.
Portrayed through a blend of archive footage, colour reconstructions and documents laying in what I assume is the shell of a bombed building, this effective photography seeks, from the outset, justification for what is in effect a war crime right from the outset with archive footage of a Luftwaffe bombing raid on London, UK: It must be noted however, that in accepting the Luftwaffe did indeed bomb London, two wrongs do not ever make a right.
The first half of this documentary reasons one excuse after another in the rationale of why whole areas where bombed instead of specific targets: Pilot error, technical errors and even the weather were reasons cited concerning why the RAF and subsequently the US Air Force carpet bombed Germany
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Dresden, Germany after the Carpet Bombing of Civilian Targets | instead on hitting specific targets.
Whereas there is some deviance from the sense of inconceivable justification in subsequent parts of “Bombing Germany”, it still remains a fairly biased view of a military action felt by some military commanders that couldn’t win the war but nevertheless an action they were going to continue with at all costs, no matter what the cost in civilian casualties.
In 1944 for example, over 60% of the overall bomb tonnage was dropped on German towns and cities: In other words over 60% of Allied bombs were dropped on civilian targets despite some British military commanders confirming that it was a breach in international law.
British wartime Prime Minister Winston Churchill was intent on proving to Russian leader Joseph Stalin the might and power of the British and American air superiority and destructive power. ‘Bombing Germany’ briefly considers the case of the firestorm of Dresden, though nowhere near enough time was spent on this war crime. It does however identify the targeting priorities of the Allied air forces; in the case of some towns their military worth was not important whereas how they would burn was – their destructibility invited their destruction.
‘Bombing Germany’ did identify some of the smaller towns and villages which were not considered as priority one targets but nevertheless were destroyed. The area that has become the new town of Vogtsburg was identified as a target as were other towns such as Effingham that had no priority one targets and only one priority two target, a power switching station but as the American pilots were briefed to bomb the communications and transportation infrastructure it was heavily bombed, destroying 80% of the town because it had a second class road going through it and that was considered a legitimate transportation target.
But what brings this documentary up to date are the comments regarding the bombing of German towns and cities. These actions were not expected to end the war but had a generational deterrent for future generations: In other words the bombing of German civilians was accepted because it would deter future generations of Germans from doing anything opposed to Allied supremacy.
So much for international democracy! But it has highlighted an attitude that still persists to this day, that all of the German people were, are and remain responsible for the crimes of the Nazi Regime, highlighted by the words of past British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher who opposed German unification in the 80’s fearing that they would repeat history. What became evident throughout this documentary is the depths the Allies were prepared to lower themselves to in order to crush the German people.
They were prepared to commit the crimes, crimes that were subordinately considered by Max Hastings, author of Bomber Command, as a moral blemish on the conduct of the Allied powers.
A blemish he stated. I would suggest it was more to do with the genocide of the German people.
Bombing Germany! Broadcast: Military History Channel, Monday 21st September 2009 (UK) A BBC-History Channel Co-Production A Documentary Review By Douglas Brough Bsc (Hons), Dip R/S, Cert Soc Sci, Cert Hum
A Website Review by Douglas Brough Bsc (Hons), Dip R/S, Cert Soc sci, Cert Hum
Copyright © 2009 Douglas Brough: All Rights Reserved
Read The Full review Here
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