Two from the General Forum

[JerseyJohn]

As the action here has been rather shallow lately, it seemed a good time to recycle a pair of Threads I started at the General Forum earlier this month to see if anything new could be contributed to them.

Both are tied in to the Second World War in Europe, and through that to SC.

The First Post involves information concerning a Jewish boy the SS used at Majdenek Concentration Camp in 1943 to assist in "Processing" new arrivals. The only information I have on this rather unique historical figure is from a book entitled "Survivor of the Holocause" by the late Jack Eisner. He passed on this August, otherwise I'd have corresponded personally with the author. Unable to do that I was hoping some members could help with information.

In that regard, the General Forum was very helpful, perhaps others who don't post there will have different sources.

The Second Post is a hypothetical discussion concerning Germany and Europe in the 1920s and beyond if Imperial Germany had accepted the Anglo/French peace off of 1918.

Last year I based a scenario, sent to Otto's, on this idea, so it's obviously relevant to this game. I've been planning to either redesign the original or create a second version. Any ideas or opinions on this subject would be greatly appreciated.

[JerseyJohn]

The First of Two Transferred Posts:

Request Help With A Holocaust Question.

In a book I’ve just finished reading, “Survivor of the Holocaust” by Jack Eisner, an allusion is made to a young Jewish boy from Lodz who served the SS as a Judas Goat at Majdenek Death Camp in Poland.

The author mentions this boy, briefly, three or four times, but does not give much information on him. I’d like to find out more and have tried various sites, such as SHOAH and Simon Wiesenthal, but can find nothing on him.

What makes it more maddening is I remember reading about him decades ago and even recall a grainy b/w photograph of the boy in his white uniform on a white pony, but this may be a mix-up; more likely the Czarevitch Alexei being juxtaposed.

Here’s a description from the book following the SS suppression of the Warsaw Ghetto:

[pg 177] …Suddenly, as though a fairy tale had come to life, a beautiful white horse and rider appeared in the distance.

"I couldn’t believe my eyes as I watched the animal gallop closer and closer. In the saddle was a majestic, nonocled figure in an SS general’s uniform decorated with red velvet lapels, topped by a striped SS cap. A long white cape lined with red satin floated behind him. Several SS officers, using their whips and guns, cleared a path for the “emperor.”

"Standing in stirrups, he rode through the masses of “rubbish,” assessing the scene. He seemed satisfied. He jerked the rein, causing his horse to rear up on its hind legs, then motioned with a white-gloved hand. Within seconds, a handsome white pony appeared, carrying what looked like the “heir to the throne,” a young boy who could not have been more than ten or eleven years old.

"The “emperor” motioned again with his white-gloved hand, and the boy, in a white uniform and shiny black boots, dismounted. He was holding a small whip in one hand, and there was a holster strapped to his side.

He walked to a platform and stepped onto it. Then, in a clear but childish voice, he began to speak. In Yiddish! “My name is Srulek. And I’m from Lodz. This is my ‘grandpa,’ the great General Globocnik!

”The name was familiar. Globocnik was Himmler’s chief executioner in southern Poland. The first to introduce the gas van…[etc]. I saw most of the people around me were now quiet. They were stunned…

“You see these barracks in front of you?” the boy continued. “They have showers for Entlausung, to disinfect your filthy bodies. My grandpa, the general, has told me to assure you that only water comes out of these showers. He gives you his word of honor. And so do I. This isn’t a trick. Believe me, and you’ll live. Don’t be afraid. Don’t hesitate to take the Entlausung. If you refuse, there’ll be a bloodbath right here.”

He emphasized the point by drawing his pistol and firing several shots in the air.

[pg 178]… “Don’t believe him,” I whispered. “He’s lying. Don’t trust him. Don’t go in the barracks. They’re gas chambers.”…”Just follow my instructions and you’ll soon be out of here,”

"I heard Srulek repeat. “They’re just showers – nice clean showers.”

[pg 179]" …I could see some of the youths who’d been with me on the train from Warsaw. They, too, were urging the people not to believe the little bastard.

A sudden burst of machine-gun fire ripped the air. People began falling before Srulek. Apparently, the little monster had grown impatient with the lack of response and had signaled for his promised bloodbath."

He’s mentioned again riding through the compound as Eisner, caught trading jewelry for food with local women, was about to be hanged. Srulek heard the charges, smiled at Eisner and said, “You’re one of those bandits from Warsaw!” He then changed the sentence to twenty-five lashes and rode off.

Other inmates told Eisner they’d never before seen the boy putting himself out to save a Jew.

The final mention is when, later, someone tells Eisner at a different camp, “We were beside ourselves with joy, the little monster had said they were real showers, but of course none of us actually believed the bastard, but there we were, soaking wet!”

I've found much of what Eisner says in the book to be beyond belief, but have researched them point by point and have in each case been satisfied that he gave a reliable account.

I’d like to find out more about Srulek, the Boy in White, who was allowed to reduce SS death sentences and issue commands to the Ukrainian guards. Any info or search leads anyone cares to offer would be greatly appreciated. As would discussion on the topic. There's actually a bio of the SS Brigadefuhrer, only 700 copies to be printed @$45 a piece, ready in 2004; looks like a reverant work, but the old adage says don't judge a book by it's cover, and I won't.

[ December 19, 2003, 01:28 PM: Message edited by: JerseyJohn ]

[JerseyJohn]

The Second of Two Transferred Posts:

Peace Treat in 1918 Recognizing Imperial Germany's Eastern Gains.

Mikael just ran a very interesting Thread on the world as it would have been if World War One had been avoided.The most stated opinion there seemed to be that World War One, sooner or later, was unavoidable.

I pretty much agree but won't go into any of it as there's already a fine thread on the subject.The Question here is against this backdrop. Imperial Germany has won the war in the East. Trotsky has signed the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk on behalf of the new Soviet Government. It agrees to the following conditions:Poland ceded to Germany along with tracts of European Russia extending east of Minsk.Ukraine granted independance with the Crimea and holdings in the Caucusus. Turkey receives Southern Caucusus territory, including oil centers.Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia granted independence and become German protectorates.Finland recognized as an Independent nation.

-- Exhausted from almost four years of fighting, Great Britain and France offered to recognize the treaty and end the war if Germany withdrew in the west to it's 1914 border. The occupied German African colonies were left open for possible return to Germany.

Strangely, Kaiser Wilhelm the Second did not make the decision, he passed it on ColonelGeneral Ludendorff!According to Winston Churchill, this was a decisive mistake, Ludendorff interpreted his role as being to literally win the war, which meant both fronts, so he refused the offer and immediately began shifting a million men West, despite America's entry into the war, for the final drive that he thought would take Paris.

We all know what followed, the question is, what would have happened in later decades if Germany had accepted the Anglo-French offer

[ December 19, 2003, 01:27 PM: Message edited by: JerseyJohn ]