Benjamin Meirtchak
Dedicated to the memory of my comrades in arms who fell in battle in the fight against the cruel Nazi German enemy " Benjamin Meirtchak.
WE REMEMBER THE FIGHTERS!
JEWISH MILITARY CASUALTIES IN THE POLISH ARMIES IN WORLD WAR II
By BENJAMIN MEIRTCHAK
Benjamin Meirtchak
BACKGROUND
A
pproximately 1.5 million Jewish officers and soldiers in the ranks of the Allied regular armies, in Underground national resistance movements, and in Partisan units participated in all theatres of the war fighting the Nazi Foe and Axis Powers. They fought bravely, proved their heroism, showed courage and dedication in their struggle. Their valor made a significant and impressive contribution to the ultimate victory of the Allied Forces in World War II.Nearly 200.000 Polish Jews fought against Nazi Germany in the ranks of the Polish Armies on Polish soil and in Exile. They defended Poland in September 1939 against the German aggression. They fought in the Polish Armies in exile; in the 1940 defense of France, in the Middle East, in North Africa and in Italy. While serving in the Polish Tank Corps, Air Force and Navy they participated, together with the RAF and British Royal Navy, in the Normandy Landings. The Polish Forces, along with The Red Army, took part in the great offensive, eventually liberating Poland and conquering Germany.
In addition, many Polish Jews fought as part of the Polish, Russian, and French Underground movements. They were also a part of the Palestine Jewish Brigade. Polish Jews fought in the French Army, in the Red Army, and in the British Forces.
Despite the tremendous Jewish military contribution to the Polish war efforts, the official Polish historical bibliography of W.W.II ignores this Jewish phenomena.
The purpose of this book is to rectify this historical injustice and to commemorate the Jewish Fighters in the struggle against Nazi Germany.
POLISH MIL CEM. - BOLOGNA ITALY
Graves of:
corp. Sper Josef
pte Sztejnbok Jakob
EXCERPTS FROM THE BOOK
FORWARD by Sir Martin Gilbert (Volume II)
Benjamin Meirtchak: JEWISH PRISONERS OF WAR IN GERMAN CAPTIVITY - A CONCISE REVIEW (Volume III)
ANNEX: Jewish Military Casualties In The Polish Resistance Movement In France (Volume IV)
THE LIST - MILITARY CASUALTIES (Volume V - Supplement)
PHOTOS (Volume V - Supplement)
Copyright (C) Benjamin Meirtchak Tel Aviv
All rights reserved
This material can be used for educational and research purpose only, and is fully copyrighted!
The Book may be purchased for USD$ 40.
- each volume, (including airmail postage and taxes) ordering from:FORWARD by Dr. Shmuel Krakowski (Volume I)
The Publication "Jewish Soldiers and Officers of the Polish Peoples Army killed in battle or missing in action 1943--1945", prepared and published by Mr. Benjamin Meirtchak, is the first to commemorate the Jews in the ranks of the Polish Armies killed or missing in fighting the greatest evil in the history of mankind, Nazi Germany.
Mr. Meirtchak deserves the deepest words of appreciation for his noble initiative of commemorating Jewish fighters. Let us hope that this study will be followed by studies commemorating Jews fallen in action in other formations of the Polish Army. The list of Jewish casualties, as presented in the study, is extensive, but represents only a part of all Jewish military casualties in the Polish Armies. The lost of Jewish blood in achieving victory was great.
Jewish soldiers, as with their Polish arid Russian brothers in arms, fought for the liberation of Poland and for the destruction of the German Reich. They were soldiers, as others, but diametrically different. Like their brothers in arms, they came from Warsaw, Siedlce, Lodz, Chelm, Tomaszow and from hundreds of villages, towns, and cities. But in contrast to them, they found in the liberated territories only ashes of their own homes. No more homes, no one from their family; all were destroyed by the Germans.
But they continued to fight, marching to Berlin to destroy the greatest evil of mankind, Nazi Germany. They believed in their victory. They knew that nobody would mourn their death. They were soldiers of the terrible epoch of Extermination.
We shall always remember them!
Dr. Shmuel Krakowski
Copyright (C) Benjamin Meirtchak Tel Aviv
This material can be used for educational and research purpose only, and is fully copyrighted!
MILITARY CEM. MOUNT HERZL JERUSALEM
The Monument is dedicated to the memory of Polish Jewish soldiers who fell in action in World War II in the ranks of the Polish Armies (Gen. View)