cansouth wrote:
Does any of you know the background of this photo? Do you know for example where it was found, who found it, and when?
In a letter to the Office of Propaganda and Information in Koło, Poland, dated June 9, 1945, Judge Władysław Bednarz (charged by the Polish government to investigate the death camp) wrote “It has come to my attention that the Office of Propaganda has made a public appeal to the population to come forward and provide information concerning the German extermination camp in Chełmno. In connection with the above, please send 3 copies of the mentioned appeal – and provide in writing the names and addresses of the people who answered the appeal. Also, please send the interview protocols of the mentioned individuals.” The photograph appears on page 330 of the Bednarz investigation (IPN Warsaw: Ob 271) with the following handwritten notation on the bottom of the page: “Photograph sent by the Office of Propaganda and Information.” There is no other source information regarding this photograph. Bruno Israel, who served as a guard in Chełmno during the second period (1944-45), told Judge Bednarz that another guard, Otto Rufenach, had a camera that took photographs with this format but he had never seen this particular photo. It appeared to him to be “naked Jews before being gassed.” This is probably the source of subsequent captions for the photo. Examination of the photo however shows that the two men in the front row, center and left, are wearing trousers. It is known that, at least for a period of time, the Jewish labor commando sent to the forest to dig graves worked without shirts. It is my opinion this photograph depicts members of a Jewish labor squad standing in the mansion.
Patrick
