Rotterdam 1944

Discussions on the Holocaust and 20th Century War Crimes. Note that Holocaust denial is not allowed. Hosted by David Thompson.
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zannekin
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Posts: 6
Joined: 26 Mar 2017, 12:19
Location: netherlands

Rotterdam 1944

#1

Post by zannekin » 13 Jul 2019, 01:02

My father was deported with 52.000 other man from Rotterdam in cattle traincars on 11 november 1944 to "work" in Germany. He barely survived this.
A long and tragic story. My father was always very silent about this event. (He passed away years ago, I am his only son). I know only a few facts. He never got pay for his forced labour. He was in several camps. He was forced to work for the German Reichsbahn. Very hard labour. Stone cutting etc. Also in Hammelburg. Camp Elfershausen. (With British prisonars of war who where chained to their beds with iron chaines).

In Dutch the whole story, could not find english translation.

https://www.niod.nl/nl/de-razzia-van-ro ... -rotterdam

But my main question is; was this a warcrime?

David Thompson
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Joined: 20 Jul 2002, 20:52
Location: USA

Re: Rotterdam 1944

#2

Post by David Thompson » 13 Jul 2019, 16:44

zannekin -- Your description of your father's deportation for compulsory work sounds like part of the Nazi slave labor system. Nearly 300,000 Dutch citizens suffered similar fates in 1942-1945.The International Military Tribunal at Nuremberg treated the slave labor system as a war crime, and the administrator of the program, Ernst Friedrich Christoph "Fritz" Sauckel, was convicted and sentenced to death (IMT judgment at viewtopic.php?t=21528). If you are interested in learning more about the system generally, we have a number of threads on this subject, listed at viewtopic.php?p=1688891#p1688891.

There is an interesting essay on what makes those acts (involuntary deportation and forced labor) a war crime in the United Nations War Crimes Commission Reports, vol. 15, pp. 117-121, available on-line at https://www.loc.gov/rr/frd/Military_Law ... Vol-15.pdf.


zannekin
Member
Posts: 6
Joined: 26 Mar 2017, 12:19
Location: netherlands

Re: Rotterdam 1944

#3

Post by zannekin » 13 Jul 2019, 20:27

David! Thank you for your reply. My english is not so good, otherwise I would answer more informativ.
Due to the fact that I am in poor condition I wanted to make clear , that my father deserves a compensation for his sufferings.
When he was still alive , I tried it several times for him, but the German autorities wanted "proof". (A workcard etc.). Ausweis with photo with fingerprints from 1944 perhaps.

His (my) family suffered big in the war. Bomded in 1940 by the germans and on 31-3-1943 this time by the americans (Bomber Harris).
There is an insteresting film about that. They call it propaganda from the nazis , but it is true.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EG6r8VmGA7g

The english did 41 air raides above Rotterdam. (News from first hand, my mother).

The story of my father is somewhat double. He was 3 days in a cattle car with 80 men. He was almost killed, but the same germans saved his life in january 1945 and took him to a hospital. There was an air raid . He was terrible ill and was just by a hospital. He heared a conversation between docters. When he was on the ground. One docter said. Let him suffer he is not a german. The other docter said, no! His is a human person! So the last opinion won. After the war my father had no hate to the germans. They got him in terrible suffering and at the same time they saved his life.

This is the story in a nuttshell. He could not prove that he was deported to germany. However I have a postcard and other proves that he was there in 1944-45 as a slave labourer. The Red cross must have his records. Arolsen? I do not want to forget this case. I am second generation and I suffered until to today, also due to the mental condition of my father after the war.

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