"Father, shoot me"

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Piotr Kapuscinski
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Re: “Father, shoot me”

#76

Post by Piotr Kapuscinski » 12 Sep 2010, 16:48

Interesting article in Polish - translated by Google Translate below:

http://oral-history.euv-ffo.de/breslau/ ... zanie.html

Maybe I will try to steadily put my own corrections where the translation is incomprehensible:

"De-Germanization and Polonization or how the German Breslau became the Polish Wroclaw"

Written by Magdalena Helmich, Jakub Kujawiński, Margret Kutschke, Juliane Toman

Introduction

Our studies were carried out in Wroclaw in two ways: on the one hand, it was oral history - the story transmitted orally through accounts, while the second was the object of our interest in public space. The research we conducted included 14 individual interviews and one group; in total we were talking with 23 people, including 21 Poles who came to Wrocław and settled there in the years 1945 -1950. Some of our respondents belong to a group called "Pioneers", ie the first Polish settlers in the "wild west", who settled in Wroclaw before the Potsdam Conference (Society of Friends of Wroclaw, 1995; Hofmann, 2000). Most of our speakers come from Greater Poland or from Galicia. We also found in a nursing home two old women of German origin born yet in the pre-war Breslau. Both, after checking their "Polish" identity by the Polish authorities after World War II, stayed in their hometown (Madajczyk, 2000, p. 171-176).

Our interviewees were looking mainly through the Municipal Social Welfare Centre and the members of various associations such as Association of Pioneers, Society of Friends of Wroclaw and the German Social and Cultural Society. We were interested mainly in coexistence between new residents and those German ones who remained in the city soon after the war. We were interested in situations in which they met with them and if our interlocutors recall any events worthy of quoting connected with the German inhabitants of the city. We asked also about the postwar Wroclaw - we were particularly interested in whether the respondents noticed the gradual "disappearance" of German inscriptions, signs, tables or monuments inside the city.

To imagine the atmosphere of Wroclaw shortly after 1945, we had to be aware of several aspects. Living in a city almost completely destroyed by the war had to be for the residents related to the enormous both mental and physical burden. But for Poles from Lwow, from Vilnius or from land belonging currently to Belarus that situation was even more dramatic: just like for the expelled Germans, there was no return for them to their homeland, because it yet belonged to another country. They were forced to leave their native land, where they left homes, estates, and the graves of loved ones.

Quite different was the situation of people coming to Wroclaw from Central Poland - most of them came here on their own volition, to populate the "Recovered Territories". A major role was played by propaganda: in 1945 a variety of methods was implemented to bring Polish settlers into the formerly German territories. A rationale for arriving at these lands was the promise of improving the material, social and vocational conditions. Gregor Thum mentions in his book "Die Fremde Stadt. Breslau, 1945", that the differences in mentality of arrivals from Polish central Malopolska and Wielkopolska, or from the neighboring regions of Silesia were much smaller than of those who came here from the areas of Eastern Poland annexed by the USSR after the war (Thum, 2003, p. 121; Ciesielski, 1999). So we cannot forget the cultural diversity of the population, which suddenly found itself in one city and had to live together in it.

For our work is the most important post-war period and the relations which prevailed between the Germans, who after the war remained in Wroclaw, and the newly arrived settlers. We headed first and foremost the concept of "odniemczania", ie any changes taking place in the city, aimed at cleaning up the city with its Germanness. This is particularly the removal of statues, street names change and the destruction of any other material remnants of the Germans and their culture (Linek, 1997, p. 1959-1963). It is important to question how "odniemczanie" received on Polish - German? Do's and don'ts although there were private contacts between Poles and Germans? What they felt the people who come to Wroclaw? Do you take back the city as a German, or rather as a propaganda proclaimed as recovered Polish? How and who has had an influence that the German Breslau changed in Polish Wroclaw? Important for us was the attitude of official reports from that time to the memories of people who lived through these events. As it turned out, these relationships differed among themselves. This is particularly the contradictory information about the colonization of the former German territories, which according to the Polish authorities, once belonged to the Polish and officially returned "to the matrix.

In addition to interviews, focus was also on "reading the city". Looking for remnants of the German subtitles, signs and tables for homes, schools, churches or other public buildings have tried to imagine how the process of change was "odniemczania. Interviewing deliberately used the terms such as "Polonization" and "odniemczanie. "Odniemczanie" was commonly used by the Polish propaganda, which can not be said about the concept of "Polonization", which had negative staining. Used the term "repolonizacja" to highlight the origin of the primary cities in the Silesian and Wroclaw. We wanted to see, how these concepts remained in people's memory and whether the caller will protest, when we use the term "Polonization.

An important element of research was the selection of strategies for the interview. Generally, we chose the formula of an open interview. Wywoływaliśmy thus memories and listening to stories, waiting, or there will be mention of Wroclaw Germans or German in the appearance of the remains of the city.

De-Germanizaton and Polonization of Wroclaw in the memory of witnesses.

Polish settlers

Carried out by our group interviews characterized almost complete absence of memories of the German Wroclaw. In their statements, topic dominated a huge destruction of the city, difficult living conditions, lack of security. It seemed that the respondents simply did not want to talk about the Germans or Germanness city. Often, instead of answering questions, they started to talk about more later times, or even present day. Memories of Germans and Germanness usually appear only when we asked directly whether the person remembers the Germans if they were still in town when there arrived and, later, whether they knew, maintained contacts, or remember some German elements of the space, such as street names , signs, monuments.

The scale of the participation of Germans and Germanness Polish cities in memory of immigrants is very different. 83-year-old Halina [all names have been changed by the authors], for example, remembers how the Germans were leaving, but nothing else - had no contact with them, he says he did not know German, just talked with the Poles, among whom she lived and worked . Others among our respondents, however, came in contact with the Germans in different situations. 75-year-old Maria, who came to Wroclaw at the end of 1945, recounts how an official from the Town Council ordered Niemkom leave the apartment, which is then passed on to her family. Germans then moved to the ground floor of the same building, but the next morning returned to their old apartment, which still had the keys to take the rest of their stuff. In other cases the owner was not conducted in a manner so direct - the supply of housing has already abandoned. Another issue is the potential problem of motion found in the property received. Belonging to the "pioneers" John J. talked about the activities of the office liquidation - the Poles had to pay for an apartment located in the equipment. This experience is not common to all settlers. In addition, on the basis of other memories may be noted that many goods were treated as a nobody - the night gathered potatoes podwrocławskich, former German and not yet inhabited by new settlers farms, if necessary also confiscated clothing from abandoned apartments, to sell them so. "Szaberplacu" (pl. Grunwald). To make matters related to housing, you should also mention the current in some memoirs Germans - neighbors.

Very often mentions the Germans employed. Mobilized to the removal of rubbles of their city, but also worked as a janitor, conductors, and in various factories and offices. Moreover, also worked in the homes of some of our interviewees or their families or friends - they were mostly German women who come clean and cook. Mrs. Maria G. says too many Germans, who, needing money, your possessions wyprzedawały Street. National Unity. Many of our respondents remembered the Germans not only from the first years after the war, but also those who remained, especially in mixed marriages. Memory frequently recurring in the words of Polish immigrants are heard at night shouting "Hilfe". They stressed the fact that the main source of danger they were Soviet soldiers.

As in these memoirs represent a relationship between Poles and Germans? On the one hand is visible and the distance of separation - not all Poles were in direct contact with Germany, is also shown a tendency of Poles to hold together. Mrs. Maria J., recalling his experiences with former German first days in the apartment, said that it condemned the Germans. Poles also tried to live close to each other, because they felt so confident and secure. At the same time came to her house, "like cleaning the" little old German woman, whom she remembered with very pleasant. Daily contacts so conducive to overcoming mistrust. Mr. George M. toyed with young Germans, but on the other hand dyngus śmigus-coated with water only young German woman, never "his". So strong at times a sense of otherness, perhaps even stranger, but there is no mention of acts of hostility. Lady Cunegonde (Wroclaw 1946) remembers that the director of the factory street clothes. Traugutt, which struck in the face German woman who works with him, "poured straight from work."

We also asked our respondents about the reactions and attitudes of the Germans in the Polonisation Wroclaw. Overall, they emphasized obedience to the orders of the new government. One of the "pioneers," Mr. Christopher B., Hartmann spoke German, with whom he collaborated in one of the communal institutions as "a willing, friendly, and helpful zapobiegliwego. In turn, another of the "pioneers", the Germans set out three categories: those who have accepted that it must be so, those who are in fear of the possible (as clearly pointed out), sat quietly and repression of those who joined to work in the city. Here it should be mentioned that the Germans, who remained after the war in Wroclaw were forced by any orders from the Polish authorities to work, often in very difficult conditions (Thera, 1998, p. 62 and n.)

Another problem present in our conversations is the attitude of Polish settlers to a new city. Many of our respondents have been downloaded to Wroclaw by their relatives who came here earlier. Others came alone, and often longed for family parties. Some people deliberately stayed here, where others did not have to go back (like Mary G., whose house was burned during the Warsaw uprising). In their memoirs, one can notice a sense of alienation and uprooting. Mrs. Maria G. insisted that Germans thrown out of their homes were in contrast to newly arrived in the town friends, family and therefore had nowhere to go. Many of our interviewees were of the opinion that apart from common criminals and looters, people were very friendly to each other, in solidarity, and although from different sides together quickly zżyli. It is hard to tell how often this very positive picture of social relations in that period is contingent upon a negative evaluation of such postwar phenomena as crime and unemployment. The literature suggesting that describes prevailing at the time relationships (Thum, 2003, p. 160 et seq) it may appear that the post-war period is presented in a much brighter than it was in reality. However, important to us were subjective feelings of our respondents. Establish themselves in a new city, of course, favored the marriage and entered the emerging children.

As for the appearance of the city, some still remember the German monuments or other after their pedestals, sometimes also remember the German street names ("pioneers" sometimes even use them interchangeably with Polish). Mrs. Helen J. (Wroclaw since the beginning of 1946), derived from Kielce, drew attention to a foreign type of building, the striking red brick.

When we asked, however, whether treated as included in Wroclaw Polish German city or recovered as a Polish city, Wroclaw Polishness as stressed, referring at times to know the school. According to Halina: [...] "This was our one day, I was aware that it is ours, because I read it in history, it was ours." In this context, for two of our interviewees came back memories of traumatic experiences in the Nazi occupation of the General Government and revealed a sense of injustice, and even nieskrywanej hatred for the Germans. Particular attention should be paid to the expression "pioneers", people usually very active socially. As selecting those among them who find themselves in Wroclaw in 1941-1942 was as forced laborers, all Poles were deported to work in Wroclaw believed that these sites after the war, returning to Polish. Fall of Fortress Breslau meant for them liberation of the city. Ms Danuta A. Parents have decided to stay longer in the Polish Wroclaw, although where they had come back; feel somehow connected with this city. The relationships of all the "pioneers" is visible commitment to the rebuilding of the city, which gradually became Polish. Although the monuments were destroyed, but the removal of traces of German history was not, as they say, the most important - what else was to do. " The newly opened stores had signs Polish, with no top-down orders.

For the Polish newcomers is not clear, therefore, that belonged to Poland, Wroclaw, and sometimes they consider important reason for this historical knowledge, especially the "history" of Silesia, or redress the wrongs suffered by the Germans. On the other hand, sometimes feel like the need to justify himself. One of the "pioneers" insisted that the expulsions of Germans was held "in a fair and culturally", others pointed to the post-war international context changes - decisions were taken on the borders regardless of the Poles. As you said Albert, shoemaker, lived since 1950 in Wroclaw, "They have not invented here [...], they do not come any force, violence ...". In conclusion, we draw attention to another issue: they were forced laborers with whom we talked, remember the German Breslau, pre-siege and destruction. So we asked to compare the city from destruction, and after reconstruction. Under stressed the beauty of the German city full of monuments, green spaces. Remember it with some nostalgia. Everyone noticed also that the city was rebuilt completely different, thereby confirming the depth of transformation in Wroclaw Breslau.

In short interviews can be seen how much memory, especially the older generation, gave rise to the vision of history presented by the Polish authorities of China. You also can not not notice contradictions in the statements of the elite image of Wroclaw, which create it as a European city. It seems that our respondents are not fully aware of this, or maybe you just do not want to speak on this subject. It can be read as a sign that the European way of looking at the history of the city still is not fully deployed.

Memory indigenous

Centuries of migration and the influence of Polish - German - Czech Silesia in what is now affected by the fact that a certain part of society has not fully explained the identity - is identified with both Germany and from Polish. Such people, living for a long time these areas began after World War II called aboriginals. The Polish Government was very interested to "tether" them to himself. It was here, on the one hand to prove that despite the western lengthy process of Germanization Polish tradition is preserved, but it was important to the retention of skilled workers in these areas were still sparsely populated (Madajczyk, 2000, p. 171). On the basis of verification could prove to Polish roots to obtain Polish citizenship (Misztal, 1984, p. 244; Linek, 1997, p. 13). But indigenous people do not receive service until the end of a positive - they were very often because of their different culture, counted as the Germans (Thum, 2003, p. 124). It happened that they were discriminated against on the ground (for example, have lower wages, lower food rations received.)

Our two respondents, Mrs. Irmgard Z. and Mrs. Irene P., spent nearly his entire life in Wroclaw and accepted Polish citizenship after the war. The main reason was a deep family ties, but also important was the fact that not quite know what awaits them in Germany. Both women stressed the very difficult financial situation, which deteriorated even further after the reduction of wages; Irmgard Z was forced to take two jobs earning money to be able to keep themselves and their parents. The big problem for indigenous peoples was the fact that the day had to learn to handle everyday situations in the Polish language. It is understandable that in such a difficult situation, people do not heed the progressive process "odniemczania" city - it did not have the time or strength. Such terms, like "odniemczanie" or "Polonization" not bounce too loud echo among the public. According Irmgardy Z "with real life was not much common." Relationship with Polish friends was presented by our respondents as a very positive - we help each other and were shared all I could. Both ladies were not harassed on the Polish side, which very often is described in the literature (Thum, 2003, p. 145 et seq.) Justin P. believes that influenced by the fact that for all this period was a time of new beginning, new or in very odmienionym city. Polonization city lost in the prevailing chaos and then was treated as a consequence of war.

More about the experiences of pre-war residents of Breslau, who remained in Polish Wroclaw you can read in the chapter: The inhabitants of Breslau in Wroclaw.

Signs of the de-Germanization and Polonization of Wroclaw saved in the urban space.

National character of modern urban space can be read on two levels. The first is the level of the language of communication, closely associated with the sphere of action, the area of everyday life, are the street names, signs and other public inscriptions. The second is the level of the symbolic content, consciously or odnoszonych relating to the history, tradition, nation and state, expressed in the language or artifacts. In many cases, the two spheres overlap. Native names of streets, etc. should be universally understood by the locals. In doing so, in Wroclaw, which from 1946 - 1947 was largely inhabited by Polish language, German subtitles simply became dysfunctional. In this sense, it is hardly surprising to replace their Polish (Kruszewski, 1997). However, through the choice of the patrons were carrying the names of streets or symbolic content. Therefore, not always enough for the German translation of names - this has been done especially in the Old Town, where the names were still often medieval origins, such as Nikolaistrasse the remaining st. St. Nicholas. Often had to withdraw the connection to the German city's history - Blücherplatz became a square, for example, Salt. Names were given also the nature of clearly Polish - with Tauentzienplatz was Kosciuszko Square, sometimes at the same recourse to the Polish-German conflicts of the past - for example this street. Silesian Insurgents, formerly Kaiser-Wilhelmstrasse or a bridge instead Kaiserbrücke Grunwald. Laying out new streets and squares gave an opportunity to strengthen the image Polish Wroclaw.

Moreover, the language not only express the symbolic content, but he was treated symbolically, independently of the context in which they were used and the content of which was a carrier. This should be explained by the removal of any public German subtitles. This applied not only to advertising signs, which could be explained by practical considerations. They destroyed the burial place of German - German graves can be found only in certain cemeteries on the outskirts of the city. Immediately after the war were closed, the German inscriptions and plaques, for example, today the seat of the Orthodox bishop and the two extant border posts of 1901, one of them, standing in front of the TV at. Karkonoska German word has been replaced by Polish. Were to be removed and other German names appearing on public buildings, as applied to the German past, now Polish city. However, not destroyed them consistently or systematically - to this day retains many inscriptions, and not only on commemorative plaques, but it also includes school construction over the portal at. Prus, where you see "Ohne Fleiss kein Preis" or "No work no cake". Still visible are the traces of German inscriptions on houses such as streets: Wlodkowic, Szewska (Fig. 4) and Piast.

One of the most important determinants of the German city's image in the field were symbolic monuments (Harasimowicz, 2000, p. 658-662). Among the most important should be mentioned among others: the monument of Gen. BF von Tauentzien the square its name (now en. Kosciuszko), Field Marshal GL von Blücher at Blücherplatz (now en. Salt) and the statue of Frederick the Great on horseback in the market (Antkowiak, 1985 .) The vast majority of German monuments were destroyed if not earlier, was dismantled after the war, some as early as 1945, such as the statue of William I. Others have survived a little longer - at least, it was only in 1947 destroyed the market located on the statue of Frederick William III (Brodie, 2000, p. 134). Very few survived - those who have not had a direct political or national pronunciation, or it has lost over the years. These include a statue of a champion in front of the university and Cupid sitting on a Pegasus on the city moat.

The same area of the city was deprived of current importance, but quite a long time remained largely not utilized in the symbolic sphere. Only in a few cases, in place of the monument erected German Polish. At the earliest, as early as March 1946 in celebration of the year at the Kosciuszko com. Kosciuszko monument on the spot-Tauentzien unveiled a stone mausoleum in honor of the Fighters for Freedom and Independence (Suleja, 2001, p. 36). New memorials after the war was relatively little. Some dedicated to the victims of World War II: Heroes of the Warsaw Ghetto (pl. Ghetto, 1963), or murdered Lviv professors (University of Technology, 1964). Other cultivation of memory to serve the people's power as a monument of the fallen officers of the militia com. Silesian Insurgents (1964). In 1974 he exhibited at the monument of Copernicus Street. Peter Complaints in 1984, Julius Slowacki (in the park its name.) Symbolic space of the city is also largely determined the different types of plaques - as in the case of memorials, some of them was associated with martyrdom or remembrance of the liberation war, such as plaques in honor of the "pioneers" (photo 5).

Separate and quite a large group of tables documenting the traces of the former Polish Wroclaw. Most celebrations take their stays were famous Poles, including W. Field in 1847 (Salt pl. 16; 1957) and J. Slovak in 1848 (pl. Kosciuszko, 1959).

It can therefore be concluded that polonization Wroclaw made with a fairly limited set of measures. First of all, changed street names and liquidated various German subtitles, but compared to the old German "network" of points designating the symbolic topography of the metropolis, Polish Wroclaw it came slowly and without momentum.

These comments related to the secular public space. In the case of tombstones and commemorative plaques, however, already have entered the realm of the sacred, which was also polonizowana. An interesting example is the interior of the Cathedral of Wroclaw. Sacred space seems to be more resistant to the nationalization of the secular space, and certainly national elements are placed here by other means. You could say that the national character of the area churches generally reflects the national consciousness of the clergy and the faithful. However, as the cathedral of Breslau was destroyed in 70% it is difficult to determine how it changed the German interior. However, together with reconstruction, particularly the restoration of religious functions (consecration took place in 1951), the cathedral took on the nature of the Polish (Bukowski, 1985, p. 1921-1926, 103-121; Malachowitz, 2000, p. 114-129). Once recovery has been changed so call some of the side chapels - there are chapels dedicated to saints as patrons Polish: Wojciech, and Stanislaus. Polish saints are also depicted in the stained glass windows. You should not overestimate these moves - they were not only part of the process polonization, but also its effect and to some extent due to the pastoral needs. On the other hand, no lack of evidence of involvement of the Church in the official interpretation of history and celebrate the recovery of the western, although the main emphasis on the development of ecclesial life. This can be seen for example on the board in honor of the Cardinal A. Hlond ', donated in the 25th anniversary of the "return" of the western and northern regions to the Polish. Significant are also stained glass windows made in the early 50's. Large stained glass window depicts scenes of the Northern associated with the recovery of Silesia, in the great south window, but refers to the Battle of Legnica in 1241 stained glass window in the south porch, in turn, commemorates the rebuilding of the cathedral. Along with the arms of church appears there also Polish emblem and a new coat of arms. It should be noted that this did not mean negation of the history of the church of Wroclaw before 1945 addition mentioned above explicitly Polish accent, the cathedral remained numerous plaques dedicated to the German clergy, such as plaque in honor of Cardinal G. Kopp, who died in 1914

Summary

In our work we deal with relationships mainly Germans and Poles in Breslau in 1945. We wanted to know how the memory is reflected in respondents postwar Communist propaganda and processes "odniemczania" and "repolonizacji. Of course, we realize that our study are not representative, it can be, treating it as a fragmented sector, certain tendencies, which in previous studies have not been sufficiently addressed.

In principle, it should be noted that the relationship between the other in Germany, and Poles who came were not particularly in 1945-47, an official character. The population simply lived together. Most of those questioned by us Germans, Poles remember, however, rarely suffer here any hostile or malicious comments with regard to them. Surely this has to do with the fact that since the war a lot of time has passed. However, it is worth to mention also the prevailing good relations ever since 1990 between a Polish and German.

Contacts with the German population are reported by our respondents as something quite normal, sometimes even necessary. You can even speak of a solidarity of women's post-war years. They were rather peaceful relations, although even then cut off from any of the German tradition of Wroclaw, and reminded Piast roots of this city. Fear, war destruction, despair and fear of the big remaining in the Soviet army meant that the Germans were more often seen as people with a similar fate, than this may result from the professional literature.

Should also be remembered that just after the war, life went on a very small space, actually just around the residence or work. Not possible to really understand the reality of round - the most important was his own experience, finding a new situation. Attempt to return to a normal rhythm of life of people worked a lot more than the question whether they were historically Polish or German soil. It seems that the change in the appearance of the former German city was not too much noticed by the public.

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henryk
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Re: "Father, shoot me"

#77

Post by henryk » 12 Sep 2010, 20:50

Re: "De-Germanization and Polonization or how the German Breslau became the Polish Wroclaw"
It is interesting that this article and others in the series are a joint German-Polish effort:
http://oral-history.euv-ffo.de/breslau/ ... sumpl.html
A slightly polished Google English translation:
Imprint

Project co-funded by the Robert Bosch Foundation and the Foundation Marga and Kurt Möllgaardów with respect to the founders of the German Science
Chair of Polish and Ukrainian Studies, European University Viadrina in Frankfurt an der Oder
Studies Centre for German and European . Willy Brandt in Wrocław

Editors:
Polish version: Tomasz Królik
German version : Lutz Henke
Editorial Collaboration : Sören Urbansky , Kerstin Hinrichsen

Web site: Lutz Henke, Max ( [email protected] )

Source:
Thomas Królik, Anna Erlbacher, Karolina Fuhrmann , Jolanta Gambus , Joanna Giżewska , Magdalena Helmich , Isabella Kazejak , Olga Tomicka


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LilliMarlene
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Re: "Father, shoot me"

#78

Post by LilliMarlene » 06 Mar 2011, 18:08

I have read this thread with absolute disbelief. I cannot believe the insensitivity displayed in certain posts. The majority of the thread is arguing, which is worse- to be a Russian raped by a German, or a German raped by a Russian. Everything is backed up with statistics, which are endlessly argued. May I say something? A rape is a traumatic, life changing event. I'm not saying it's worse than death, but it is something one lives with forever. It can't really be measured quantitatively. Both sides were repulsive, the Germans and the Red Army, when it comes to employing such a "war tactic." Please bear this in mind, that these were real people, not just numbers.
"Wie einst, Lilli Marlene...."

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Makarov
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Re: "Father, shoot me"

#79

Post by Makarov » 23 Apr 2013, 12:03

Regarding Nemmersdorf, does someone know if the cellar where the people seeked shelter still exist? Is there any kind of monument in the village commemorating the massacre's victims?

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