Karol Pospieszalski was denying that massacre, IIRC. It's strange to cite him as backing the claim. He for example was finding out, that some of people allegedly murdered in 1939, were still alive in 1945.Hi Szopen,
Sorry if this is not in the topic..but Ian Kershaw gave the figure of 4,000+ ethnic Germans murdered in Bromberg as the most reliable estimate in
his book, Hitler: Nemesis 1936-1945. His sources is from de Zayas and a polish author Karol Marian Pospieszalski.
De Zayas wrote to me about them:
"The methodology of Pospieszalski and the argumentation of Gelberg, Wiwiora
and Schimitzek never impressed me as being much more than chauvinistic writing."
Anyway, De Zayas gave number of 5000 for ALL Germans killed in 1399 campaign. He haven't answered when i asked whether he checked how many of them were drafted into Polish army or shooted just as any Poles by Luftwaffe.
Hugo Rasmus, German amateur historian did enormous job of comparing address books of Bromberg inhabitants in 1939 before the war and - hm, not sure from when, either from Winter 1939 or beginning of 1940. He find out about 400 names or so people missing. This is most probable number of victims. But most of them were woman and children. De Zayas answered like this:
"Rasmus is an amateur historian.
Good effort, but I would not be too inclined to rely on his figures.
The Wehrmacht-Untersuchungsstelle, as I wrote you, was a serious office,
composed of senior judges -- old school -- not Nazis or propagandists.
In their internal papers they estimated 5,000 killed Volksdeutsch for all
of Poland, including Bydgoscz. "
In other words, if there would be 5000 Germans murdered in Bydgoszcz, then 4600 of them would have not be mentioned in 1939 address books.
Possible (there could be people escpaing from other cities or countryside), but i think you will admit that not that likely.
Where else?And alos, it is not just in Bromberg but else way in Poland...
As far as i know, none seriously except for neonazis is still backing Hitler's 58.000 number of victims. Serious historians (i consider De Zayas serious historian too) gave number between 5 to 10.000.
jrbooksonline is copying verbatim books from Nazi propaganda pamphlet edited in 1939.
Anyway, let me quote De Zayas again:
"I have little doubt that at least 2,000 German Volksdeutsch were murdered
at Bydgoszcz, maybe as many as 3,000. Then, there were others killed in
other villages in Western Poland during the first two weeks of the German
invasion.
There were also a considerable number of German victims when they were forced
to march East. In all, probably about 5,000 Volksdeutsch died."
About German revenge:
"I estimate that the murders of the SS in Poland in the period September-November
1939 must have well exceeded 20,000."
And about Hugo Rasmus from google:
"Der deutsche Historiker Hugo Rasmus hat eine Liste der in seiner Heimatstadt Bromberg umgebrachten Deutschen erstellt. Demnach befanden sich unter den 358 Toten 39 Frauen und 55 ältere Menschen. "
