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Polish letters from the pre and post-war years and from during the war, taking Rhineland-Palatinate as an example

The imprints left by Poles that have survived the Second World War and the pre and post-war years include letters written by Poles, who had to work as forced labourers in Germany, to their family members, as well as letters which Poles wrote before the war to Germans for whom they wanted to work, and letters from Polish displaced persons who still stayed in contact, even after the war, with the people for whom they were to work as forced labourers during the war. The fact that letters like this existed is not surprising, but the fact that they still exist today is astounding in many cases. These exciting sources, which give a micro-historical insight into the German-Polish relationships at that time and into the correspondence between Polish forced labourers and their family members under the repressive regime of the Nazi state, and which have also been preserved in the communities of Mauchenheim, Gabsheim and Sprendlingen in Rhineland-Palatinate, are presented below.

A contribution as part of the joint project with the German Institute of Polish Studies in Darmstadt: Lebenszeichen ⋮ Znaki Życia Polen und der Zweite Weltkrieg – Erinnerungsorte in Deutschland.

Siblings Ruth Becker, née Boos (1928) and Otto Boos (1926), 16. June 2021, in Mauchenheim

Christof Schimsheimer

Gabsheim

The Pole Juliusz Górski, who was born in Tarnów county (today Southeast Poland) on 2 May 1917 worked as a forced labourer in Gabsheim in Rhine-Hesse. By profession, Górski was a gardener and, before he was brought to Germany, had lived in Lwów in Poland, today L’viv, a town in Western Ukraine), at Hauke-Bosak-Straße 20. His parents were Kazimierz and Eleonora (née Kwapniewska) Górski.[1] First, he was taken to what was Buselwitz in Silesia (today Polish Bogusławice) on 5 February 1940; via stops in Buchenwald and then Limburg, he reached Gabsheim on 1 May 1940 where he was initially employed by Jacob Michel I. on the land, but was soon assigned to Johann Kreit, also in Gabsheim.[2] During his time on Johann Kreit’s farm, Juliusz Górski received letters and postcards from his family which have been preserved to this day and are looked after by Johann Kreit’s son, Erich Kreit. Among them is this postcard dated 15 September 1943, which Eleonora Górski wrote to her son Juliusz:

“SENDER: E. Górska

Lemberg

Hauke-Bosaka 33/4

To Mr

Górski Juliusz

c/o J. Kreit

Gabsheim 89

Kr. Alzey in Rhein-Hessen

Dear Juleczek!

We received your card. Recently, I’ve let my writing slide but I only have to work for […] for another three weeks and then I will take care of the household chores. Yesterday, Miecio Słodcki and [Kimczyk] came round, we had a lovely time with our memories. Papa has two weeks’ holiday, he feels healthy and has been wanting to write to you the whole time but [in …]. Aunty Cenia wants to come and visit us but I don't whether she will decide to or not.

The weather here is very good, but it is also quite cool.

I send you big kisses my dear Julu. Basia asks if you have received her letter.

Your Ma[ma]

15/9/[1]943”

[1] Post-war file, 3.1.1.1/ 03010101 oS/ 67214399 - Juliusz GÓRSKI/ ITS Digital Archive, Arolsen Archives, https://collections-server.arolsen-archives.org/G/ITS_DATA_EXPORT_DP/03…. (last accessed on 10/10/2021)

[2] Post-war file (registration cards, workbooks, individual correspondence), DE ITS 2.2.2.1/ 02020201 oS/ 72426655 - JULIUS GORSKI/ ITS Digital Archive, Arolsen Archives, https://collections-server.arolsen-archives.org/G/wartime/02020201_1/16…. (last accessed on 10/10/2021)