This photo of Nazi leaders in Occupied Poland (the General Government) was taken in a Wawel Castle in Krakow during July 1943. Seated in the front-row on the right, is Wilhelm Ohlenbusch, the head of propaganda. Below is a story from the June 4, 1943 edition of Free Europe, a U.S. propaganda magazine for American troops fighting in Europe, this story also appeared in Stars & Stripes (Europe edition) May 26, 1943.
Humanitarian Exceptions
Germans in Poland continue to use for their own ends the tragedy of the (Katyn) forest. The Directorate of evil resistance headed by the Polish Government plenipotentiary therefore decided to unmask German propaganda. This has been done, as it so often is in Poland, with mordant wit and ingenuity. A poster has been printed resembling in size, type and style German official orders, purporting to be signed by Ohlenbusch, the head of the German propaganda in the General Gouvernement. The poster starts with a description of the graves in Katin and states that the officers were murdered in a shockingly primitive fashion. Then the poster goes on : "In view of this, the German Propaganda Department is organising popular excursions to the German concentration camps at Oswiecim, Majdanek, Treblinka and elsewhere in order that the Poles may have the opportunity of seeing for themselves the modern and humanitarian means of mass execution used in these camps. The methods used are large gas and steam chambers in which the victims are suffocated to death, metal floors charged with electric current, used for electrocuting large numbers of people, and finally the large crematorium at Oswiecim which can burn as many as 3000 bodies a day." This poster has been sent to all the German government offices throughout the General Gouvernement. Many district leaders fell for it and posted it up in a conspicuous place, believing it to be authentic.
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Free Europe: Fortnightly Review of International Affairs. June 4th, 1943.
Free Europe: Fortnightly Review of International Affairs, Volume VII, 1943, p.34.
That lot look shopped.
ReplyDeleteIf you can why don't you get some Breslau photos circa 1980AD.
I stole it from here, but forgot to credit the site
Deletehttp://historia.org.pl/index.php/publikacje/publikacje/ii-wojna-wiatowa/2904-hitlerowcy-w-krakowie-czasu-okupacji.html