EB Visits Auschwitz - 25 March 2008

Discussion in 'The Holocaust' started by EmersonBigguns, Apr 5, 2008.

  1. Son of POW-Escaper

    Son of POW-Escaper Senior Member

    Hi Gregg,

    Thanks for your comments. I have had similar trouble trying to trace my father's (Jewish) family, but luckily, most of them either died (or worse) just before the war, or were fortunate enough to escape before September 1939. Of course, many of the pre-War records were destroyed during the conflict.

    In the past 15 years (since I tracked down my father's sister living in England), I have been fortunate to be able to get in contact with about 15-20 cousins (mostly in the US, some in the UK, and 1 in Uruguay!). Most of them are non-practicing Jews, perhaps having been scared away by the Holocaust.

    I myself was raised a Catholic (my mom's religion), but now consider myself an atheist (thanks in some part to the Holocaust), but my break with the Church came long before I discovered that I was half-Jewish.

    Marc
     
  2. PA. Dutchman

    PA. Dutchman Senior Member

    Our youngest son Nathan played baseball in a local youth group for about 11 years. One of his closest friends was Jewish, they were school buddies as well, and we got to know his parents. We all went to the games each week. His father asked me if we were Jewish because Heilman could be or not be. I explained we were not and nothing changed, we remained good friends through out our sons ball playing years.

    When Schindlers List came out they asked us to go see it with them. I picked them up at their home. Later I told my wife they living room was filled with family photos that looked like folks right out of the movie.

    In the movie a couple is registered as Heelman, many many times people have called me Heelman. I searched on the Internet and found the original Schindlers List. It was as I suspected the couple were Heilmans not Heelmans. They relocated to the States and had a son Samuel Heilman.

    The Doctor from Israel knew of their son, he is Scholar in Hebrew Studies known internationally. I wrote him and he was very friendly.

    I took the List into work to show my friends just how many of the names are in our phone book and very very common to our area of Pennsylvania.

    I said Nazi Heilmans were probably rounding up Jewish Heilmans and the Nazi's were destroyed by American Heilmans fighting in our armed services.

    It really struck the people I work with to see people with their same last names were murdered in this way. We know how many German and Jewish American names are the same, but some are not aware of this.

    An Anna Heilman was a hero of the Warshaw Ghetto fight, a Willi Heilman was a German ace and a Michael Heilman a US Air Corp ace. This was common with many of German Americans during the war.

    Herman Goring's nephew flew as bomber pilot in the US Army Air Corp/Forces during the war in the Eighth Air Force.
     
  3. PA. Dutchman

    PA. Dutchman Senior Member

    Relatives in war

    Werner Goering, the nephew of Luftwaffe chief Herman Goering, and an American citizen, flew bombing missions over Germany as a command pilot for the 303rd Bomb Group. He was accompanied by his copilot, Jack Rencher, a sharpshooting, straight-talking Arizonan with a top-secret mission.

    Werner Goering, the nephew of Luftwaffe chief Herman Goering, and an American citizen, flew bombing missions over Germany as a command pilot for the 303rd Bomb Group. He was accompanied by his copilot, Jack Rencher, a sharpshooting, straight-talking Arizonan with a top-secret mission.

    "During World War II, Herman Göring's nephew, Capt. Werner G. Göring, , piloted B-17s on 48 bombing missions against occupied Europe. He had been born and raised in Salt Lake City. Not unbelievably this young Göring spoke fluent German. After an extensive background check, he was assigned to the 303rd Bombardment Group (Hell's Angels) of the 8th Air Force, based at Molesworth, England.

    This fact was kept secret by the Army Air Force during the time that young Göring flew missions against Nazi Germany. However, the AAF still assigned him a "uniquely qualified" co-pilot; one Jack P. Rencher, 1st Lieutenant. Rencher was given specific orders to shoot Werner if he ever tried to land in Germany. According to Rencher, however, the only time young Göring wasn't eager to rain destruction on Nazi Germany was when he had to bomb Cologne, where his grandmother still lived.

    Werner G. Göring was born in 1924 in Salt Lake City, Salt Lake County, Utah, USA. His parents were Karl Sr. and Atela Göring. He also had an older brother named Karl Göring Jr. born about 1913 (his participation or not is unknown on the allied side).
     

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  4. Son of POW-Escaper

    Son of POW-Escaper Senior Member

    Wow. I had no idea.
     
  5. sknsgrl

    sknsgrl Junior Member

    WOW!
    What haunting pictures. You can almost see the ghost. May these millions rest in peace.
    Thanks you for your pictures. They are a true reminder that this did happen. Also thank you for sharing your time with people that may never got a chance to see with their own eyes. I hope to be able one day to visit, to pay my respect and to remember.
    Sad at heart
     
  6. PrincessFiona

    PrincessFiona Member

    I know these pictures were posted a few years ago now, but many thanks to the OP for sharing them. They are incredibly powerful and moving.
     
  7. Son of POW-Escaper

    Son of POW-Escaper Senior Member

    Excellent photos, especially for those have never/will never visit themselves.

    I visited Auschwitz and Birkenau about 3-4 years ago, It was not my first Concentration Camp visit (I had been to Terezin and Sachsenhausen in 2005), and having lost family members there, I fully expected to feel intense anger. That is what I had felt at Terezin and Sachsenhausen. Instead, at Auschwitz and Birkenau, I felt overwhelming, intense sadness.

    I visited Treblinka about 2 years ago, and there, the anger returned in spades. They were all bad, but this one holds a special place in the annals of evil.

    Thanks,

    Marc
     
  8. j clark

    j clark New Member

    Just visited Auschwitz and Birkenau last weekend, took many similar photos. I had also just finished reading Rudolf Hoess' autobiography which he had been ordered to write after his capture. The whole experience is very humbling.
     
  9. CL1

    CL1 116th LAA and 92nd (Loyals) LAA,Royal Artillery

    Please feel free to start another thread and add your own photos if you wish.

    regards
    clive
     

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