DOC Student Atlas of World Politics by John L Allen; Christopher J. Sutton Professor in History

Description

“A sober and revealing history of Polish forced laborers during World War II; victims of the Nazis who have been neglected in accounts of the Third Reich. Exceptionally well-researched; this study combines critical data with personal testimony and many illustrations to make visible and visceral to readers the plight of these men; women and children.”―Elizabeth R. Baer; editor of Experience and Expression: Women; The Nazis; and the Holocaust Required to sew a large letter "P" onto their jackets; thousands of women; some as young as age 12; were taken from their homes in Poland and forced to work in Hitler’s Germany for months and years on end. As mothers; wives; daughters; and sisters; female Polish forced laborers faced a unique set of challenges and often unspeakable conditions because of their gender. Compelled to learn more about her own mother’s experience as a forced laborer; Sophie Hodorowicz Knab embarked on a personal quest to uncover details about this overlooked aspect of World War II history. She conducted extensive research in archives in the U.S.; London; and Warsaw for over 14 years to piece together facts and individual stories. Knab explains how it all happened; from the beginning of Nazi occupation in Poland to liberation: the roundups; the horrors of transit camps; the living and working conditions of Polish women in agriculture and industry; and the anguish of sexual exploitation and forced abortions―all under the constant threat of concentration camps. Knab draws from documents; government and family records; rare photos; and most importantly; numerous victim accounts and diaries; letters and trial testimonies; finally giving these women a voice and bringing to light the atrocities that they endured.