New research by Polish historian Jan Grabowski has brought evidence of the active role of the Polish police during the Holocaust to light.
The book “Na Posterunku. Udział polskiej policji granatowej i kryminalnej w zagladzie Zydów”(On duty: the role of the Blue Police in the Holocaust), recently published in Poland, has already caused a stir in the country.
Grabowski spent a decade researching the book, which included visits to the archives in Poland, Germany, the United States, and Israel to document his research. Holocaust survivors who had witnessed the horrors were also interviewed.
Many of the documents Grabowski uncovered, which include Polish police records, had never been previously brought to light. 75 years after the end of World War IIthere is still a lot of research to be uncovered.
Shortly after the collapse of the Polish governments, the German authorities decided to reconstitute the local security forces, in what would be known as the “Blue Police” . Those who had been police officers before the invasion were again called into the ranks of this new agency, whose payroll of some 18,000 members would later be supplemented by new recruits.
“Under German orders, the Polish police became a criminal and murderous organization that was a key element in the implementation of the Final Solution,” Grabowski told Haaretz .
In today’s Poland, the mere mention of this debate can create tension. Based on this research, Grabowski maintains Grabowski maintains a position opposed to that of the current government and his research supports the thesis that the Poles participated institutionally and systematically in the killing of Jews, and they did so in an organized manner.
The book shows how the Polish police followed precise orders from the Germans, but also how they showed initiative and fervor in the killing of Jews. These tasks included guarding the ghettos, mounting operations to end food smuggling, as well as murdering Jews who tried to escape.
One of the main reasons Germans employed Poles, Grabowski notes, is that they had a difficult time distinguishing Jewish Poles from non-Poles. But the police, especially those from small towns and cities, knew them as neighbours and set out
Not all police officers work capturing Jews and then turn them over to the Germans. Some massacred them right away. Summary executions of Jews by members of the Blue police were frequent, according to the book.
Dusting off this harsh evidence and charging established heroes has not been easy for the historian, especially with the current party in government. “There are stressful times. I get hateful emails and threatening phone calls, there are unpleasant physical encounters, ” said Grabowski.
“A lot of people have looked at me with hatred after Polish state television called me a ‘history forger,'” he added, showing no intention of backing down.
“Nationalists don’t understand that if you study the Holocaust it is no longer about your choices. It is a path that has been taken by you, you cannot turn around and say: ‘I will conform’. You have an obligation to the living and to the dead, “Grabowski concluded.
