Warsaw, Poland. Date uncertain. ? 1946. Photographer unknown.
By Paul Goldfinger
I picked up this photograph at a flea market a few years ago. There were pieces of paper stuck to the back, but some Polish writing was visible. My initial suspicion was that someone was murdered on the streets of Warsaw during or after World War II. I had read Jan Gross’s book called “Fear: Anti-Semitism in Poland After Auschwitz.” That book documented attacks on Jews and others who tried to return to their homes in Poland after the war had ended. There also were deaths as Poles fought against the new Communist government, so not all the violence was based on anti-Semitism. Another issue was the high crime rate during that period. Poland was unstable after the war. They lost more of their citizens than any other country in Europe during WWII.
In studying the photograph, I was struck by the fresh grave that appeared to have been dug on a city street. A large cross had been placed in the dirt. There was no date. The clothes suggested the 1940’s, or maybe the 1930’s. Years later I was able to expose more of the writing and had it translated.
The location was Dabrowskiego Square in central Warsaw. The Polish person who looked at the image commented that you wouldn’t expect to find a grave in that location.
If any of you history buffs out there have an idea, please let us know. There is a story to be told about this picture.
And actually, I think there are 3 graves there at least.
Paul, I was looking for the soldier’s helmet, because it’s a logical item to see on a war grave. The grave with the helmet also has a war graves commission marker. Soldiers were buried temporarily where they fell. That was the best which could be done. Everything was cleaned up later. It MIGHT be a Soviet helmet also, but it really does look like a German helmet to me. Some of his gear might also be there–regardless of how much people needed stuff, they left everything be once new authorities were in town, because it was against the rules to meddle with military stuff. And it was dangerous health-wise. It’s quite possible there are several people buried there–the forward grave looks fairly sizable. And yes, I have some knowledge of this period. 🙂
Milosz Walczak, who works for us at Ocean Grove Flower Shop, and Polish native points out that there are actually two graves in the picture. One with a German helmet.
Ruth: Thank you for your comments. It sounds like you have some background regarding this subject. I’m not sure I agree with you about the identity of the helmet, which I didn’t notice before. You have good eyes.
The image is not sharply focused, but I can see the helmet. It looks as if there are some dark objects next to the helmet which may make it appear to have the shape of a German helmet. Could this possibly be a helmet of a Polish partisan or soldier?
Given the emotions of the time when the Germans were finally driven out of Warsaw, would the Poles have been so meticulous with preparing a solitary grave like this for a German soldier? It looks like the grave is honoring someone. If I had been there, all those German bodies would have been dumped into a common grave outside of town.
Yes, it would be an unusual place for a permanent grave, but it was common to bury soldiers where they fell until further arrangements could be made. The hygiene problems of unburied corpses — of the number that were there — were serious, and the dead were immediately buried (or as soon as possible). There is a German helmet at the head of the grave, so probably it’s immediately after the war. You could look at the German War Graves Commission website http://www.volksbund.de/graebersuche.html and search for graves in Warsaw, BUT that is not searchable yet.
This could be the beginning of a great new thread or series. Interesting.