The systematic massacre of all children under 10 will forever be a stain on humanity.

The systematic massacre of all children under 10 will forever be a stain on humanity.

Children rounded up for deportation to the Chełmno death camp, September 1942.Public domain

When men from the SS entered the Łódź Ghetto to take away all the young Jewish children, the effect on the parents was literally paralysing.

In a state of overwhelming and total fear, many mothers were unable to move or lift a hand. Those who resisted were simply shot. Many mothers and fathers whose children had been taken by the Germans to be murdered hanged themselves.

Seventy-eight years ago this week in the Łódź Ghetto, the Germans carried out one of the most shocking, depraved and grotesque incidents of the Holocaust: they took away all the children under ten and murdered them.

By the time the operation ended, over 15,000 children had been transported to the death camp in Chełmno nad Nerem.Jewish Historical Institute

At the end of August 1942, the head of the German administration Hans Biebow demanded that the Jewish ghetto administration hand over all children under 10 and adults over 65.

From the 5th to the 12th of September horrific events took place that were biblical in their magnitude and will forever be a stain on humanity.

Over 15,000 children and old people were rounded up in scenes of unimaginable torment. They were sent directly to the Germans’ first death camp at Chełmno, a short journey north-west of Łódź. Upon arrival they were gassed to death in mobile gas vans.

After the deportations, dead babies were often found in hiding places wrapped in rags.Public domain

The German ghetto administration under Biebow hid the barbarity of the operation behind the more innocent sounding name Allgemeine Gehsperre. The Poles call it Wielka Szpera. It meant a general curfew during which no Jews could leave their homes at any time.

The day before the curfew started, the leader of the ghetto, Chaim Rumkowski who was head of the Jewish Council of Elders in the Łódź Ghetto, made one of the most infamous speeches known in history. “Mothers and Fathers, give me your children,” he pleaded to the bewildered crowds.

Rumkowski explained to the crowd that the Germans had demanded 24,000 victims within eight days. He claimed that he had reduced this number to 20,000, provided that it included children under 10 years old. However, as there were just 13,000 children and old people, the number had to be supplemented by the sick.

At the end of August 1942, the head of the German administration Hans Biebow demanded that the Jewish ghetto administration hand over all children under 10 and adults over 65.Public domain

“I have to cut off the limbs to save the body. I have to take the children, because if I do not take them, the others will take them away,” he intoned.

Rumkowski ruled the ghetto with a strong arm, surrounded by an army of officials. His strategy was to prove to the Germans at any cost that the Jews in the Łódź Ghetto were needed to produce war goods, and that the ghetto was an excellent labour camp. The sacrifices he demanded were never enough.

By September 1942, the first wave of Operation Reinhardt to murder all the Jews in occupied Poland had been carried out. At the same time, the Germans were facing a slowdown in their campaign in the Soviet Union, which would eventually lead to a reversal.

They realised that their initial plan to remove Jews from their newly acquired lands by expelling them to the East would not work.

With feeding the army and the population becoming an increasing problem, ‘useless eaters’ such as the children in the Łódź Ghetto were a burden that could not be tolerated.

The extermination of the Jews from the Łódź ghetto took place in six waves. Four took place in 1942, two in 1944.

After Rumkowski made his speech, parents of children just under the threshold age stormed the registry offices in an attempt to save them by changing their date of birth.

Oskar Singer, who was sent to the Łódź Ghetto from Bohemia, described what he saw. “The scenes in the registry office could not be imagined. People were screaming, crying, going crazy. Every second counted.”

With feeding the army and the population becoming an increasing problem, for the German, ‘useless eaters’ such as the children in the Łódź Ghetto were a burden that could not be tolerated.Bundesarchiv, Bild 101III-Schilf-002-30 / Schilf / CC-BY-SA 3.0

Initially, the Germans wanted the selection and removal of children and elderly people to be carried out by the Jewish administration and the ghetto police. Under Rumkowski, the ghetto had a very efficient administration. Therefore, the Jewish police had accurate information on the addresses and ages of all residents.

On 5th September, trucks with ghetto police drove up to the tenement houses on their list and surrounded each building. A shot fired into the air was the signal for everyone to come down into the yard for the selection to begin.

The selections only lasted a few minutes. On one side were the people to be deported, on the other side those who were to stay.

The Jewish policemen and firefighters who carried out the round ups were promised protection for their immediate family by the Germans. The policemen's children were hidden and safe. So were the children of senior officials.

Over time, the Germans noticed that the Jewish police were not working fast enough, so they took over the operation.

Their selection was even more brutal than that of the Jewish policemen. Every attempt at resistance resulted in shootings. Many people who had avoided deportation in the preceding days were rounded up.

Witness and survivor Regina Milichtajch, who was born in Łódź, recalled: “I saw a young man with a child in his arms. The boy was a few months old, dressed cleanly, with his name embroidered on his bib. The father walked slowly, as if stunned. He finally gave the child to the German. He grabbed it and threw it up into the lorry. No sound came back.”

Hans Biebow, pictured here during his trial, was captured by the Allies after the war and handed over to the Polish authorities. He was tried before a court in Łódź, which found him guilty of genocide and sentenced him to death. He was hanged in April 1947.Public domain

When people were loaded into trucks some would try to make their way to the group that had survived selection. Such people were shot on the spot.

Ewa Wiatr from the Jewish Research Centre of the University of Łódź said: “The scenes were dramatic. It took several minutes for a mother to be separated from her child. The Jewish policemen couldn't do it and that's why the German commandos entered the ghetto.”

She added: “The mothers were paralysed. None of them dared to say a word, they did not even dare to move their hand. Fear of the Germans was absolute.”

On 12 September, after eight days, the operation was finished. Up to 20,000 Jews were transported to the death camp in Chełmno nad Nerem, including 15,681 children and elderly.

The children were sent directly to the Germans’ first death camp at Chełmno, a short journey north-west of Łódź. Upon arrival they were gassed to death in mobile gas vans.Public domain

After the deportations, dead babies were often found in hiding places wrapped in rags. Their parents, who were the only ones who knew their hiding places, had been shot by the Germans. Many parents whose children were taken away committed suicide.

On 12 September 1942, the General Curfew came to an end. Two announcements were published in the ghetto, one cancelling the curfew and the other informing that all factories would start operating from September 14th.

Józef Zelkowicz in his book ‘In Those Terrible Days: Notes from the Lodz Ghetto’, wrote “Life in the ghetto is seemingly normal. On the outside it has taken on its usual form, but it is only a superficial impression. On the outside, the wound has healed and grown over, but on the inside, there is blood, it is still flowing and you do not know if it will ever stop.”

Hans Biebow (right) and Chaim Rumkowski in the Litzmannstadt Ghetto.Public domain

For those who survived, the history of the Łódź Ghetto is divided into two periods. Before the children were taken away and after. After the deportations, the Łódź Ghetto became a huge labour camp.

Rumkowski’s goal of making the Łódź Jews an irreplaceable source of labour failed. The ghetto was liquidated in 1944. The last transport to Auschwitz left on 29 August with Rumkowski on board.

Hans Biebow, was captured by the Allies after the war and handed over to the Polish authorities. He was tried before a court in Łódź, which found him guilty of genocide and sentenced him to death. He was hanged in April 1947.

We hope that you have enjoyed reading our blog on the WORLD HISTORY AND PAST EVENTS. If you enjoy this blog please let us know in the comments below. If you are interested in history, we recommend you check out our other blogs here on the world history and facts. Thank you for reading.

Comments

Julius and Ethel Rosenberg executed for espionage, 1953.

Julius and Ethel Rosenberg executed for espionage, 1953. On this day in 1953, Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, who were convicted of conspiring to pass U.S. atomic secrets to the Soviets, are executed at Sing Sing Prison in Ossining, New York. Both refused to admit any wrongdoing and proclaimed their innocence right up to the time of their deaths, by the electric chair. The Rosenbergs were the first U.S. citizens to be convicted and executed for espionage during peacetime and their case remains controversial to this day. Julius Rosenberg was an engineer for the U.S. Army Signal Corps who was born in New York on May 12, 1918. His wife, born Ethel Greenglass, also in New York, on September 28, 1915, worked as a secretary. The couple met as members of the Young Communist League, married in 1939 and had two sons. Julius Rosenberg was arrested on suspicion of espionage on June 17, 1950, and accused of heading a spy ring that passed top-secret information concerning the atomic bomb to the Soviet ...

The capture of brave Russian officer Rosinski

The capture of brave Russian officer Rosinski This is a shocking image and I apologize in advance for sharing it, but here’s one that truly got to me… in Belarus, 1918, after WWI had already ended, the brave Russian officer Rosinski was captured by the Bolsheviks. The Bolsheviks tortured the captain, likely to get information out of the man, which he bravely refused to give. After that, they simply continued with the torture out of some sick sense of innate cruelty. He was ‘the enemy’ and he was at their mercy, so they brutally murdered their captive. The brave captain was emasculated. And anally impaled on a tree branch. All this while still alive. Alfred Savoir, the man who published the picture and was an eye witness to the death of the brave military officer, described "M. B.", who ordered this atrocity, thus: I knew him not long ago; he was a charming teenager with an ironic wit and joker. He was rubbed with French culture, he admired the novels of Barres and he quot...

Jong Sang Thaek’s brutal execution: Stripped naked and eaten alive by Dogs

Jong Sang Thaek’s brutal execution: Stripped naked and eaten alive by Dogs North Korea, Jan 03: Unlike previous executions of political prisoners, the execution of Jang Song Thaek on December 12 was reportedly one of the most brutal ones ever conducted by the North Korean regime. According to a detailed account published in Wen Wei Po, a Hong Kong based Chinese newspaper, Jang Song Thaek, Korean supreme leader Kim Jong-Un’s uncle and the second most powerful man in North Korea, was stripped naked and thrown into a cage of 120 hounds who had been starved for three days. During the brutal execution, which was reportedly personally overseen by Kim Jong Un, the hounds were allowed to prey on Jang Song Thaek and five of his closest aides who also had been stripped and thrown into the cage. According to the report, the entire process lasted for about an hour by the end of which they were completely eaten up. This is called "quan je" or "execution by dogs". Political ...

During World War II, millions of people were sent to concentration camps, including women.

During World War II, millions of people were sent to concentration camps, including women. Women in concentration camps were subjected to brutal treatment and often faced more severe conditions than their male counterparts. The conditions in the camps were inhumane, and women were often subjected to forced labor, starvation, and medical experiments. Women were treated differently in concentration camps than men. They were often separated from their families, forced to perform hard labor, and subjected to sexual abuse. Women who were pregnant were also subjected to harsh conditions and medical experimentation. Many women were killed, either as part of the genocide or because they were deemed too weak to continue working. One of the most notorious concentration camps where women were held was Auschwitz-Birkenau. There, women were subjected to forced labor, starvation, and medical experimentation. Many were killed in gas chambers or through other forms of execution. The camp was designe...

15 Most Brutal Rape Punishments Around The World.

15 Most Brutal Rape Punishments Around The World. Rape is considered the most offensive crime in every society. Rape victims are often looked down in the society and had to suffer mental torture without any fault of her/him. This horrific impact of physical and mental assault often ruin the life of a victim. Different governments across the globe came up with strong laws against sexual assault to make their country a safer place for their citizen and to make sure no one who indulged in this heinous crime could roam free. Here are the most brutal rape punishments of different countries around the world. In China, The meritocratic leadership punishes the rapist straight away with a death sentence and in some scenarios rapist are also punished by the mutilation of their genitals. 2. Iran In Iran, the rapist is either hanged or shot to death in public. Sometimes the guilty escapes the death penalty by the premission from the victim but is still liable for 100 lashes or life imprisonm...

Frank Discussion Of Rape And Other Atrocities Committed During War.

WARNING! PHOTO BELOW ARE NOT MET FOR THE WEAK HEART. Please note: The following subject matter is of immense importance, but could be difficult to read. There is a Frank Discussion Of Rape And Other Atrocities Committed During War. After entering a large museum in one of the world’s most ancient cities and the former capital of the Chinese empire, Nanking—or Nanjing as it’s known today—my 18-year-old daughter Sophia and I walked over a glass walkway that allowed us to look down 10 feet of earth and observe an ancient footpath. Lights highlighted the ground under the glass while the room we were in was dark. To our right hung numerous photographs on a black wall showing Japanese soldiers slaughtering Chinese citizens in December 1937 revealed by individual lights, the types one sees on art museum paintings. Dead babies, severed heads, piles of bodies on Yangtze River banks, and helpless prisoners of war were all documented there by photographs taken by the perpetrators themselve...

Mazzatello Method Of Execution (crushing of the head with AXE)

Mazzatello Method Of Execution (crushing of the head with AXE) Mazzatello: crushing of the head with AXE (abbreviated mazza) was a method of capital punishment used by the Papal States from the late 18th century to 1870. The method was named after the implement used in the execution: a large, long-handled mallet or pole-ax. The condemned would be led to a scaffold in a public square of Rome, accompanied by a priest (the confessor of the condemned); the platform also contained a coffin and the masked executioner, dressed in black. A prayer would first be said for the condemned’s soul. Then, the mallet would be raised, and swung in the air to gain momentum, and then brought down on the head of the prisoner, similar to a contemporary method of slaughtering cattle in stockyards. Because this procedure could merely stun the condemned rather than killing him instantly, the throat of the prisoner would then be slit with a knife. DEEDLY RELATED POST The Robe and Ax...

King Edward VII Love Chair

King Edward VII (nicknamed Bertie), had a custom made ‘siege d’amour’ (or love chair), kept at the famous Le Chabanais brothel in Paris. It was built to allow him to have sex with two or more people all at the same time. The chair was the ultimate symbol of Bertie’s voracious sexual appetite, which became a constant headache for the royal family, especially his mother, who believed him utterly untrustworthy and severely limited his Royal responsibilities as a result. However, the more Queen Victoria disapproved, the more extravagant Bertie became in his pursuits of pleasure, the chair being the ultimate testament to his rebellious and irresponsible behaviour. The press gave him the name ‘Dirty Bertie’. It was said that his father had a word with him about his dalliances and then died shortly after their chat. Queen Victoria blamed his death on the stress brought about by “that dreadful business”, or at least a big contributing factor of it. She then arranged his marri...

"Wooden Horse or Spanish Donkey"

"Wooden Horse or Spanish Donkey" The wooden horse, or Spanish donkey, was an extremely painful and gruesome medieval torture device. It was first used by the Holy Inquisition in France and then in Spain and Germany, and then migrated to the Americas, gaining prominence during the colonial period. The main design was the same wherever it was used. It was a triangular wooden box with a very sharp top end (ie where the horse's spine would be). The apparatus was constructed of wood, with planks nailed together to form a long, tapered ridge, which would serve as the horse's back. These were supported by four legs attached to a bracket, about 6 or 7 feet (1.8 to 2.1 metres) high, with wheels fitted to the bottom of the legs so that the entire device could roll across the ground. A head and tail would be attached to make the torture device look like an almost “fun” huge wooden horse. The defendant would be mounted on the horse, with ankle weights...

CLIFFORD HOYT: THE MAN WHO HAS SEEN HELL

CLIFFORD HOYT: THE MAN WHO HAS SEEN HELL I immediately make a premise. Many Paranormal groups report news similar to the one I am about to publish, about a certain Harry Hoyt, aged 31, who died in 1999 a few days after having an accident from which he woke up saying he saw Hell (and they put a scene from the movie “Hellraiser 2” as a photo). Well, what I found in my research is very different, although the common thread is the same. So it's up to you to decide which version is the right one (assuming one of the two is true). Let's go to the facts. The protagonist is Clifford Hoyt (not Harry: Harry Hyot is an American filmmaker to me), 31 who suffered serious injuries in a car accident due to icy asphalt in 1999, on his way home after a long day at work in Maryland. . He remained in a coma for a few hours and when he regained consciousness, he revealed to the nurse that he was looking after him that he had been sucked into a vortex that led him straight to Hell. He told of the p...

THE WORLD FAMOUS HISTORY AND PAST EVENTS

Search This Blog