Counter-Currents
167 words
On 27 January 1945 the Red Army had just been defeated in an armor engagement with the 20th Panzer Division, which was retreating to escape encirclement, slightly south of Gleiwitz in Upper Silesia. Two villages were punished for the defeat: Preiswitz, populated by Poles, and neighboring Schönwald, populated by Germans. In total, 200 innocent civilians were murdered in cold blood.
The sniped T-34s blaze in the snow,
some with their upturned turrets venting smoke,
others with gaping holes from each fierce blow.
The red infantrymen begin to choke—
a Mongol, Tatar, Uzbek, Ket, and Jew,
the last who holds a pistol to the ear
of a young Pole whose eyes are black and blue,
who’ll not forget the day, or month or year.
Now Schönwald’s Germans must endure their wrath.
Whole families are lined against brick walls,
girls raped and fathers beaten on the path
that leads to where another village falls.
And no amount of soap in history’s bath
can make them clean, or let us hear their calls.
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4 comments
“the latter with a pistol to the ear” – “latter” is wrong here & should be replaced with “last”. Latter means “the second of two”, whereas last means “the nth of n, where n is three or more”.
Our list here is of five men
Not of only two,
Thus we must say “last”, not “latter”
To name the Jew.
For more on adjectives in English, search “degrees of comparison”, “positive/comparative/superlative”, & consider similar irregular adjectives such as:
old/elder/eldest
little/less/least
bad/worse/worst
G.M.,
You’re right. It’s been changed.
That image was taken after 1938 Kristallnacht, at least it is often shown in that context. Are you sure it refers to 1945?
This photo is curious. I’m sure I’ve seen it described as a Jewish girl raped by Ukrainian militia while loading trains to Auschwitz. Would be interesting to know its provenance and what it actually depicts.
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