Goralenvolk
| Part of theGeneral Governmentzone ofoccupied Poland | |
 Meeting of GovernorHans FrankinZakopanewith leaders of hisGoralenvolkin November 1939 | |
| Period | 1939–1943 |
|---|---|
| Membership | 200 |
Goralenvolkwas a geopolitical term invented by theGermanNazisin World War II in reference to theGoralhighlander population ofPodhaleregion in the south ofPolandnear theSlovakborder. The Germans postulated a separate nationality for people of that region in an effort to extract them from the Polish citizenry during theiroccupation of Poland's highlands.The termGoralenvolkwas aneologismderived from the Polish wordGórale(the Highlanders) commonly referring to the ethnic group living in theBeskidandTatra mountains.In an attempt to make the Gorals collaborate with theSS,the Nazis proclaimed that they were of Germanic descent, and were thus worthy ofGermanisationand separate treatment from otherPoles.[1][2]
Origin[edit]
Nazi ideology claimed thatGorals(Górale) were descended from ethnic Germans who allegedly settled in that region during medieval times in significant numbers. They were considered by the Nazi ideologues to be of Germanic origin.[citation needed]The concept of the Gorals being from German descent did not originate with the Nazis themselves. For example, the 1885Meyers Konversationslexikonentry underGoralenstated, that Germans (also) lived in that area in the 11th century but wereslavicized.[3][original research?]
German occupation[edit]
The region inhabited byGórale(pre-war PolishNowy Targ CountyinPodhale) was annexed byGermanyimmediately after theInvasion of Polandin 1939. Later, the German authorities attempted to assimilate the population into the body ofVolksdeutsche,and to encourage their collaboration with the occupying forces. Soon, a small group of local collaborators gathered under the leadership ofReichsdeutscherWitalis Wieder,withWacław Krzeptowski– a self-proclaimedGoralenführer– and his cousins Stefan andAndrzej Krzeptowski,as well as suspected German spyHenryk Szatkowski,andJózef Cukierfrom Zakopane. During a visit of NaziGovernor-GeneralHans Frankto Podhale on 7 November 1939 they proposed to establish a separate state forGoralenvolk.Most fled to Germany at the end of the war except for Krzeptowski himself, who decided to hide in the mountains (atna Stołach) in a secluded shack. He was apprehended by the PolishArmia Krajowaunit under Lieutenant Tadeusz Studziński, charged with high treason and hanged on 20 January 1945.[4]
The implementation of theGoralenvolk actionaimed at germanization of the Polish highlanders was actively opposed by the undergroundTatra Confederation,a Polish resistance organization founded in May 1941 inNowy Targ(the historical capital of Podhale), by the poet and partisan,Augustyn Suski(nom-de-guerreStefan Borusa) withTadeusz Popek(Wacław Tatar) as his deputy andJadwiga Apostoł(nom-de-guerreBarbara Spytkowska) as their administrative secretary. Suski was murdered at theAuschwitz concentration camp.Popek was tortured and executed in Zakopane.[2][5][6]A German census conducted in 1940 showed that 72% of the localGoralenvolkpopulation identified themselves as ethnically Polish rather than ethnically German. This result was a great disappointment for the Nazi administration.[citation needed]
Failed attempt at recruiting[edit]
In January 1943 theSSGermanische Leitstellein occupiedZakopanein the heartland of theTatra mountainsembarked on a recruitment drive, with the objective being to create a brand new Waffen-SS highlander division. Some 200 youngGoralenvolksigned up after having been given unlimited supplies of alcoholic drinks. They boarded a train to Trawniki, but got off the train in nearbyMaków Podhalański,when they had become sober. Only twelve men arrived atthe SS training base in Trawnikinext to Lublin. At the first opportunity they got into a major fistfight withthe Ukrainians, causing havoc.They were arrested and sent away. The whole idea was abandoned as impossible bySS-ObergruppenführerKrügerin occupiedKrakówby an official letter of 5 April 1943.[7]The failure has inevitably contributed to his dismissal on 9 November 1943 by Governor GeneralHans Frank.[8]
See also[edit]
Notes and references[edit]
- ^"Pod Giewontem. Losy mieszkancow Podhala 1939-1956".Podhalański Portal Informacyjny Podhale24.pl. September 12, 2011.RetrievedApril 21,2012.
- ^ab"Historia rodziny Apostołów".Lista świadków historii(in Polish). Stowarzyszenie Auschwitz Memento. Archived fromthe originalon January 23, 2015.RetrievedApril 21,2012.
- ^Meyers Konversationslexikon: Band 7, Seite 518: von Göppingen bis Gordianus.ArchivedJune 14, 2007, at theWayback Machine
- ^"Góralski Legion Waffen SS".Polacy po stronie Niemców.Wiedza i Zycie, Inne Oblicza Histori. No. 07 - 02/2005. Last updated: December 13, 2005. Archived fromthe originalon November 13, 2009.RetrievedMay 20,2012.
Page archived byWayback Machine
- ^"Góralska Dywizja Waffen-SS".Forum Druga Wojna Światowa dws.org.pl.RetrievedApril 24,2012.
- ^"Konfederacja Tatrzańska (with biographies and photographs)".Konfederat Tatrzański.RetrievedApril 24,2012.
- ^Rafał Kuzak (12 September 2012)."Jak zrobić z górali esesmanów? Legion Góralski Waffen SS"[How to make highlanders into SS men. The story of Goralenvolk Legion].Ciekawostki historyczne.Społeczny Instytut Wydawniczy Znak sp. z o.o.(page two).
- ^Thompson, Larry V. (1967). "Nazi Administrative Conflict. The Struggle for Executive Power in the General Government of Poland 1939–1943".Dissertation.University of Wisconsin: 260.OCLC3417584.
External links[edit]
- 1939 proposal for a Goralenfolk flag (it was never officially accepted)
- "Goralenvolk",National Digital Archive, Poland