Maharaja provided a safe haven for 500 Polish orphans during World War II

World War II General WWII Discussion
#1

An interesting story:-
…

A Saviour During the Second World War
After war broke out in September 1939, the maharaja was chosen as a member of Winston Churchill’s Imperial War Cabinet.
His role in helping the Polish orphans came about as a result of the highly awkward alliance between the Western Powers and Soviet Russia.
Nazi Germany and Soviet Russia had divided up Poland in 1939, and in the Russian partition, several hundred thousand Poles – including women and children - were deported by Stalin to the depths of the Soviet Union.
However, when Hitler turned on his Russian ally, launching Operation Barbarossa in June 1941, Stalin was compelled to make an alliance with Great Britain and Poland - the Polish government-in-exile was in London at this time.
Stalin announced an amnesty for his Polish prisoners, and the enormous task of attempting to transport the scattered captives out of the Soviet Union was set in motion.
General Wladyslaw Anders, himself freshly released from captivity, began forming a prospective army of Polish soldiers from the deportees.
The Maharaja of Nawanagar became a rallying figure in solving the plight of the many children and women caught up in the conflict.
He was the first Indian to offer to help Polish children who had been deported to Siberia, Kazakhstan and elsewhere.
Premises by the maharaja’s summer palace at Balachadi, on the coast of Nawanagar, were prepared in cooperation with the Polish government-in-exile, and as many as 500 orphans were transported there.
Speaking in November 1942, the maharaja expressed his hopes that in "the beautiful hills beside the seashore, the children will be able to recover their health and to forget the ordeal they went through.”
The children remained there throughout the war, and they came to call the prince “Bapu” (father). A school was set up at the site, run by delegates of the Polish government-in-exile.
Meanwhile, other Polish children found refuge in Africa and New Zealand, (the latter thanks to the intervention of New Zealand Prime Minister Peter Fraser).
A second settlement of over 5000 displaced Poles was also created in the Indian principality of Kolhapur, at Valvivade, where Poles of all age-groups found refuge.

…

http://thenews.pl/1/10/Artykul/101485,Maharaja-honoured-with-Warsaw-plaza

#2

Hello friend PUK. Nice to see you are back

Next worlds might sound weird for you, but the deported poles ( and jews) were lucky enough. If they remained on the German occuped Ukraine - not much of them will have a chance to survive. If not germans - the UPA will have finished them for sure.
You probably heard about German atrocities against ethnic poles which started soon after the invasion coz nazis propogand portrayed the poles as guilty for “suffering of Germans” .At least in Siberia no one will going to kill them for their origin.

#3

Well, not as many anyway - I suspect they will still have had a rough time in Siberia. I also suspect they will have found it hard to accept their good fortune :wink:

#4

It’s true.Its climate not for sissies.But what not kills us- makes us stronger.:slight_smile:

I also suspect they will have found it hard to accept their good fortune :wink:

Who knows? I think many of them have heard about ethnic murders in Nazis occuped Poland/Ukraine.Their fortune though has turned to them by the face, in 1942 all of them got the chance move to british Iran( where they spent enough rough time again), while many of their countrymans in occuped Poland went directly to Aushwitz.

#5

Hi Chevan,

I got to be honest with you on something. I’ve just read your post in this topic and I can’t resist to make a comment about your attitude.
I find quite disgusting when somebody is taking a piss when talking about human suffering, death etc. I believe that compassion is a part of human nature and every “normal” human being will feel at least some sort of discomfort when seeing, hearing or even thinking of other humans suffering. So, I find it really improper when you’re making such “funny” comments.

I take it very personal this time. I’m Polish, my parents are Polish, grandpas are Polish too. I feel offended when you say that Poles who were sent to Siberia were lucky ones.
No they were not. They got pretty much fu**ed, because they knew they should expect the worst from their Soviet opressors. They knew they were not going back home, they were not going to see their loved ones, they knew they were finished. So it wasn’t a holiday, it was a death sentence. In our mutual relations it become a tradition for Poles to be sent by Russians to the East. Just like Lithuanians, Latvians, Estonians, Ukrainians, Belorussians, Chetchens, Cossacks and many, many others, Poles suffered because of you country and countrymen.
You may think that putting Nazis and Soviets on the same scale is outrageous and shocking. In your eyes, Soviet state was far from the worst in the world. I accept that as I know the mechanism behind the rejection of guilt. The majority of Russians will never accept the responsibility for atrocities commited by the Soviet Union because that would mean that Soviet Union was a terror state same as Nazi Germany. But for Russians it is too much to admit that. That would mean that all they believed for years was a lie built on a murder and oppresion. All your national myths created in XX century would collapse: Great Patriotic War, Soviet liberation of Europe, Soviets as builders of peace, etc. It would be too much to change a state of mind of a whole nation. I know that. But for Poles, and all other nations of Eastern Europe, Soviets were no different than Nazis. Nazis killed for racial reasons, Soviets for ideological.
You can say there was no death camp in Soviet Russia. Yes, there were only work camps, but Soviets had much, much more time than Hitler to do the job.
And they did.

Anyway, I’m not trying to change your point of view. All I’m asking is to have some respect. If you cannot accept the atrocities and the guilt, at least do not humiliate nor depreciate the victims. They don’t deserve that, nor their families. Such tactics are quite common for politicians: first deny a crime, and when it turns impossible to lie, keep putting to shame the victims so nobody will seriously think of them. But we don’t need to do it here. We know each othere for few years now, and I believe there is a link of understanding between us.
I believe you wouldn’t make such “funny” and ignorant comments if we spoken face-to-face.

Pozdrawiam,
Kovalski

#6

Kovalski, I am quite sure Chevan wanted in no way to disparage anyone’s memory.
So his words should be interpreted having this in mind.

#7

Relax Kovalski, Knowing Chevan as I do, had he actually wished to say something mean about somebody, it would be delivered without doubt. Remember, things can easily be misinterpreted, or misconstrued when a non English speaker has to translate from one complex language to another and that uses altogether different grammar, and Characters. And lets not forget Chevan’s dry sense of humor…

#8

I know the pain as I got the same problem sometimes.
I’ve been inactive for a long time, but it doesn’t mean I haven’t followed the forum. My yesterday post was a general reaction to number of posts I read in the past, which were quite “controversial”.
After few hours I see I overreacted focusing on Chevan, although I know his views and I know he is “controversial” sometimes.
I’m sorry if I misinterpreted his intentions. It’s quite possible, especially when his sense of humour is taken into consideration.
Anyway, I’ll do my best to keep closer look on topics related to eastern european history, as there was some misleading thesis shared, based on assumptions or false information.

#9

No worries Kovalski, we’re just joshing you a bit, :slight_smile:

#10

Wow, look guyes who come back;) Nice to meet you again my friend Kovalski.
We missed you here.
Actualy , the GOD saw, i didn’t wish to use this thread to hurt anybody’s memories.I was just pointing out that those unhappy peoples were "lucky’ coz they finally has escaped the worst destiny. And i frankly glas most of them survived through hard exile.

Anyway, I’ll do my best to keep closer look on topics related to eastern european history, as there was some misleading thesis shared, based on assumptions or false information.

Now , while you was absent we has finally discovered the problem of misleading. Can you imagine, the damned Google gives quite mismatched different interpretations of same event for russian, english and polish users;)The company seems specially delude us. Either it has been stated ( after the short treatment in nkvd’s style;)) that one of our members (Egorka) works for Google, so i think we all know who might/would know the reasons of why his company make us a fools:) .

#11

The google translator’s module can’t do it properly, mate. Egorka is guilt again…:wink: