[Ger-Poland-Volhynia] Fw: Re: Executed in Zhitomir 1938

[Sig Matt]

        A book report,

In a Nov. 3-05 mailing Richard Benert mentioned Kate Brown's book:
"A Biography of No Place: From Ethnic Borderland to Soviet Heartland",
(Harvard U. Press, 2004)
I've just finished reading it. Our local Library obtained it through the
Library 
Exchange program.
I found it to be a treasure-trove of information and do highly recommend
it to 
anyone interested in Volhynia in the period between the two WWars. It is
well 
documented. My cousin Bernhard's story, (who survived 10 years of Gulag,
1942-1952, in central Siberia and the Magadan Peninsula) confirms what is

detailed in this book.
Also our family's 3 years of purgatory, (say, experience in the 'Workers 
Paradise') in East Prussia 1945-1947) confirms the incredible results of 
such misguided policies.

Richard, thank you for that valuable hint.

Siegfried Matt


--------- Forwarded message ----------
From: "richard benert" <benovich at imt.net>
To: "Michelle Bakke-Purnell" <wldrose at telusplanet.net>,
         "SGGEE mail list" <ger-poland-volhynia at eclipse.sggee.org>
Date: Thu, 3 Nov 2005 09:39:20 -0700
Subject: Re: [Ger-Poland-Volhynia] Executed in Zhitomir 1938
Message-ID: <000a01c5e095$250ec100$d9e289d1 at richard01>
References: <43699996.5020002 at telusplanet.net>

Michelle,

The most obvious place to look for the 350 Germans executed Sept. 20,
1938 
is Don Miller's "Under Arrest:  Repression of the Russian Germans in the 
Zhitomir Region".  On pp. 225-231, Don gives the names of all of them,
and 
discusses the horrible episode, plus many others, in his text.  You can 
easily order the book from Don at http://inthemidstofwolves.com. 
Unfortunately, I don't find the name, Honig, anywhere in the book, but
the 
book is indispensible for learning about the era and the tactics of the 
Bolshevik interrogators and executioners.

Another book that must be mentioned is Kate Brown's "A Biography of No 
Place:  From Ethnic Borderland to Soviet Heartland", (Harvard U. Press, 
2004).  This book was brought to our attention a couple weeks ago by
Laurel 
Davies, and I'm now in the process of reading it.  I'm very impressed by
it, 
and I think it should be required reading for anyone interested in
Volhynia 
during the 1920s to 1945.  It sets the repression of ethnic Germans in
the 
context of Soviet (and later, Nazi) policies towards the region (which 
included repressing Poles, Ukrainians and Jews also), so it helps us 
overcome the sometimes myopic view we get when we concentrate only on our

own relatives in the region.  In addition, it's beautifully written, and
it 
pays a lot of attention to the ordinary life of "little people" (like our

relatives).  I'm really excited about this book, and I would urge
everyone 
to get a copy.  I was lucky.  I found it in the library of Montana State
U 
here in Bozeman, much to my surprise.

Dick Benert
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Michelle Bakke-Purnell" <wldrose at telusplanet.net>
To: "SGGEE mail list" <ger-poland-volhynia at eclipse.sggee.org>
Sent: Wednesday, November 02, 2005 10:01 PM
Subject: [Ger-Poland-Volhynia] Executed in Zhitomir 1938


> 300+ people, mostly Germans, included in a legal case tried by a troika
of 
> officials.  All were executed in the Zhitomir area in September 1938.
>
> George Shoning
>
> George
> Can you give me some more information on this or where to find more on
it. 
> The reason is that I can't get through a brick wall on my 
> Greatgrandfathers family.  He came from near this area, escaping in the

> middle of the night with his brother.  The only story he ever told his 
> family was that his family back home was taken in the middle of the
night 
> and executed. I have his parents names, yet I would like to find more 
> information on the family and what happened.  If that is even possible.

> Thanks for your time.
> Michelle Bakke-Purnell
>
>
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