Figure 1.--This is the kind of material that Germans began seeing in their newspapers just before Hitler launched the invasion of Poland. The reports depicted ethnic Germans being abused by the Poles. The people seen here were described as ethnic German refugees fleeing from Poland. They are being cared for at a feeding center in Essen, a city in western Germany. The press caption from an American newspaper read, "Germans Reported Fleeing Poland: Children, said to be among the 80,000 Germans forced to fleet Poland because of 'repressive' measures adopoted by Polish authorities, beiung fed at an emnergency statiuon in Essen, Germany. The Nazi authoirities sat that tghese thousands were fiorced to quit their homes in Polanbd to seek safety in the 'Fatherland'." The article appeared August 28, 1939, some 3 days before Hitler ordered the invasion of Poland. |
