Were the Polish soldiers serving in the Nazi's armed forces collaborators or unfortunate victims?

In the heart of Gdansk, the Main Town Hall branch of the Museum of Gdansk hosts a thought-provoking exhibition titled "Our Boys." This exhibition, inspired by a similar one in Luxembourg, delves into a subject that has long been shrouded in debate within Polish society.

The exhibition addresses the complex and often overlooked history of Polish citizens who served in Adolf Hitler's army, the Wehrmacht. The lively discussion it has sparked shows that a conversation about this topic is long overdue, with many people donating valuable documents and mementos to the exhibition's curators.

However, the exhibition has not been without controversy. It has been met with opposition from right-wing conservatives in Poland, including President Andrzej Duda and Jaroslaw Kaczynski, leader of the Law and Justice (PiS) party. The online hate towards the exhibition's organizers has been so intense that security measures have had to be stepped up.

Being on the German People's List, a list of citizens of Nazi-occupied Poland, came with privileges, such as German citizenship, but also obligations, including compulsory military service. After Nazi Germany occupied Poland in 1939, large parts of Polish territory were unlawfully integrated into the Third Reich. The German authorities alone decided who was put on the German People's List, a process that was part of the "Germanization" process, where all sections of the population that were seen as "superfluous" were displaced, while those considered "capable of being germanized" were added to the list.

Those who were called up faced an appalling choice: They could refuse to serve and go into hiding or accept their fate and serve. As the situation on the fronts deteriorated for the Wehrmacht, more "cannon fodder" was needed. By the end of the war, 2.9 million people in occupied Poland were on the German People's List.

The exhibition features photos of young men in the uniform of the Wehrmacht, the armed forces of Nazi Germany. It serves as a stark reminder of the difficult choices these men were forced to make, and the consequences they faced. Those who did not make it onto the list faced retaliatory measures or could even be sent to a concentration camp. Most deserters who were apprehended were guillotined.

After the war, Poles whose names were on the German People's List were considered traitors, and some were convicted as collaborators. However, the exhibition also highlights the stories of those who defected to the British and American armed forces on the western front, nearly 90,000 Polish Wehrmacht soldiers in total.

The exhibition "Our Boys" is a poignant exploration of a sensitive and complex chapter in Polish history. It serves as a reminder that history is not always black and white, and that individuals are often faced with difficult choices in times of war. The exhibition is a testament to the importance of open and honest discussions about our past, even when they are challenging.

Were the Polish soldiers serving in the Nazi's armed forces collaborators or unfortunate victims?