Michael Beiriger

Scenes From The Siege of Doblina Michael Beiriger

As 1941 begins, Poland and the town of Doblina remain gripped in the unyielding fist of Nazi Germany. The miserable citizens abandon all hope of rescue by France and Britain-France fell in 1940 and Britain is now under siege by air and sea. Doblina's business, farming, and food rationing are dictated by Berlin's ominous plans for exploitation of their new lands. The planting and harvesting of crops become Doblina's sole agenda. Hard work is rewarded with even more crushing labor, weakening people further. Months of military build-up precedes Germany's outlandish gamble: the invasion of Russia. But the breathtaking and fearsome display of Nazi might does not deter the emerging Polish underground resistance. The rebels concentrate on sabotage and harassment but these actions incur frightful reprisals on Polish civilians.1942 brings yet more repression and cruelty. Poles-men and women-are snatched for slave labor in the West, causing young men to flee to the countryside. After the 1942 harvest is completed, train cars are crammed with Doblina's Jewish families and they are shipped to an unknown fate. The Jews are experiencing an inconceivable nightmare: the Reich's 'Final Solution.'Some Poles watch the exile of Jews with smug, racist satisfaction, while others are horrified. The wisest Poles among them are left to wonder and worry: Are we next?