The R.I.P. Thread

[AndyWolves]

Michael Smuss 99, he was the last known survivor of the Warsaw ghetto uprising against the Nazis, captured after a month of fighting he was sent to various concentration camps, and was liberated by the Americans in 1945 while on the death March to Dachau.
As always it’s another step from living history to history for the Second World War.

Its interesting how time has moved on. I can remember as a kid in the 80's that the second world war was still very much in the public consciousness.

Time has moved on and it's becoming more of a distant memory

 

[Elephant Pyjamas]

Its interesting how time has moved on. I can remember as a kid in the 80's that the second world war was still very much in the public consciousness.

Time has moved on and it's becoming more of a distant memory

Yes, and a lot of the things we learnt from it are being forgotten too.

 

[Law's Bus]

Yes, and a lot of the things we learnt from it are being forgotten too.

Indeed. I was at Dachau this summer, and it's not quite Auschwitz, but it's a horrific place. Everyone should go to these places and see what voting for far-right parties brings.

 

[leedswolf]

Its interesting how time has moved on. I can remember as a kid in the 80's that the second world war was still very much in the public consciousness.

Time has moved on and it's becoming more of a distant memory

I was born in the 50s and the second world war was very much in the public consciousness. I despair that many of my peers (and my mother, who is 96 years) have abandoned that.

 

[Keef]

Indeed. I was at Dachau this summer, and it's not quite Auschwitz, but it's a horrific place. Everyone should go to these places and see what voting for far-right parties brings.

When I was cycling Eastern Europe I went to sobibor camp eastern Poland, not planned, just cycling through the village and saw the sign, bit eerie on the mile or so down the track through the woods, the weather was boiling hot, as I walked from the car park it got colder and colder, whether or not that was me because I knew what happened there, or it was the area causing it, I don’t know, but there was an atmosphere and me being the only person there didn’t help, only stayed about 10 minutes, I couldn’t do any longer, and I was a lot quicker down the track through the woods than I was going in.
I’ve done Auschwitz as well, did cry where they walk you through the floor to ceiling clothes, shoes, spectacles, suitcases, kitchenware and hair! The guide said that was all from the last week of operation before it was closed, thats when the industrial amount of deaths hits you, you hear the numbers and think that’s a lot, it seeing floor to ceiling pile of spectacles each from a single person really puts it into perspective.
If you’re going to visit, there’s a good hotel right opposite the car park, and go visit the town centre surprisingly tourist free, full of old buildings and a bit of traditional Poland I guess

 

[Keef]

 

[jlo]

I remember doing similar in Cambodia going to the killing fields, and thinking how did this happen only 10 or so years before I was born. I heard someone shouting/yelling in London the other day complaining he had no free speech (the irony) - I had to retort that he had no idea what it's really like to have no free speech, it's ridiculous how little people know (not only young people, but people who are just so insular in their thinking).

 

[Derby Wolf]

When I was cycling Eastern Europe I went to sobibor camp eastern Poland, not planned, just cycling through the village and saw the sign, bit eerie on the mile or so down the track through the woods, the weather was boiling hot, as I walked from the car park it got colder and colder, whether or not that was me because I knew what happened there, or it was the area causing it, I don’t know, but there was an atmosphere and me being the only person there didn’t help, only stayed about 10 minutes, I couldn’t do any longer, and I was a lot quicker down the track through the woods than I was going in.

My mates a teacher and takes one of the year groups to Auschwitz every year and says the heaviness of being there hits her just as much as the very first time she went.

 

[Law's Bus]

When I was cycling Eastern Europe I went to sobibor camp eastern Poland, not planned, just cycling through the village and saw the sign, bit eerie on the mile or so down the track through the woods, the weather was boiling hot, as I walked from the car park it got colder and colder, whether or not that was me because I knew what happened there, or it was the area causing it, I don’t know, but there was an atmosphere and me being the only person there didn’t help, only stayed about 10 minutes, I couldn’t do any longer, and I was a lot quicker down the track through the woods than I was going in.
I’ve done Auschwitz as well, did cry where they walk you through the floor to ceiling clothes, shoes, spectacles, suitcases, kitchenware and hair! The guide said that was all from the last week of operation before it was closed, thats when the industrial amount of deaths hits you, you hear the numbers and think that’s a lot, it seeing floor to ceiling pile of spectacles each from a single person really puts it into perspective.
If you’re going to visit, there’s a good hotel right opposite the car park, and go visit the town centre surprisingly tourist free, full of old buildings and a bit of traditional Poland I guess

It feels very wrong to like either of your posts, but thank you for sharing your experiences and photos. I'll just add one of Dachau and one of the worst lies ever told.

 

[Keef]

If you’ve never seen it, google hill of crosses in Lithuania, every cross there represents a person or family killed by the Nazis and soviets, another one of the places I went on my bike ride, the Vilnius genocide museum is a must see, massive four story building, takes you 15 minutes to walk round the outside, every brick has a name on it from someone again killed by Nazis/soviets, the names go all round the outside, up to the third floor! You get an audio tour takes you round the inside explaining stuff, it cuts off just before the last room, you find out what happened when you enter it.
I’ve visited some cheery places