| I started
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on 16.VI.2004
     
Last updated
17-Aug-2004
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Guestbook
entry
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Name: |
sieglinde Stieda |
data: |
2009-11-27 01:18:54 |
email: |
sieglinde9@gmail.com |
PS
Next time that you are in Tuebingen, stop in Dannheim. My direct ancestor, Christianus Stieda was responsible for building the church in Dannheim in the 18th century. One of the sons of Christianus immigrated to the Baltic States where several generations later, my parents were born. Christianus' gravestone is in the graveyard as is my sister's Anneliese's.
Sieglinde Stieda |
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Name: |
Sieglinde Stieda |
data: |
2009-11-27 01:10:23 |
email: |
sieglinde9@gmail.com |
Dear Alfred-Maurice de Zayas,
Thank you for writing A TERRIBLE REVENGE. I was born 1942 in Stettin; had polio in 1944; left Stettin on March 9th, 1945 with my mother and 3 brothers. We headed for Sassnitz on the Island of Ruegen where my two sisters were. All my oldest brother Chris (born 1930) remembers from that time is that he was always hungry. AT some point we left with the supposed last freighter Orestes from Sassnitz. We survived torpedoes & bombs. Then at the beginning of MAy be were in the port of Copenhagen.We may have been the last refugee boat that was accepted by Denmark. One of my older sisters describes our arrival in this way:
“After the freighter we were on docked in Kopenhagen the Kapitain walked to the harbour authorities in his uniform as a captain in the merchant marine. He was NOT a soldier. However he never made it on his first try through the crowd of celebrating Danes, now freed from the German occupation. I do not know what they did to him if anything. He returned to the freighter and changed into civilian clothes. This time he made it but had trouble getting anyone to listen. He finally put it to THEM that they were not giving him any other option except to hoist the yellow flag and go out to sea, burying one by one the refugees as they died from starvation and diseases and reporting this to the International Red Cross. That got some action and a pot of soup arrived on board. He relayed this to our mother as she asked him for help.”
So we were helped after all. First the family was sent to a refugee camp north east of Copenhagen where we stayed until July 1945. According to my oldest brother, he thought that this first camp was called Kolding or Koldbing. At some point we were assigned numbers and files were created to track our stay in Denmark until we left with transport number 7 for the American zone, sector Bremen. My siblings and I are said to have left June 2nd, 1947, but my mother is said to have left May 21st, 1947, which is odd as I thought that we travelled together.
Here are the names and numbers we were assigned:
Marie Stieda, born Johannsohn, born July14, 1904 refugee number G 02 237 066
Christian Stieda born January 3rd, 1930 refugee number G 02 237 067
Anneliese Stieda born March 14, 1931 refugee number G 02 237 068
Eva-Maria Stieda born September 27, 1933 refugee number G 02 237 069
Hans-Joachim Stieda born February 10, 1936 refugee number G 02 237 070
Roland Stieda born March 9, 1939 refugee number G 02 237 071
Sieglinde Stieda born May 9th, 1942 refugee number G 02 237 072
Were those numbers assigned by the Red Cross? What was the significance of the numbers? Did the G stand for German? What is the significance of the 02 ? Am I correct in assuming that the last six digits of my number 237 072, meant that I was the 237 072nd German refugee to be recorded? How many more refugees were recorded after me?
There are several things that puzzle me, mostly relating to my exact location during my stay in Denmark. In July 1945, we were transferred to Aalborg Ost, Camp 48-9. Apparently my brother Hans-Joachim (No. G02 237 070) was in a Laz Aalborg from December 14th, 1945 to December 21st, 1945 and my mother Marie Stieda (No. G 02 237 066) was in Laz II Aalborg from February 28th, 1946 to April 3rd, 1946. If my mother was in a sort of hospital, who would have looked after us during this time? My siblings don’t seem to remember her being away? However, there does not seem to be a record of me (No. G02 237 072) having been in hospital. Yet my life was saved by some Danish Diokanissen (Protestant nuns?) who apparently took me in very early on during my stay in Denmark as I had a serious case of Typhus. As I had had poliomyelitis, the previous year, there was still some paralysis and weakness evident in my body. I am curious to know who those nuns were? How long did I stay with them? What motivated those nuns to save my life when the Danish physicians had voted not to treat German refugees? What risks did those nuns take in order to save my life? Did any of these nuns speak German? Or did I, a very sick 3 year old just hear Danish spoken for several months? I must have been back in the camp in Aalborg by June 20th, 1946, as records indicate that I received 1 P. Babystrümpfe (one pair baby stockings) on that day.
One of my first memories from Aalborg is that I teased a mentally challenged older child who had drawn lines of an imaginary house on the ground. I erased one of those lines, which prompted the older child to push a rusty fork into my head. Yet, there does not appear to have been a record of me having been in any hospital or clinic. Why?
During our stay in the camp in Aalborg, a carpenter whose name may have been Hansen, and his mother-in-law (maybe she was the Hansen person) helped my family, especially my brother Hansel and my mother. I believe that it may have been illegal for Danish people to help German refugees at the time. What has been written about those Danish people who defied the government and helped the refugees?
I have written to the Danish Red Cross, but they answered stating that I can’t ask them questions. The request has to come from the Canadian Red Cross since I now live in Canada. The Canadian Red Cross says that they can't help me.
I have read Arne Gaamelgaard’s book, Ungeladene Gäste, and I have been in contact with Dr. Kirsten Lylloff.
I have so many questions. When did the freighter ORESTES that took us from Sassnitz to Copenhagen leave and arrive? Has anything been written about the trip by the Orestes? Where could I find information about the Orestes? Where can I find out more about the activities of those Protestant nuns and those Danish people who may have risked their lives to help us?
Reading your book has made me realized how cut-off I have been from my roots, even though I visited Germany in 1963, 1968, and 1975. Now that I am retired I have the time to read but can't always get the books on this period of history from my local library. I occasionally travel to the UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA and try to read books there, but it means travelling about 5 hours total just to get there and back.
Having gone to school in Canada from grade 4 on, I kind of feel cheated by not having learned about the ethnic cleansing of the Volksdeutschen....
Again thank you for writing A TERRIBLE REVENGE. Since its in English, it will be accessible to my 14 nieces and nephews and their 26 kids.
Sincerely,
Sieglinde Stieda
Thank you.
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Name: |
Steve |
data: |
2009-10-19 14:55:17 |
email: |
steve@reasonradionetwork.com |
| Dr. de Zayas, I am a producer with Voice of Reason Broadcasting and would like to invite you to appear as a guest on The Sunic Journal radio show. The host is Dr. Tomislav Sunic, who is a former Croatian diplomat (much of his diplomatic work was done in Algeria) and professor of political science. We are doing a series on the ethnic cleansing of Germans after WWII, and I think an interview with you would be perfect. Please let me know if you would be interested in coming on the show. |
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Name: |
Phil Thomas |
data: |
2009-09-23 13:45:47 |
email: |
PhilTCov88@live.com |
Mr de Zayas,
I entered a note some time ago, having read "A Terrible Revenge: The Ethnic Cleansing of the East European Germans", to say thank you for writing such an interesting and thought provoking book.
I have been reading a lot over the past two years on what happened to Germans and people of German extraction after the war. Having been born in 1950 in England I am lucky I did not have to go through such things.
I have taken such an interest in the subject that I have created a website to encourage others to learn about what happened.
The URL is: http://peopleinglasshouses.wikidot.com
It is “finished” in terms of it being, I hope, of an “acceptable” standard to be viewed. I still aim to put more content in as I find stuff / thoughts / relevant links to include as well as improve the aesthetics and functionality as I learn more about how to do such things.
Would it be possible for you to grant me permission to use the image of the cover of your book that I saw on your website http://alfreddezayas.com/books.shtml in my website on the page that I have regarding your book? Two other authors have granted me permission to use the images of their book covers and I am now in the process of asking the remaining authors. |
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Name: |
Erick Armando Vazquez Zayas |
data: |
2009-09-17 10:30:20 |
email: |
evenom@gmail.com |
| I have the manuscript of "Al caer la Nieve" |
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Name: |
Alfred M |
data: |
2009-09-08 17:53:28 |
email: |
ganseschmalz@gmail.com |
Hello Dr De Zayas,
Please let us know if and when you ever come to Cambridge Massachusetts. I would really like to hear you speak.
On the subject of ethnic cleansing, I wonder what opinion you have if any about the whites in Cuba. I am cuban born just as you are (born in 1950), and I've noticed that because of the massive exodus of whites from Cuba, and of the persecution that decent people suffer in the island, the ethnic and cultural makeup of Cuba has been catastrophically altered, perhaps permanently. Does this not amount to ethnic cleansing?
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Name: |
v.knebel Doeberitz |
data: |
2009-09-07 07:13:27 |
email: |
v.knebel-doeberitz@t-online.de |
Sehr geehrter Herr Prof.de Zayas
kennen Sie die englische Fassunng der in Genf eingereichten Klage?
meinen Sie das Aussicht auf Erfolg besteht? nachdem die preußische Treuhandklage so abgeschnettert wurde?
frdl.Gru
v.K.D. |
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Name: |
John |
data: |
2009-09-04 18:25:13 |
email: |
t71herb@yahoo.com |
Hello Dr. de Zayas,
I have long enjoyed The Wehrmacht War Crimes Bureau, 1939-1945. In one of your notes on the Lvov chapter, you state that you interviewed Dr. Eberhard Taubert in October 1975. I was wondering if you could tell me a little bit more about what Dr. Taubert said in this interview regarding the Lvov pogrom, and the Wehrmacht role (or non-role) in it.
Vielen Dank.
Best,
John
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Name: |
Linda Szurley |
data: |
2009-09-01 05:54:03 |
email: |
Tasteefreez@aol.com |
Dear Dr. DeZayas,
I have visited Germany and stayed in the homes with German friends for the past 25 years, and have learned to speak German. I have been reading many books lately in German & English over the "Vertreibung", and am indeed shocked as to what happened. I have personally met with expellees. Do you still think that too little is known about this in the USA? I was considering handing in a manuscript from my interviews, or would it be totally ignored? I find it important that this period be known here.
Sincerely,
Linda Szurley |
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Name: |
Craig France |
data: |
2009-08-21 08:26:40 |
email: |
craig_france@yahoo.co.uk |
Dear Alfred,
I have recently read your book 'A Terrible Revenge' concerning the post-war 'ethnic cleansing' of the Eastern European Germans and wish to write to express my appreciation for this important catalogue of the unacknowledged suffering of the German people. In a similar vein, I had earlier read Giles MacDonogh's 'After the Reich' and Joerg Friedrich's 'The Fire', both of which deal with the appalling treatment and consequent suffering of the German people during and after the war. One wonders what one can do as an individual to redress the ongoing neglect of this suffering and counter the continued demonisation, in popular culture, of the entire German people by association with the Nazi regime. Tarantino's latest movie strikes me as but a the latest effort to keep Germans permanently cast in 'deserving victim' role.
I am planning on visiting Switzerland next week and would be very interested in hearing you speak, should you have an speaking engagements, or in other ways making contact with you.
Keep up your excellent work.
Kind Regards
Craig France |
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Name: |
adel tuncer |
data: |
2009-07-22 04:50:44 |
email: |
tuncie@hotmail.cpm |
lieber alfred/o
ganz gelungene website, chapeau! dass du zarte wurzeln in tübingen hast, hast du am alphornkurs unterschlagen :-)
beste grüsse an den lac leman!
vom verregneten rhein: deine/euere adel (beste grüsse an carla!!!) |
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Name: |
Michael Pfeiffer |
data: |
2009-06-29 05:01:39 |
email: |
sigrid-pfeiffer@web.de |
Sehr geehrter Herr Professor Dr. Dr. de Zayas,
die aktuelle Klage eines renommierten Rechtsanwalts gegen unser Bundesjustizministerium (!) wegen Informationsverweigerung (bzgl. SBZ-Unrecht/1945-1949) wird Sie ganz sicherlich interessieren; - Klageschrift - s. folgenden Link :
http://www.are-org.de/are/?q=de/node/1024
Via E-Mail vom heutigen Tage habe ich Ihnen hierzu weiteres Hintergrundmaterial an Ihre private E-Mail-Adresse übermittelt.
Sie sehen also, Herr Professor : "DAS THEMA L E B T !!!"
Alles Gute für Sie und Ihre ehrbare Familie !
Mit freundlichen Grüßen
Ihr
Michael Pfeiffer, Köln |
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Name: |
Ann Morrison |
data: |
2009-06-19 18:40:26 |
email: |
ann5480@charter.net |
Dear Professor De Zayas,
The German Expellees: Victims in Way and Peace has opened my eyes to many realizations. I have heard stories for years from the members of The German cultural Society in St. Louis Missouri who lived through the torture and desperation of work camps. I didn't question their truth I just listened and went on my way until one day, one person made me stop and really hear what was being said. It was time for me to hear and learn what really happened and why. For the two years following I listened and questioned and read. I started to learn how little information existed on German ethnic cleansing and the time to tell the story had come.
Attending a college in St. Louis brought me an opportunity I couldn't let slide. I'm in the Honors Program and as part of the program each student must do a Service Learning Project. This project must be something that is positive for the community and thought provoking as well. This was my chance. I put a presentation together to persuade my classmates and Professor to join my on my mission to tell the world this story through a documentary. They had never heard of this part of history so it was up to me to educate them as well as make them understand how important it was to tell people what happened after the war. They agreed and we began to look for people to interview. Three were found from the German Cultural Society in St. Louis and four from Chicago. One of the people I interviewed was Elisabeth Walter, author of Barefoot in the rubble. She told me about your book and gave me a copy to read.
It's hard to read the stories you tell but it must be told and you educated me a great deal. I have given everyone I talk to the title of your book to help them understand what happened.
A lot has happened since the project began. I have been contacted by television stations, producers and publishers for the documentary. One of the ways the story can best be told is by you. You are the person who has taught me so much and you can teach others about this terrible part of history.
Will you please grant me an hour of your time to come to Merimac College in St. Louis Missouri and speak to our faculty and students on Ethnic German Cleansing?
Thank you for your time.
Sincerely,
Ann Morrison
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Name: |
Efrat Shemesh |
data: |
2009-06-18 10:52:44 |
email: |
efratrun@gmail.com |
Hello Prof. De Zayas,
I am reading your article "The Right to One's Home Land, Ethnic Cleansing and the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia" as part of my research regarding exchange of territories and the future of inhabitants. I was wondering if you think that in addition to one's right to homeland he also has a right to be under a specific sovereign and why.
Thank you for your time, pleasure to read your articles. Efart |
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Name: |
Jack Labusch |
data: |
2009-05-30 04:55:41 |
email: |
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"Valkyrie", the Bryan Singer/Tom Cruise movie about the plot to assassinate Hitler, has shown up in DVD after grossing about $200 million worldwide. In a few posts below I suggest that "Valkyrie's" success may open the door to portraying WWII from fresh angles, such as the evacuation and expulsion of Germans from their homelands.
One question has bugged me for years. Have the Germans under Hitler been held by historians and others to some standard of citizenship that, say, the Russians under Stalin are not held to? |
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Name: |
arnd |
data: |
2009-05-21 17:09:07 |
email: |
dr.arnd@gmail.com |
Big congratulation for this tremendous and timely effort, “The Case-Law of the United Nations Human Rights Committee 1977-2008, Alfred, very big congratulation, and all best wishes that the book significantly supports the way of handling human right matters, firm and fair, throughout the world,
from Arnd
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