le troglodyte moderne

XsisterXhoodX

(Source: spaceghostzombie)

Niuta Tajtelbaum as a schoolgirl in 1936, when she was already a member of a communist cell. During the German occupation of Poland she became feared by the Nazis as Wanda, the girl with the long blonde braids. Her youthful, innocent attitude, combined with her blonde “norse” hair made her predestined for daring actions: One time she went straight into some high-ranked German official’s heavy guarded office, shooting the Nazi right there and getting out unnoticed, the next time she’s killing a Gestapo-Officer in his own bed. She was also involved in multiple raids and sabotage-actions against the German war machine.

When the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising started, she led a group of communist resistance fighters. Her Unit fought bravely at Krasinski Square and knocked out a German machine-gun nest, as well as an SS artillery stand.

After the destruction of the Ghetto she managed to get out and into a hiding place, but two months after the fightings the Gestapo captured her.

She was tortured to death by the Germans, not betraying one of her comrades nor giving the Nazis any information at all.

Today marks the beginning of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising 70 years ago.

When the Germans decided to “liquidate” the Ghetto as part of the “Endlösung” by starting deportations of 12000 people a day into death camps, the Jewish community didn’t just want to be passive about their annihilation by the Germans and wanted to give them at least so much hell, as long as possible. The battle raged four weeks and the Uprising could only be oppressed by heavy German forces.

The Jewish guerillas had only few firearms and a shitload of Molotov-Cocktails against a German force of over 2000 Waffen-SS, Wehrmacht and police troops, which were supported by heavy artillery and tanks. The Germans also made use of flamethrowers, air strikes and poisoned gas.

In the aftermath the whole Ghetto was destroyed, 12000 Jews died during the fightings, over 30000 got shot afterwards and the 7000 residents who survived the slaughter where deported to death camps and murdered there.

The picture above is from the infamous “Stroop report”, a dossier in the style of a photo album with the cynical title “There is no Jewish quarter in Warsaw anymore” by the German commander of the campaign, Waffen-SS general Jürgen Stroop. He got rewarded for this with an Iron Cross, first class.

The women depicted are captured guerilleras of the Zionist Youth Organisation HeHalutz, who fought in the Guerilla group ZOB. The woman on the right is Malka Zdrojewics, next to her is Rachela Wyszogrodzka. The woman on the left is assumed to be Rachela’s sister Bluma.

They weren’t shot on the spot by the Germans, but deported to Majdanek Concentration Camp. Malka Zdrojewics is one of the few survivors of Majdanek. After her liberation she went to Israel, 75% crippled by the severe tortures she had suffered.

Haganah bike patrol

training of Haganah-women in ‘48