Caught in the German campaign of eliminating prominent figures, the Germans rounded up Sylvan and his entire family and governmental associates along with 56 others and marched them to a large pre-dug pit surrounded by stern appearing soldiers all armed with rifles and machine guns. Knowing precisely what this meant, Sylvan pulled his grandson, Bruno, in front of him, pushed him down into the pit and landed directly on top of him, shielding his thin body. “Don’t move, Bruno” whispered Sylvan in Bruno’s ear immediately before the rat-a-tat-rat of machine guns and rifles ended the lives if all the hostages except Bruno who experienced a very painful stabbing like sensation on the edge of the back of his right chest cage. Bruno knew enough to lie still as death while suppressing the urge to cry, speak, scream, or move. The German firing squad marched away as the darkness of night fell and Bruno crawled out of the pit and marched northeast to the Russian zone in the town of Bialystok. The pain in his left lateral and posterior chest was slowly getting worse. He amongst all his family members was now alone.
Bruno Nocek, with his mind full of hatred coupled with grief and despair knew what he had to do to avenge their deaths…
The Einsatzruppen’s role was that of mobile killing units meant to operate in German acquired territories before and during World War II. They were involved in learning their craft as early as the Austrian Anschluss, the acquiring of the Sudetenland and Czechoslavakia, and the invasion of Poland. They followed behind the invading armies to secure the new political regime in the conquered country and secure the rear of all invading forces. Their job description was “kill untermenschen (inferiors) Jews, Gypsys, Slavs.”
Hitler’s plans for German Jews in the early days were to get them out of Germany. Hitler’s plan for Poland’s Jews were, simply put, their complete annihilation, a task which they slowly but efficiently implemented. The result after a four year period while Hitler’s Nazis were in control of Poland was the assassination of over 90 percent of Poland’s three million Jewish men, women, and children carried out by the Einsatzgruppen, the masters of death. They did this in Poland and later Eastern Europe including Russia., Belorussia, Ukraine, and Lithuania. Plus they operated in broad daylight in front of the townspeople who witnessed this aspect of the holocaust in person. After the infants, children, mothers, fathers, grandparents all fell dead into the pits, they were covered over with dirt to remain uncounted amongst the 6,000,000 “official” dead Jews.
In addition, since Poland was now to be colonized by Germans for “lebensraum,” any opposition to this path could not be tolerated necessitating the elimination of Poland’s intelligentsia as manifested by the Nocek family and or anyone who possibly would be able to organize resistance to the “master plan.”
At the time of the German invasion, the disregard for human life by the Nazis was so intense that they deliberately targeted cities for destruction that had absolutely no military targets. The town of Frampol lost 90% of its buildings and 50% of its residents. In addition, the Luftwaffe’s fighter and dive bombing aircraft targeted the town’s fleeing civilians.
The actual killing of Jews did not start immediately after the Polish invasion. First, the Nazis confiscated Jewish valuables and property. Then they herded all Jews into ghettos administered by the Jews themselves who were organized into Jewish Councils (Judenrate) who became responsible for administrating the ghettos in accordance with German instructions. Killings would start in earnest after the Nazis invaded East Poland and Russia later in 1941.
While Hitler’s army was wreaking havoc in Western Poland and the Polish army was tied up fighting for their lives, Russia attacked Poland from the east on September 17, 1939. The Russian victory was a walkover as the Poles were just trying to stay alive under the new form of warfare levied against them by the Nazis. As far as the Russians were concerned, their invasion was the final blow that ended Poland as a free state.
The Molotov-Ribbentrop secret pact between Germany and Russia was no longer secret and the hoped for intervention of Russia on the side of Poland was now a fantasy never to see the light of day. Little did the Poles or anyone know at the time that Germany and Russia had carved up Poland even before they invaded. As far as the Russians were concerned, they had to invade “to protect their allies the Ukranians and Belorussians,” but history would prove that the Germans invaded to get in position for a future war with Russia, and the Russians did it to create a buffer zone between Germany and Russia thus acquiring time to build up their army for the war with Germany they were sure was inevitable, but not imminent.
Initially, Russia had tried to form a pact with Great Britain, France, Poland, and Romania against Germany. This effort on the Russian’s part failed when Russia asked for rights for their troops to be able to pass through Poland and Romania. Neither country approved. This forced Russia to turn to Germany and form the infamous Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact which allowed Europe between Germany and Russia to be divided between German and Russian spheres of influence. The world was stunned when these two giants with their diametrically opposed ideologies signed this pact. It was obvious that both dictators were adjusting to their own individual political necessities. Neville Chamberlain, indifferent to Hitler’s takeover of the Sudetenland suddenly realized that Hitler indeed had more grandiose plans in the future especially in Poland. Here Chamberlain would draw the line and come to Poland’s aid, but an ally with Britain would be a necessity, and it was apparent that there was only one potential ally strong enough: Russia. Stalin, however, rebuffed Britain’s advance remembering that when he wanted an alliance with Britain and France to stop Hitler, he Stalin was rebuffed. Also Poland’s leaders were less than enamored with the prospect of Russia becoming a Polish guardian. Hitler, in an example of his political genius based upon what was best for German hegemony, turned to Russia and made a pact with them in spite of the fact that the Russian communist system was Hitler’s greatest hatred, probably only second to his hatred of the Jews. Hitler sent his delegate Joachim von Ribbentrop to Moscow and formulated what became known as the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact, carving up Poland and other parts of Eastern Europe between them. Britain was now neutralized and dare not move. Both the Germans and the Russians in their respective spheres of influence in captured Poland practiced unbelievable barbarity on the Polish people including murder and deportations.
The Russians now held the eastern three-fifths of Poland and the Germans would hold the western two-fifths. Hitler knew of course that once Poland was German occupied territory, the alliance would become an historical footnote, because Hitler’s main goal had always been to conquer Russia for the German lebensraum requirement.
CHAPTER 20
A Team Begins Assembling
The first physician Bruno Nocek came in contact with was Samuel Tepper at work in the Bialystok hospital. Sam listened in rapt attention as a crying Bruno told his horrible story. He developed great empathy for his patient. He likened himself to Bruno who, like Sam, had every motive for revenge; perhaps Bruno had an even greater motive, as Bruno’s entire family had been wiped out. Sam thought to himself: Soon there will be millions of us. You are a fool, Adolph Hitler. How many more of us do you expect to kill before those of us still alive will organize and seek revenge? You are trying to kill us all, you bastard. Well, two can play that game. We’ll see who wins.
At last, Sam said, “Tell, me Mr. Nocek”…
Bruno interrupted. Seeing in Dr. Sam Tepper a very empathetic man, he said, “Please, Dr. Tepper, call me Bruno.”
“Yes, I will, Bruno,” answered Sam. “First, as to your wound; your grandfather of blessed memory saved your life. There’s no doubt about that. You are lucky and he is happy in heaven. I’m sure your grandfather took many bullets meant for you. The one wound that you have on the lower right and back side of your chest cage is clearly a bullet wound that shattered a rib. The bullet must have been fortunately deflected away because I can’t see it on the x-ray. The wound on your chest wall is small, but it is showing signs of an early infection which needs treatment. So, to make a long story short, we’ll have to keep you in the hospital and see how you do. The good news is that whatever small amount of damage was done to your lung should heal well. And there is no evidence of a lung collapse. You are a very lucky man.”