SCHINDLER’S LIST Fear of Russian Front Crowe

Oskar Schindler: The Untold Account of His Life, Wartime Activities, and the True Story Behind the List, by David M. Crowe, Steve Catalano (Editor). 2004

Oskar Schindler a Hero? Not Quite. He Saved Jews in Part to Maintain His Workshop, To Avoid Becoming Superfluous and Sent to the Russian Front

All of the hagiography surrounding Oskar Schindler, as exemplified by the iconic movie Schindler’s List requires a re-examination of all the issues involved. Note that the motives of Polish rescuers, of fugitive Jews, have sometimes been questioned. It has been alleged that they rescued Jews for the money, or that they did it to spite the Germans. So Oskar Schindler should be subject to the same skeptical cynicism.

SCHINDLER PROFITED FROM JEWISH FORCED LABOR

David Crowe’s book is packed with details. It includes seldom-told facts. For instance, Crowe writes, “Nonetheless, Oskar was motivated for business as well as moral reasons…It should be remembered that the use of Jewish labor in Krakow was good business.” (p. 178).

Crowe adds this about Oskar Schindler, “Moreover, his motives were not solely humanitarian. He was a businessman who made a great deal of money during the war and hoped to do so afterwards, hopefully with the Jews who were part of his workforce in Krakow and Brunnlitz.” (p. 268).

AN ULTERIOR MOTIVE FOR SAVING THE JEWISH WORKERS: THE NAZI GERMAN LEADERS AT CRACOW AND PLASZOW FRETTED LOSING THEIR NON-COMBAT POSITIONS IN THE EVENT OF THE LIQUIDATION OF THEIR WORKSHOPS

Crowe comments, “[Amon] Goth, had written to his father after Stalingrad that he was worried about the outcome of the war. And Goth [Goeth] also knew that if Plaszow closed he would probably be sent to the Russian front because the Waffen SS was constantly transferring its officers and men from the camps to the front and replacing them with older or wounded veterans. [Mietek] Pemper also shared this information with Oskar Schindler, who was also in the process of setting up a separate armaments wing at Emalia. Schindler’s efforts would be strongly supported by Goth since Emalia was a subcamp of Plaszow.” (p. 250).

ENTER EMILIE SCHINDLER

In her book, Memoirs, co-authored in Spanish with Rosenberg, Emilie Schindler criticized her late husband, calling him a “selfish coward” who kept his factory open and his Jewish workers alive only because he “feared he would be drafted and sent to the Russian front if he ceased to be an industrialist.”

Despite a careful search, I could not locate this quoted passage in the English-language translation, WHERE LIGHT AND SHADOW MEET. Has it been censored out?

But no matter:

SPARING FORCED LABORERS TO AVOID ENDING UP ON THE RUSSIAN FRONT: MORE EVIDENCE

Emilie’s Schindler’s accusations are supported not only by the statements of author Crowe quoted above, but also by eyewitnesses. Various German officials at Cracow and Plaszow had definitely tried to keep their Jews alive and on location in order to avoid becoming superfluous and there ending up in the Ostheer (Eastern Army), or from other self-serving motives:

See:

The Iron Furnace [pp. 161-162 therein], by George Topas

A Narrow Bridge to Life [p. 5 therein], by Belah Gutterman

The Krakow Ghetto Pharmacy [pp. 102-103, p. 128 therein], by Tadeusz Pankiewicz

Sentenced to Remember [p. 103 therein], by William Kornbluth

(Consult my GoodReads reviews of these books)