Patryk Jaki, a Polish MEP presented a new video showing the history of the Wola Massacre, one of the largest crimes against the Polish population during WWII.

Thursday marks 77th anniversary of Wola Massacre

see more

“The Germans did not fight an enemy here. Street by street, house by house, they murdered entire families, women, children and the elderly with extreme cruelty. houses full of residents were set on fire. Grenades were thrown into the sellars where the women were hiding,” the video lecturer says. The whole production is complemented by moving video footage from the Warsaw Uprising battles in the background and shots from today’s Warsaw.

“As part of the ECR [European Conservatives and Reformists] party, we have prepared an information campaign to disseminate knowledge about the Wola Massacre in the European Union,” Mr Jaki said. He posted the video on his YouTube channel, it can be viewed in English and Polish.

The politician added that the website www.rzezwoli.pl and its English-language counterpart www.thewolamassacre.com were created as part of the project.

“Today we present a film, also a newsletter is being created which we will distribute it in the European Parliament. The video and website will be promoted in most EU countries. It is time for the world to remember!,” Patryk Jaki wrote on his social media.

The Wola Massacre is considered to have been one of the largest crimes against the Polish population during WWII. Within three days, from August 5 to 7, German troops killed an estimated 40,000 to 60,000 people in Wola and the adjacent Ochota districts. Many of the murderers got away with their atrocities, among them, Heinz Reinefarth, the commander of the SS assault group directly responsible for the massacre.

Initially, his troops killed civilians in flats, basements and on the streets. German soldiers also set fire to multiple buildings and shot those who tried to escape the flames. Later they changed their tactics, civilians were gathered at several locations and murdered there.

After the war, Heinz Reinefart was elected mayor of the Westerland municipality in Germany in 1951 and denied his Nazi affiliations.