Diary of a 12 Year-Old Boy from Alt Blessin [Stary Bleszyn],1945 Feb 1-June 14

Posted by Amy Klemke Uehara on December 8, 2016September 14, 2017

am-bahnhof-002 — Taken in 1943 at Alt Rüdnitz train station. Author was 10 years-old. He and his mother are shown sending his brother off to war.

dav — Alt Rüdnitz (Stara Rudnica) train station, 73 years later. Photo taken by Amy and Mina, August 8, 2016. The author was inspired to share his story upon recognizing this building.

Preface:

We received a letter from a former resident of the Oder River area; the focus of this blog.

As written in the introduction, we are seeking ALL stories in their original about people who lived, live, or descend from the towns on the west and east sides of the Oder/Odra River.

This is the diary of a 12-year-old boy, a child. Starts February 1, 1945. Ends June 14, 1945.

The author of the diary has requested to remain anonymous. No part of the diary has been altered.

He wrote as a witness to the realities of war as it happened to his family in the towns of Guestebiese (Gozdowice),Alt Blessin (Stary Bleszyn), Bad Freienwalde, Eberswalde, Gross-Fredenwalde near Templin, and it is a similar story for other border towns of Alt Rüdnitz, (Stara Rudnica), (Mieskowice) Zäckerick (Siekierki),

Bärwalde (Mieskowice) , Zellin (Czellin), Neu Blessin (no longer exists),

Alt Lietzegöricke(Stara Lysogorki), and so many other towns during the end of the WWII, February, 1945.

* (For German to Polish town name conversions, I refer to Matthias Teichert’s and Mona Houser’s contribution to the Neumark Liste at http://www.genealogienetz.de/reg/BRG/neumark/mct_koen.htm).

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