Germans demand compensation from Poland over war losses (see pictures)

Irish Examiner ^ | 15/12/2006

[lizol]

Germans demand compensation from Poland over war losses

A German group has filed claims against Poland with a European court over property lost in the aftermath of World War II, a member said today.

The Prussian Claims Society, which represents some Germans who were expelled from Poland after the war ended, filed the complaint with the European Court of Human Rights, the society’s deputy leader Gerwald Stanko said.

“Twenty-two individual complaints have gone to the European Court of Human Rights,” Stanko said. He said the aim was to secure either compensation or the return of property.

The Prussian Claims Society has threatened for several years to file restitution claims for property lost when the borders of Germany and Poland were moved westward after World War II.

The threat has weighed on relations between Warsaw and Berlin.

The German government has made it clear that it does not support the claims, but the topic is extremely sensitive in Poland, which Nazi Germany invaded in 1939 at the start of World War II and subjected to a brutal occupation.

The German government had no immediate response to the group’s move.

[Lonesome in Massachussets]

I see where in a recent poll [no pun intended] Cupernick was voted one of the 50 most important Germans in history, even though the grandparents of today's Germans considered his descendants to be Untermenschen. (Though a canon of the Cathedral at Frombork - or is Frauenberg? - he did have descendants by his housekeeper, much to the chagrin of his bishop.)

Point is, as Henry Ford pointed out, history is more or less bunk. Nursing historical grievances does not serve anyone in the long run. We conservatives cling to the outmoded and abhorrent policy of treating people as individuals rather than the personification of ethnic, sexual or racial stereotypes.

That individual Germans suffered terribly and unjustly as a result of the War is beyond dispute. On average, no group suffered more as a result of the War than Poles, with the exception of European Jews.

Seeking redress for the wrongs of World War II is certainly not a can of worms that the Germans want to open, I assume.

[sageb1]

bookmark

[doc1019]

And a lot of chutzpa!

[kronos77]

Great, they attack you and destroy your country, now they want you to pay them.

[JasonC]

First, resurrect the 50 million killed in WW II. Then we will arrange to give you a shinny new nickel.

[Leftism is Mentally Deranged]

Looks like Poland should be getting compensation from Germany!

[section9]

Germany demands Compensation from Poland?

Uh oh.....

Be Seeing You,

Chris

[kronos77]

NEXT:

Bin laden suing USA for war damage!
fantasy? Democrats!

[MelonFarmerJ]

Ramsey Clark might just take that suit.......

[Enterprise]

The Germans will try to pay them off with Deutchmarks.

[Verginius Rufus]

Ironically, the king that Koenigsberg was named for was a Slav (Ottokar the Great of Bohemia). Eastern European history can get very complicated.

[lizol]

those swastika-wielding drunks from last week for Poland.

The fact is, that those "swastika-wielding drunks from last week" were about 17-20 years old idiots. Those who were recognized on the film have been already removed from the "All Poland Youth".

Whereas - as far as I know - Mr Pavelka is still a prominent member of the CDU (or CSU - I don't remember).

And no one cares about what he's doing.

[kronos77]

Well, Germans hade same idea for Serbia. They wanted compensation for properti nationalised by goverment after WWII.
But, "German" is a curse in Serbia and it is offensive if you call someone "German" like, bastard, you know.
Anyway, biggest problem is that germans recruited volountaries in SS from their population in banat, Serbia and they fought partisans IN Yugoslavia, killing their own neoighbours, and
in Serbia they held ratio 100:1

For those that dont know what that is, it is a 100 shot civillians for each killed German soldier and 50 for each wounded.

It didnt stoped us fighting them, nor it stoped them shooting us.

In general we lost 800,000 people.

When they bring back 800,000 dead to life than, we will talk about compensation!

[sobieski]

"netting out" means that each takes care of their side, with the one owes more paying the rest. The reason these folks lost their properties was a) the result of the Germans starting the war; b) the huge loss of life and property the Germans started that the transfer was partial compensation for; c) the result of the Big 4's decisions at Yalta and Potsdam to redraw Europe's borders; d) the agreement of the RFN and DDR to the new borders and order e) the agreement of the Warsaw Pact Communist parties to the new borders and transfers of populations

The Polish Republic's fault and liability is very small; these malcontents - who unless were dissidents/partisans- have varying degrees of personal responsibility as well.

[1rudeboy]

I'm not taking a position on this issue, merely observing that the concept of "repatriating" property (of any kind) involved in any sort of larger armed conflict, etc., is a well-established area of law.

[Grzegorz 246]

"Well, Germans hade same idea for Serbia. They wanted compensation for properti nationalised by goverment after WWII."

Do you have any source in English about that ?

[sobieski]

Yes. But since the cause of their loss was the German government, and since German liability remains unpaid, why is it that these Prussians are suing the Poles and not the Germans? The German authorities won't net it off, since it would open such a huge liability for themselves. That's the issue.

[68skylark]

...sheer chutzpah.

I think those two words are a good summation of this ridiculous claim.