This is the same kind of thing. The Poles, who after the Jews probably suffered more than any group during WW2, are suddenly, conveniently found to have been "the bad guys" after all. Was there antisemitism and collaboration in Poland? Absolutely, just as some members of the German army committed war crimes. But not at all to the level that is suddenly the dernier cri to claim.
“the allies found that the Wehrmacht was largely innocent of war crimes”............................ Hmmmmm? Maybe not the mass murders, but I am sure they killed Jews, because a lot of the Russian partisans and their supporters were Jewish. The Wehrmacht had anti partisan units that were made up of volunteers from Belorussia, Ukraine, Latvia,Estonia, and Lithuania. (I’m sure the SS had them too,for other than anti partisan units.) Most eastern volunteers were deployed to protect the lines of communications, hence the anti partisan units. (Yeah, they probably also had a few disgruntled Cossacks in Wehrmacht uniforms.)
This is the same kind of thing. The Poles, who after the Jews probably suffered more than any group during WW2, are suddenly, conveniently found to have been "the bad guys" after all. Was there antisemitism and collaboration in Poland? Absolutely, just as some members of the German army committed war crimes. But not at all to the level that is suddenly the dernier cri to claim.
This isn't suddenly. Jews were speaking of Polish collusion and antisemitic violence from 1945 onwards. Poland never colluded. Polish citizens, including some resistance members, did collude by selling out or simply selling Jews to the Nazis. In some occasions Jewish partisans were captured and sold to the Ukrainian militia by Polish partisans. My father had first hand experience. Actually others did, he was the only one to survive. Many Polish partisans considered Jews to be as much an enemy as Nazis and Soviets. Other Poles hated the Nazis, but sold Jews out to settle old feuds. Others simply stole the property of Jews, who were rounded up by the Nazis. And thousands of Jews were murdered from 1944-46 by Poles as they returned to their homes. At the same time, 750,000 ethnic Poles were killed in the Holocaust and up to 100,000 Jews survived with the help of Poles. Thousands of the Poles killed by the Nazis were sent to concentration camps for helping Jews. The picture is complex. I consider the term "Polish concentration camp" to be so misleading as to border on Holocaust denial. But it is a mistake to downplay the effects of Polish antisemitism.
“But not at all to the level that is suddenly the dernier cri to claim. “ — exactly. And actually the one group that suffered more than Jews were gypsies who were treated worse (boggles the mind, right?) in Auschwizt.