That is to the everlasting shame of those individuals who collaborated. It detracts nothing from the majestic history of Poland, nor from their friendship and support for America at our own times of need, in the Revolution and now.
Don't forget that they also had one of the largest, least-assimilated, and most conspicuously traditional Jewish populations going into the war, and that they were occupied longer than any other country during the war. And as I mentioned, great numbers of them fought side by side with us, especially in the Royal Air Force.
-ccm
Along with a whole lot of Polish Christians.
Who "they"? What are you talking about? There were colaborators among every occupied nation (including Jewish colaborators). Most of Jews in Poland were conspicuous since many of them did not speak Polish well (they spoke Jiddish and went to Jewish schools), those who were assimilated still could be recognised by dark hair or faces (Nazis were very attentitive to the racial features), and those with Slavic look and fluent Polish also could be picked - everyone's personal ID was randomly checked on the street. Poles who were hiding Jews if caught were sentenced to death or concentration came together with their family.
I will give you one story to give you taste of occupation told to me by my father: German military policy was doing random "lapanki" - "catchings" - blocking a street at two ends and packing everyone to tracks to send to the camps (only those with special ID proving they are needed for economy were released) - everyone in Poland knows until this day about lapanki. So what my father told me what he witnessed one time Germans did lapanka, but instead of packing everyone they put people to the wall and ordered everyone to pray Hail Mary continuously. German policemen were walking along slowly and listening - those who did not know prayer were taking for examination since they were not Catholic Poles.
90% of the Jews in Poland were killed in the holocaust. That's a higher percentage than any other European country.
Percentages are not certain - but the fact is that majority of Jews lived in Poland since it was the country most hospitable to them, even Russian Jews come from the formerly Polish territories of Western Ukraine and Bielorus. The reason why Germans were freerer to operate in Poland was that Poland was a defeated country deprived of rights and autonomy. Hungary, Italy or Romania were allies and had more leverage. Even defeated countries of France, Denmark or Netherlands were treated better and had more rights (for politcial or racial reasons). Poland was the first nation to challenge and resist Germans in the battlefield (Serbs and Greeks were the second) and kept resisting through armed underground on a large scale (Warsaw was destroyed as a result of mass uprising). This is why the occupation was harsher there and that is why so many ethnic Poles died.
Go tell your lies somewhere else.