Dov Bar's Volchin - World War II

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Dov Bar's Volchin

World War II
World War II commenced with a Nazi invasion of Poland on 1 September 1939. The Germans drove rapidly east and briefly occupied Volchin, before turning over control to the Soviets, their allies under the Molotov--Ribbentrop Pact. The Soviets occupied Volchin and conscripted locals for service in the Red Army.

The German-Soviet alliance was disolved by the Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union, Operation Barbarossa, in June of 1941. This led to a second German occupation of Volchin and set the scene for the horrific murder of the Jews of Volchin.

Editor's Notes: The brief outline above is intended only as the barest minimum context for Dov's family recollections of WWII in Volchin. Note that Dov's story includes nothing about the transition from the Soviets to the second German occupation. We don't know from Dov how the Germans initially treated the Volchin Jews this second time, nor how their mistreatment escalated to mass murder. Were the Volchiners lulled by mostly benign treatment in WW I and during the first German occupation of WWII? Or, were they simply in shock, unable to look beyond the current moment?

Page Last Updated: 02-Nov-2011