Kresy Siberia Group

Updated May 29, 2004.

Click on a subject below to view a list of weblinks.
Websites in Polish are marked with a flag.
French links indicated by a flag.
Sites about books have the icon.
The icon indicates film and documentary links.

About Showings of A Forgotten Odyssey
The Deportations to Siberia
Soviet labor camps & GULAGS
Katyn
The Middle East – Persia (Iran), Iraq, Palestine and Egypt
Poland in World War 2 - General
Polish Forces in World War 2
Polish exiles in Africa, India, New Zealand, Australia and Mexico
Polish History - General
Maps
The Kresy
Archive Resources
Genealogical Resources
Associations and Groups
Miscellaneous

About Showings of A Forgotten Odyssey

• Photos and write-up about the screening in Toronto May 29, 2002
  
• Photo from the screening in St. Clair Shores, Michigan September 21, 2002
  
• Forgotten Truths of the Polish Refugees
  Article by John Roy-Wojciechowski to accompany the showing in Russell, New Zealand



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The Deportations to Siberia

• The Polish Diaspora Project
  This is the website for an oral history project where Polish Displaced Persons and ex-Servicemen and Women from all over the world tell their stories. Members and students of the Polish Diaspora are invited to become involved by sharing their experiences and documents. Indeed, it is very gratifying to receive encouragement from those interested in Polish history, regardless of where they live, be it the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada or Australia. This move towards global collaboration will be enhanced by the digitization of the data, resulting in global access to the records.
  
• Polish-Soviet WW 2 claims and testimony
  about the Rippentrop-Molotov agreement to divide Poland in 1939, useful links on the deportations, and info on the initiative to see up a Fund for Polish Victims of Soviet Crimes of Genocide and Deportations in WW 2.
  
• Deportation, 'Amnesty', and the Polish Diaspora
  Lecture by Prof. Tadeusz Piotrowski for the Polish-Canadian publication 'Miedzy Nami'.
  
• Land of Darkness
  deportation article by the Polish Humanitarian Society in Canada. Includes details of their ongoing work to help those Poles left behind (in Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania) after Stalin's armistice. Society's contact details given.
  
• The General Langfitt Story: Polish Refugees Recount Their Experiences of Exile, Dispersal and Resettlement
  story (and photos) made available by the Australian Department of Immigration & Multicultural & Indigenous Affairs.
  
• Kolyma (Siberia) - the Land of Gold and Death
  detailed autobiography by Polish soldier and survivor of kolyma, Stanislaw J. Kowalski. Link is currently being updated..
  
• White Auschwitz of Kolyma
  a second (shorter) account of Kolyma by Stanislaw J. Kowalski.
  
• The History of the Czapski family
  has useful articles about the deportations, on the Association of Former Pupils of Polish Schools, about reunions of Sibiraki, and a list of links to other sites.
  
• Poland's Holocaust - A Family Chronicle of Soviet and Nazi Terror
  the memoirs of Janina Sulkowska-Gladun.
  
• Without Vodka: Adventures in Wartime Russia
  the memoirs of Alexander Topolski - including review of book, listing of names and places, photos, and contact details.
  
• Pictures from Siberia from the life of a Polish Soldier after September 1939
  The family of Zbigniew Ireneusz Wajszczuk recounts his experiences as a survivor of the deportations through photos and maps.
  
• Tales of the Deported - My life in exile 1939-1946
  the online memoirs of Danuta Gradosielska (nee Maczka).
  
• A Siberian Diary
  the online memoirs of Zygmunt Frankel.
  
• By cattle truck into slavery
  the online memoirs of Feliks Chustecki.
  
• Trying to get enough to eat
  the online memoirs of Romuald Lipinski - including contact details.
  
• Pologne - Sibérie 1941; on frappe a la porte - Romuald Lipinski (1)
  the online memoirs of Romuald Lipinski for 'Timewitness'.
  
• Le voyage en Sibérie - Romuald Lipinski (2)
  the online memoirs of Romuald Lipinski for 'Timewitness'.
  
• Essayer de manger a sa faim - Romuald Lipinski (3)
  the online memoirs of Romuald Lipinski for 'Timewitness'.
  
• Le bain - Romuald Lipinski (4)
  the online memoirs of Romuald Lipinski for 'Timewitness'.
  
• Poland - Siberia 1941; the knock on the door - Romuald Lipinski (1)
  the online memoirs of Romuald Lipinski for 'Timewitness'.
  
• The journey to Siberia - Romuald Lipinski (2)
  the online memoirs of Romuald Lipinski for 'Timewitness'.
  
• Trying to get enough to eat - Romuald Lipinski (3)
  the online memoirs of Romuald Lipinski for 'Timewitness'.
  
• The Bath - Romuald Lipinski (4)
  the online memoirs of Romuald Lipinski for 'Timewitness'.
  
• Rescued from Death in Siberia - survivors of the deportations tell their story
  "Documentary film produced by Michael Adamski"
  
• Kolyma - Winner of both the Berlin and Amsterdam Documentary Film Festivals
  - online ordering through Amazon
  
• Janek, a story of survival
  review of the book by Alick Dowling.
  
• Death by a Thousand Cuts - (1)
  Zofia Ptasnik's diary of deportation, forced labour, and death in Kazakhstan: April 13, 1940-May 26, 1941. As published in three instalments by the Sarmatian Review .
  
• Death by a Thousand Cuts - (2)
  Zofia Ptasnik's diary of deportation, forced labour, and death in Kazakhstan: April 13, 1940-May 26, 1941. As published in three instalments by the Sarmatian Review .
  
• Death by a Thousand Cuts - (3)
  Zofia Ptasnik's diary of deportation, forced labour, and death in Kazakhstan: April 13, 1940-May 26, 1941. As published in three instalments by the Sarmatian Review .
  
• Straws in the Wind
  about the autobiography by Eugene Krajewski - including info about the author and his journey, and online ordering.
  
• Shallow Graves in Siberia: One man's dramatic escape from the Siberian labour camps
  about the book written by Michael Krupa.
  
• And God Was Our Witness - a survivor's memoirs
  about the book by Alicja (Moskaluk) Edwards - including intro from author, synopsis and order details.
  
• BLANK PAGES - The Soviet Genocide against the Polish People
  review of book by G.C. Malcher with publisher details.
  
• Polish deportees in the Soviet Union
  excerpts from book by Michael Hope.
  
• The Horror Trains: A Polish Woman Veteran's Memoir of World War II
  review of book by Wanda E. Pomykalski.
  
• The Horror Trains: A Polish Woman Veteran's Memoir of World War II
  order book by Wanda E. Pomykalski at Amazon
  
• Stolen Childhood: A Saga of Polish War Children
  review of book by Fr. Lucjan Królikowski - online ordering available.
  
• The Brief Sun - a novel
  In his beautifully crafted book "The Brief Sun" Robert Ambros tells the
  story of 16 year old Andrzej and his companions in a Norther Siberian
  labor camp in 1941, and beyond.
  - online ordering available.
  
• Six Years 'Til Spring - A Polish Family's Odyssey
  review of autobiograph yby Teresa Mikosz-Hreview of historical novel by Robert Aintzke - online ordering available.
  
• Stalin's Ethnic Cleansing of Eastern Poland
  home site of the book containing tales of the deported 1940-46 - online ordering available.
  
• September 17, 1939 - The Soviet aggression on Poland
  a virtual photo exhibition.
  
• Articles on the deportations to Siberia
  by Dr Stanislaw Ciesielski.
  
• Na Czerwonym Szlaku (On the Red Trail)
  the memoirs of Stanislaw J. Kowalski.
  
• Polish children Beg for Help in 1942
  Petition to General Wielikowski at the Polish War Mission from Polish citizens Alfreda Borowska and
  Lidia Fiedorówna
  
• Freed od Kartofle do Kartoszki
  The deportation story of Eugenia Lipinska Stankiewicz
  
• The Siberic Gehenna:  Travails of the Poplewski Family
  

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Soviet labor camps & GULAGS

• GULAG website: Labor in the USSR is a Matter of Honor, Courage, and Heroism
  a substantial list of weblinks relating to the subject.
  
• The GULAG collection - Images of the camps by Nikolai Getman
  website belonging to The Jamestown Foundation, Washington.
  
• The NKVD - Soviet secret police
  website of information about the crimes and victims of the NKVD - still in part under construction.
  
• Mieczyslaw Rymaszewski - his deportation and experience in Siberia
  memoirs and information regarding the experiences of Witold and Mieczyslaw Rymaszewski
  

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Katyn

• Katedra Polowa
  Interesting items about Katyn, including access to several thousand names entered in the memory records and "Bialoruska lista Katynska" with the names of all KOP (Border Patrol) officers/ members murdered in 1940.
  
• Katyn - Family Stories
  moving accounts by relatives of men arrested and put to death in the Katyn forest.
  
• Katyn - The Forest Massacre
  includes history, maps, useful weblinks, and photographs.
  
• Katyn Remembered
  facts about the 1940 execution of Polish officers and POWs in the USSR, and the 1980 inauguration of the Katyn Memorial in Toronto, Canada. Documentary by MDA Video Productions - online ordering available.
  
• The Lost 10,000 A September 1979 article by Louis FitzGibbon.
  
• Katyn Memorial Wall
  Includes background, copy of Stalin's order, and Memorial Wall of names of the murdered
  
• Final Report of The Select Committee to Conduct an Investigation and Study of the Facts, Evidence and Circumstances on the Katyn Forest Massacre of the United States House of Representatives
  Link to the Final Report of the Select Committee to Conduct an Investigation and Study of the Facts, Evidence and Circumstances on the Katyn Forest Massacre of the United States House of Representatives (December 22, 1952): This report is 54 pages in pdf form. The entire report is over 2,000 pages long and not on-line.
  

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The Middle East – Persia (Iran), Iraq, Palestine and Egypt

• Short video of the Polish Cemetary in Tehran
  Short video of the Polish Cemetary in Tehran by Michael Kruszewski. Shows the entrance, the monument and the general appearance of the cemetery. Narrated.
  
• For the Life of a Child
  History of Filipina Stadnicka in Tehran, a Polish survivor of the gulags
  
• Tales of the Persian Corridor
  Documentary on the story of American servicemen, Soviet officers and civilians who played a crucial role in supplying the Soviet Union with badly-needed military equipment via Iran during World War II.
  
• Bridge to Victory in Iran
  An excerpt from "On Borrowed Wings" by Robert D. Burgener on the activities of the Allied forces in Iran during World War II.
  

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Poland in World War 2 - General

• Poland In Exile
  This web site is dedicated to the men and women who left Poland to fight against the Nazis and Russian Communism in the 1939 - 1945 War. Includes information on the Polish Airforce, Polish Army, Polish Resettlement, The Warsaw Rising, The Home Army, Blackpool 1940, Enigma and other stories.
  
• Nazi-Soviet carve-up of Poland
  The Avalon Project at the Yale Law School.
  
• Warsaw Uprising
  This site is dedicated to all those who fought for their freedom in the Warsaw Uprising of 1944 as well as all those who, as civilians, perished in the effort.
  
• The Poles - Victims of the Nazi Era
  this webpage was originally published by the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum as a pamphlet titled 'POLES'. Briefly covers invasion, occupation, kidnapping of children, forced labour camps and Polish resistance. Includes a bibliography.
  
• Poland and World War II 1939-1945
  a philatelic site by Roman Skulski that chronologically charts Poland's fate during WWII whilst relating events to the stamps that were printed at the time - includes detailed images of each stamp.
  
• The Nazi Occupation of Poland
  EyeWitness - history through the eyes of those who lived it
  
• Poland In World War Two
  The "Statistics" page contains a breakdown of the Kresy Population according to the 1931 census and a few basic stats on the Second Corps.
  The "Soviet Occupation of Poland, 1939" page contains the entire transcript of the booklet of the same name.
  
• Nazi-Soviet "Non-Aggression" Treaty
  On 23 August 1939, Ribbentrop and Molotov signed the Nazi-Soviet "Non-Aggression" Treaty as a prelude to invading Poland. This site provides a summary of the conditions around this treaty.
  
• Nazi-Soviet "Non-Aggression" Treaty
  The text of the Nazi-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact including the unpublished secret additional protocol relating to Poland
  
• Nazi-Soviet "Non-Aggression" Treaty
  Another site which provides the text of the Nazi-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact including the unpublished secret additional protocol relating to Poland
  
• Genocide of the Poles in the Kresy Region
  This website, in Polish and English, describes the 1943-44 murderous ethnic cleansing of the Polish population in the eastern borderlands of the Lwow, Tarnopol, Wolyn and Stanislawow voivodeships by Ukrainian nationalists whilst under Nazi German occupation. Some maps and a searchable database are included.
  WARNING - contains graphic images which may be highly upsetting.
  

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Polish Forces in World War 2

• Le Marche Regions Photos
  A complete set of 7727 images from Le Marche region {Ancona} which are held in the Sikorski Museum in London.
  
• Virtuti Militari Recipients
  Provides information about VM recipients - Surname, Name, Rank, Division, Badge Class and Dates. To access the list follow the menu on the left side of the page to where it says Dodatki,under that heading you then see Virtuti Militari. This links to a letter index of the VM recipients Surnames. WARNING - Other parts of this website contain graphic images which may be highly upsetting.
  
• Anders' Army: The Eagles in Exile
  includes history, photos, bibliography, and general background information about WW 2. Click on the link at the bottom of the page.
  
• The Battle of Monte Cassino
  history, maps, and photos for all four battles - in process of building an online database listing all Cassino veterans, their rank and medals received.
  
• The Polish Air Force units of World War 2
  substantial list of weblinks and resources about the Polish Air Force.
  
• Scotland and Poland
  site dedicated to providing information about Polonica and the Polish Armed Forces in Scotland. Also includes information about war graves.
  
• The London Allied Victory Parade - June 8, 1946
  how the 'Poles are not invited' - article by Rudolf Falkowski.
  
• The dilemma facing the Polish Armed Forces at the end of WW 2
  the thesis of Dr Mark Ostrowski - broken down into chapters.
  
• The 12th Podolian Lancers
  re-enactment group.
  
• The 1st Polish Independent Parachute Brigade
  re-enactment group.
  
• Armia Krajowa - Polish Resistance in WW 2 - La Résistance Polonaise
  historical site in Polish, English and French.
  
• Memorial page for 2 Corps
  by veteran Jan Stanislaw Bartoszek (Argentina)
  
• The German-Soviet Invasion of Poland (Napad Niemiecko-Sowiecki na Polske, Wrzesien 1939)
  recounts the background to WWII and Poland's struggle to fight her aggressors on two fronts. Includes archival footage. Documentary by MDA Video Productions - online ordering available.
  
• The Polish Government and Army in the West - For Our Freedom and Yours (Rzad R.P. i Polskie Sily Zbrojne na Zachodzie - Za Nasza i Wasza Wolnosc)
  recounts the fate of Poland and her army during the years 1939 - 1947. English version avialable soon. Documentary by MDA Video Productions - online ordering available.
  
• The Long March to Freedom - The History of Poland's Home Army and the Tragedy of the Warsaw Uprising (Dlugi Marsz do Wolnosci - Dzieje A.K. i Tragedia Powstania)
  documentary including first hand accounts from A.K. soldiers. Documentary by MDA Video Productions - online ordering available.
  
• Information brochure about the 'School of Junior Volunteers' (Szkola Mlodszych Ochotniczek)
  Scanned document on the website of Zbigniew Ireneusz Wajszczuk - a survivor of the deportations and a Polish soldier.
  
• Polish War Cemetaries
  Military cemeteries of the 1 Polish Armoured Division fighting in Western Europe
  
• Polish Armed Forces in Exile
  
• Polskie Dziala--Polish Cannons
  Historical and previously unpublished song lyrics and melody, written about the epic battle for Monte Cassino
  
• List of Polish Soldiers Buried at Monte Cassino
  
• Poles in the Norwegian campaign of 1940
  
• Polish Veterans
  
• 10th Dragoons, Polish 1st Armored Division
  A page about the history of the 10th dragoons by Matt Maciolek. Includes their history, pictures and Polish commands and dictionary.
  
• 1st Polish Armoured Division
  A page by David Ryan and Stuart Groombridge including a summary in Polish and English of the operational history and order of battle.
  
• The Polish Soldier
  This site is dedicated to remembering the Polish Army in the East and those who fought for the Allies in Italy (2nd corps). Although much information is available in Polish, this webmaster is working on making information available to the English reader.
  
• Casualties in the Netherlands
  A site which lists the names of those who fell in the Netherlands during battles (includes dates, battalions and burial site where available)
  

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Polish exiles in Africa, India, New Zealand, Australia and Mexico

• The Iranian
  general history of Iran, about World War 2, and about the Polish refugees.
  
• Colonia Santa Rosa .
  about the Santa Rosa community of Poles.
  
• The Invited The story of 733 Polish children who grew up in New Zealand
  about the book by Krystyna Skwarko (in Polish and English).
  
• Terra Nova - a land of milk and honey
  celebrating Polish immigration and settlement in Australia after the war.
  
• Kindergarten Group at NZ Polish Refugee Camp
  Photo of Kindergarten group at a Polish refugee camp, Pahiatua, New Zealand, 7 February 1945 (Photographer: John Dobree Pascoe, 1908–1972)
  
• Polish Children's Home Oudtshoorn, South Africa 1942-1947
  History and roster of names of the 500 Polish children sent to an orphanage in the Union of South Africa,
  where they remained until after the conclusion of the Second World War.
  
• The Forgotten Polish Exodus to Siberia and Persia
  article by Anwar Faruqi for washingtonpost.com.
  
• Names of Polish children refugees in Lebanon, Africa, India, New Zealand, Australia, and Mexico
  
• The Association of Poles in India 1942-1948

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Polish History - General

• An overview of early Polish history between the years, 623-1194
  includes bibliography.
  
• The Polish-Russian War and the Fight for Polish Independence, 1918-1921
  A historical background of the Soviet-Polish war after World War 1 that set the eastern border - includes references and bibliography.
  
• The Sarmatian Review - a triannual publication of the Polish Institute of Houston
  a scholarly journal on the history, culture, and society of Central and Eastern Europe, with strong attention to Poland, the post-Soviet period, and American emigration and ethnic issues.
  
• Jozef Pilsudski and the Second Polish Republic (Jozef Pilsudski i Druga Rzeczpospolita)
  montage of archival footage about Poland from 1905 up until the outbreak of WWII, focussing on the role played by Jozef Pilsudski. Documentary by MDA Video Productions - online ordering available.
  
• A Brief History of Poland in the last 200 years
  Changes in boundaries and reasons why, from 1772 to 1945
  
• Maps and Polish History from the 9th century to the present
  A brief description with maps of the history of Poland.

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Maps

• Mapster - Archival Maps of Poland
  MAPSTER is an uniform framework that integrates cartographic collections published in several web pages. This link is to the "Mapa Taktyczna Polski 1:100 000"
  Mapster search page This link is to the search page for towns.
  
• Archival Maps of Poland 1919-1939
  These topographical maps are from the Polish Military Geographical Institute. They were rated amongs the best in the world.
  
• Shtetlseeker town locator
  search towns in Central and Eastern Europe, to display latitude and longitude for each location, as well as location on an interactive map.
  
• Detailed map of the Ukraine online
  Ukraine is broken into regions, and these into areas surrounding major towns. Place names appear in English, Polish and Ukrainian
  
• Map of Poland 1921-1939
  
• Ordering detailed Pre-war maps of Poland, including the Kresy
  
• Ordering high quality maps of the USSR from the former Soviet General Staff
  
• An interactive map of Poland (with search)
  
• A pre-war map of Lwow
  
• Maps of each province of pre-war Poland
  This site in Polish provides a map on Poland which links to the maps of the provinces.
  

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The Kresy

• The Kresy - website by Paul Havers includes history of the Kresy, geography, maps, photographs, useful links page and personal accounts of deportees
  
• Jazlowiec (Kresy II RP) - the Town Lost in History
  
• Genocide committed by Ukranian Nationalists on the Polish population of Volhynia (Wolyn) during World War II (1939-1945)
  includes statistics, photographs and first-hand accounts. Based on the work by work by Wladyslaw Siemaszko and Ewa Siemaszko. In English and Polish.
  
• The Kresy quarterly magazine (published in London) - covers all aspects of the Kresy
  
• The Voice of the Podole - an independent, regional site about the history, culture, literature and religious beliefs of the Podole hen and now
  
• Wolyn - a history then and now
  
• The City of Lwów - a history then and now
  
• Poles Murdered in Kresy by UPA Ukrainian nationalists 1942-1947
  List compiled by the Polish Eastern Association (Polski Zwiazek Wschodni) in Przemysl
  
• Wolyn Naszych Przodkow - The Wolyn of our Ancestors
  This site in Polish includes over 500 photographs categorized by region.

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Archive Resources

• The Hoover Institution - Polish Wartime Archives
  
• The Hoover Institution - Search Aids
  
• The Hoover Institution - Katyn materials
  
• The Jozef Pilsudski Institute of America (New York City)
  
• The Electronic Museum - The Santa Rosa Polish refugee colony, Mexico
  
• The Electronic Museum - Soviet Deportations of Polish Nationals
  
• The Hoover Institution - Selected Deportation Images
  
• The KARTA organisation - Names of Poles Repressed by the Soviet Union
  
• Pankiewicz Papers
  Papers of Milwaukee journalist and real estate agent, who was also active in the Polish National Alliance and in the resettlement of World War II refugees
  
• Records of the Intergovernmental Committee on Refugees
  Finding aid to records in the US Department of State, of the Intergovernmental Committee on Refugees
  
• Archival Sources for the Study of Polish Canadians
  Based on Myron Momryk's “Archival Sources For The Study Of Polish Canadians”
  
• American Relief for Poland- Archives
  Finding aid to records, 1929-1968, of the Philadelphia Chapter of American Relief for Poland. Consist of correspondence, minutes, financial records, and other materials relating to the chapter's aid to Poland, Polish refugees, and Polish prisoners of war, particularly during World War II.
  

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Genealogical Resources

• The UK National Archives
  
• The Polish Roots website
  
• The Federation of Eastern European Family History Societies
  
• On-line Lwow Phone Directory (in Ukrainian)
  

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Associations and Groups

• The Association of Poles in India 1942-1948
  
• The Reunion of Jewish members of Anders Army
  
• The Siberian Exiles Association (Lodz)
  
• The Siberian Exiles Association (Wroclaw)
  
• The New Zealand Chapter of the Association of Deportees to Siberia
  

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Miscellaneous

• Centre for Holocaust and Genocide Studies
  
• Polish Medals and Militaria
  
• The Message of Pope John Paul II for the 1996 Fiftieth Anniversary of Monte Cassino
  
• The Monument to the Slain Polish Populace of the Kresy Regions in Wroclaw
  
• The Monument to the Poles Exiled to Siberia in Wroclaw
  
• The Monument to General Wladyslaw Anders in the 'American Czestochowa' (Doylestown, Pennsylvania, USA)
  
• Polish memorial in Portsmouth
  
• British Pathe film archives available on-line - including many about Poland in WW 2
  
• Travel to the Ukraine
  Ukraine travel tips bulletin board.
  
• SYBIRAK magazine
  
• Northwick Park Polish DP Camp
  A History of Northwick Park Polish Displaced Persons Camp. Includes a map and information about camp life and traditions.
  
• The Polish Spirit
  Web Resource for all interested in exploring general Polish issues, but especially for material
  relating to the deportations during World War II

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© 2008 Kresy-Siberia Group