Mr. Jankowski's 2nd letter

A few weeks ago I was contacted by a reader, James in Australia, who had purchased another letter by Mr. Jankowski. He offered photos of it to me to translate. I was thrilled to get the chance to read it, especially since it was accompanied by the envelope. This has provided me with many more details and information than I ever expected to learn about Jankowski.

Here is a quick translation of the letter, which was originally sent from Leschek Jankowski in Buchenwald to his parents.

December 31, 1944
Dear Father and Mother,
I am writing to tell you that I am healthy and to thank you for the parcel that you sent me. I ask that you not send me any more packets since it is difficult for you. My dear parents I am very happy you’re in good health.

I have hope for our reunion and believe (when it comes) that we will all be happy. Uncle Herbert has sent me letters (a letter?). I understand that Zelda had sent you a letter and made you happy, just at the new year.

I am waiting on letters from Franz, Sofi and Halinka, with each letter I get much happiness. My dear Father and Mother I wish you a New Year with everything good, health and the wish that your youngest son can come to you and give you kisses without end. I greet and kiss you all, your dearest (garbled by the censor’s stamp)
Post card from Franz I received with this.
Loving Greetings, Leschek

My initial reaction was surprise that nearly a year after the first letter was written, he was still alive and at Buchenwald. I then focused on the envelope’s address and what more I could learn from it.

His parents were Marianne Elsner born 1874 and Josef Jankowski born 1871. They married in 1894 in the Catholic Parish of Dziewierzewo. Leschek was their youngest son, born on November 28, 1911 in Hohensalza. His last address was listed as Jazewska 38 in Hohensalza. Hohensalza, (now called Inowrocław) was in the county of Hohensalza in Prussia in the province of Posen (which is now Poland). The area of Hohensalza had a predominate population of Catholics, though there were some Protestants and a small minority of Jews. 36% of the citizens were German speakers, 64% Polish speakers in the 1930’s.

Leschek was first imprisoned in Dachau where his prisoner number was 35 777 then he was transferred to Buchenwald where he was issued a new number and held until he was liberated April 11, 1945. In 1944 his parents were still living in Hohensalza.

This new information seems to confirm my initial thought that he was a Catholic Pole and an ethnic German. Much like some people in the US today are culturally Mexican (or any other ethnic group) but are US citizens.

Based on my research he would have been housed in the so-called Tent Camp that was constructed for the Polish soldiers who arrived when he did in September of 1939.

He may have been involved in the Battle of Bzura with the 26th Infantry Division or in a reserve division of the Poznan Army. He was probably captured then or in it’s immediate aftermath. This fits the date of his arrest and the general area where he was arrested in Pila (Schneidemühl in German)

We know his wife was Halinka or Zorinka and their daughter was Sofi. He had an Uncle Herbert and he mentions Franz and Zelda and Heinrich and Forenski.
He had an aunt and an older brother, (who could have been named Franz or Heinrich).

As much more information as I have gained, I’m still curious to know what happened to him. How did he manage to live in Buchenwald for 6 years? What did he do to survive? Many people died in the weeks and months after being liberated from disease and malnourishment. Since he was a soldier, and not Jewish, I expect he may have gotten treated better (more food perhaps) than some inmates. Certainly he would have tried to return to Hohensalza after liberation since his parents, wife and child were there.

Again, I invite anyone with a letter from Leschek Jankowski or any of his relatives who may have more information about his fate to contact me. I’m grateful to James for reaching out to me and sharing this second letter.

Photo of a Polish Political Prisoner patch which was worn in concentration camps to indicate the prisoner's status from warrelics.eu from the Polish Forced Labor Collection forum posted by 4thskorpion

A Voice from the Past - Mr. Jankowski's Letter

A few weeks ago I was given the opportunity to translate a letter from German into English. I always appreciate the chance to exercise my translation muscle so I accepted the task, but not without some anxiety as it was letter from a prisoner at Buchenwald concentration camp to his wife. I was concerned that I might not able able to do it justice, but felt it was important to give it a go.

It was shared with me by the letter's owner, someone who purchased it from a collector of such items with the request to translate, out of curiosity as to it's content. I have found this to be a remarkable opportunity to engage with history in a visceral and concrete way and I felt that sharing this (with the owner's permission) would be a good way to shed light for students of history and genealogy. Perhaps this person's remaining family members may even find it one day.

Here is the translation of the letter into English and my transcription of it in German below that, from Jankowski's handwriting in German. In this translation I have tried to convey the language of the letter as best I can in the hope that it is less of a transliteration and more a representation of a note to a family member.

Letter from Prisoner in Protective Custody, Leschek Jankowski
in Concentration Camp Weimar-Buchenwald
dated January 3, 1943

Dear Sofi and Zorinka,
I received your parcel with heartfelt thanks. It is hard to express my deepest appreciation and I can't describe how grateful I am.

In spite of this dear Zorinka, I ask you to please not send me any parcels.

I can understand your situation but you should not waste a single minute to send them to me, because it's really not important.

Tell Aunt and Uncle that I have also received their package and it's contents with deep appreciation.

Dear Zori! On the occasion of your birthday, I send you all my best and good wishes. I want you to stay healthy so that one day we will see each other again and then our longing for each other will be at an end. Our darling little daughter should remain the symbol of our deep love.

Happy New Year greetings to all my family and friends. I've received so many letters from you all, but as of now I have received no news from my brothers. Please also send me news of Heinrich and Forenski and send them my greetings. The next letter (I write) I will send to uncle and aunt.
Greetings, kisses and deepest longing, your dear Leschek
________________________________________________________
Here is my best attempt to transcribe his writing, some of the words I had a hard time deciphering the handwriting on. I've written it out as it appears to me, but the words may appear nonsensical to those who know German.

Lieber Sofi und Zorinka,
Sowohl euren brief wie das Pakete habe ich mit herzlichen dank erhalten. Es fallte mir schwere meine grossen Dankbarkeit mehligen aus danek nur zur verheilen, und wie wir geschmackt hat brauche ich wohl nicht zur schildern.

Trotzdem liebe Zorinka, bitte ich Dich nun sie aus keinerlei pakete zu schicken.

Ich kann mich in Eure Lage hineinstellen und Ihr sollt euch nicht von einigen Minute absparen um mir zu schicken denn es ist wirklich nicht notwendig.

Onkel und Tante teile bitte mit das ich ihre Pakete mit inhalt ebenfalls mit grösser dankbarkeit erhalten habe.

Liebe Zusier! Anlasslich deines Geburtstages wie auch des Neuen Jahres meine beste und besondere herzliche grüsse wunsche entgegen mögst Du mir recht lange gesund am Leben erhalten bleiben, auf das wir uns einst wiedersehen und unsere grosse Sehnsucht endlich gestillt werde.

Unser lieber Töchterchen möge weiter das Symbol unsere grossen Liebe bleiben. Herzliche Neujahrswünche sende ich auch meiner ganzen Familie und Bekannten. Soviel Briefe habe ich von Euch schon erhalten, aber bisher habe ich nichts von meinem Brüder keinen Nachrichten.

Bitte schreib mir auch etwas über Heinrich und Forenski die ich alle recht herzlich grüssen lassen. Den nächsten Brief werde ich weiter an Onkel und Tante richten. Verbleibt mir also alle recht herzlich gegrüßt und geküsst im grosser Sehnsucht nach Euch.
Deiner Liebe Leschek
_____________________________________________

This letter prompted some cursory research on my end to try to find more about Mr. Jankowski and the context of his situation. Perhaps with some deeper scholarship and a little luck, his fate might be learned.

Buchenwald was described as a work camp rather than designed purposefully for extermination and some people did survive it, though of course the harsh conditions and enforced labor took its toll on many. A segment of prisoners were indeed brutalized and experimented upon, but I would like to hope that Mr. Jankowski was not one of them.

The facts obvious right away are that he had a wife and young daughter, an aunt and uncle whom he was close and at least two brothers or possibly two friends/colleagues, which he mentions by name. His German seems to be that of a native speaker, but his Polish surname makes me think he could have been an ethnic Pole in Germany. Reichs prisoners were required by law to communicate with their families solely in German so this may have been a dictated letter - the hand-writing may not even been his. Minority rights for Poles in Germany were revoked by in February 1940 and their property was confiscated. Zorinka is a Czech female name, so perhaps his wife was from the Sudentenland. Jankowski is the 13th most popular surname in Poland.

As to his ethnic status, I am unaware if he was a Jew. In October 1942 all of Buchenwald's Jewish prisoners were deported to Auschwitz except for 204 essential workers, yet the chances of him being one of these is slim. Jankowski was a prisoner in "Protective Custody", a catch-all phrase used to incarcerate Jews as well as Social Democrats, Communists, Liberals, Freemasons, Jehovah's Witnesses, clergy who opposed the Nazis, members of national opposition movements, non-Germans in general after Germany began to occupy Europe, and any others whose behavior -- real or perceived -- could be interpreted as politically motivated opposition.

He doesn't mention Christmas, which would have been a few weeks prior to the letter being written. It's absence could indicate his religion as Jewish -- or not. Perhaps the New Year could have been reason enough for him to receive packages from family. It is unclear.

I think the best chance of learning more about him would be to access the records of Buchenwald since his Prisoner number 7073 and cellblock 38D, are both clearly listed on his letter. Perhaps other records would indicate his ethnicity.

The printed section on the stationary are instructions to the prisoner and recipient of the letter which I didn't spend the time translating since they didn't hold much information of interest to me. The last few sentences however stick in my mind: Der Tag der Entlassung kann noch nicht gegeben werden. Besuchen im Lager sind verboten. Umfragen sind zwecklos. Release dates cannot be given. Visits to the prison are forbidden. Requests are useless. Very Kafka-esque in it's finality.

The things that stood out for me in the content of the letter was that he indicated he'd gotten multiple letters and parcels from family members -- not something I would have expected for someone in a camp. I found his choice of words that their small daughter, who would stand as the "symbol" of their love, particularly tender and poignant. I wonder who Heinrich and Forenski were - they were clearly important enough to him to ask about. The letter had no envelope so I have no idea where it was sent to, that would have helped. I don't know the condition of the paper since it was scanned and sent to me as a PDF document.

I would like to hear from other people who might know anything of the details of this letter and it's historical context. If anyone has researched individual prisoners, I'd be interested in learning how you went about it. I don't want this man to be forgotten.

Image detail from a 1944 German postcard from the McMaster University digital collection of concentration camp correspondence.