Bastiaan Willems: Life and death in East Prussia, 1944-1945

East Prussia was the first German province the Red Army reached, and the first where fighting took place. It saw battle from August 1944 until May 1945 - nine months, longer than any other German province. The dominant narrative for this era is that of the Germans' flight and expulsion, but these months can teach us much more. Taking a more holistic approach to violence, this talk will discuss Nazi crimes perpetrated against foreign labourers and Jews, Red Army violence against civilians, violence of the German military perpetrated against its own population, and the post-war hardships faced by the remaining German population, showing how these related to each other.

The Second World War ended around 80 years ago. To mark the occasion, the GHI Warsaw is organizing a series of public lectures in cooperation with the Museum of the Second World War in Gdansk. The international guests will present their research both in Warsaw and in Gdansk. They will
address not only the historical events, but also the question of how the painful experiences during the war continue to shape society today.