The Sixth Battalion is a 1998
documentary filmDocumentary film is a broad category of visual expressions that is based on the attempt, in one fashion or another, to "document" reality. Although "documentary film" originally referred to movies shot on film stock, it has subsequently expanded to include video and digital productions that can...
that examines the little known history of Jewish soldiers who fought for the Slovak Republic, which was closely aligned with
Nazi GermanyNazi Germany and the Third Reich are the common English names for Germany between 1933 and 1945, while it was led by Adolf Hitler and the National Socialist German Worker's Party . The name Third Reich refers to the state as the successor to the Holy Roman Empire of the Middle Ages and the German...
during
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including all great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. The documentary combines interviews with archival footage and photographs of the Slovak Republic in order to provide a brief history of the state, exploring the rise of antisemitism and how it affected these Jewish soldiers.
“Everywhere there were fleas and bugs.
The Sixth Battalion is a 1998
documentary filmDocumentary film is a broad category of visual expressions that is based on the attempt, in one fashion or another, to "document" reality. Although "documentary film" originally referred to movies shot on film stock, it has subsequently expanded to include video and digital productions that can...
that examines the little known history of Jewish soldiers who fought for the Slovak Republic, which was closely aligned with
Nazi GermanyNazi Germany and the Third Reich are the common English names for Germany between 1933 and 1945, while it was led by Adolf Hitler and the National Socialist German Worker's Party . The name Third Reich refers to the state as the successor to the Holy Roman Empire of the Middle Ages and the German...
during
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including all great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. The documentary combines interviews with archival footage and photographs of the Slovak Republic in order to provide a brief history of the state, exploring the rise of antisemitism and how it affected these Jewish soldiers.
Summary
“Everywhere there were fleas and bugs. We slept in barns,” remembers one former soldier, “the work was very hard—I worked with a pick ax and shovel. The foreman threatened that we would be sent away to
PolandPoland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe . Poland is bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
if we didn't achieve the quota.” Forced to take on grueling construction projects for the army, these Jews were treated as a lower class of soldiers who constantly faced the possibility of being deported to concentration camps.
In 1939,
Adolf HitlerAdolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , popularly known as the Nazi Party...
suggested that the Slovak Republic split from
CzechoslovakiaCzechoslovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
. After a unanimous vote in their parliament, the Slovak Republic was formed. But the new nation, small and impressionable, became a puppet for Nazi Germany.
The first
Prime MinisterA prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. The position is usually held by, but need not always be held by, a politician. In many systems, the prime minister selects and can dismiss other members of the cabinet, and...
,
Jozef TisoJozef Tiso was a Slovak politician of the SPP, who became the fascist leader of the WWII Slovak Republic, a satellite state of Nazi Germany existing between 1939 and 1945...
, spouted anti-Semitic statements that echoed Hitler. “Is it not humane if the Slovak people want to get rid of their perpetual enemy—the Jew? Is it not
ChristianA Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic, religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth, who Christians believe was the Messiah prophesied in the Old Testament/Hebrew Bible, and the Son of God.The term "Christian" is also used adjectivally to...
?” his booming voice once asked. Answering his own question, he continued “The precept of love to thy self is God given, and this command for love for myself commands me to get rid of everything that is harmful to me—everything that threatens my life… We act according to God's will. Slovak! Get rid of thy pest!”
Strong antisemitic
propagandaPropaganda is communication aimed at influencing the attitude of a community toward some cause or position. As opposed to impartially providing information, propaganda in its most basic sense, presents information primarily to influence an audience...
was also spread in newspapers and magazines, paving the way for deportations and the systematic extermination of Eastern European Jewry during
the HolocaustThe Holocaust , also known as The Shoah is the term generally used to describe the genocide of approximately six million European Jews during World War II, a program of systematic state-sponsored extermination by Nazi Germany,...
.
Then, young, able bodied Jewish men were forced to serve in the army. They were discriminated against and most of their service was spent building infrastructure for the state. “We took the pick axes and shovels we had cleaned the day before and went to dig the canal,” remembers one soldier, “it was a hard and exhausting job.” Many of the bridges and streets they built are still in use.
The documentary shares their private stories. Often, instead of being applauded for good deeds, the soldiers were simply subject to more antisemitism. While off duty, one young soldier leaped into a river to save a girl from drowning. Once she was safe and on shore, a crowd formed around the two of them. When the mob began to whisper that he was a Jew, and grew suspicious of his association with the girl, the soldier became fearful for his own life, refused to disclose his name, and ran away.
The Jewish soldiers of the Sixth Battalion witnessed the atrocities of war from many angles. In addition to facing the grueling hardships of military life, they experienced
prejudiceA prejudice is a preconceived belief, opinion or judgment especially toward a group of people characterized by their race, social class, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, age or religion...
themselves and watched helplessly as their friends and family members were deported. Their ability to work and remain useful to the state saved their own lives, but experiencing incredible inhumanity filled them with rage and sorrow.
See also
- Holocaust
- Slovak Republic
- History of the Jews in Russia and the Soviet Union
History of the Jews in Russia The vast territories of the Russian Empire at one time hosted the largest Jewish population in the world. Within these territories the Jewish community flourished and developed many of modern Judaism's most distinctive theological and cultural traditions, while also...
- History of antisemitism
Other documentaries about Jews during World War II:
- Marion's Triumph
Marion's Triumph is a 2003 documentary that tells the story of Marion Blumenthal Lazan, a child Holocaust survivor, who recounts her painful childhood memories in order to preserve history. The film combines rare historic footage, animated flashbacks, and family photographs to illustrate the...
- Pola's March
Pola's March is a 2001 documentary made by Jonathan Gruber about a Holocaust survivor, Pola Susswein's emotional trip back to her childhood home in Poland after fifty years spent in Israel, trying to forget her painful past.-Summary:...
- A Story about a Bad Dream
A Story about a Bad Dream was made in 2000 by director Stingl Pavel and brings to life the diary of Eva Erbenova, a little girl who survived the Holocaust...
- Chaim Rumkowski and the Jews of Lodz
- Goodbye Holland
Goodbye Holland is a 2004 documentary about the extermination of Dutch Jews during World War II. The film debunks the accepted notion that the Dutch were 'good' during the war, exposing how Dutch police and civil servants helped the Nazis implement massive deportations, which resulted in the death...
- Paradise Camp
Paradise Camp is a 1986 documentary about Theresienstadt, a concentration camp in Czechoslovakia. Unlike other Holocaust camps, Jews entered Theresianstadt willingly, even eagerly, because Nazi lies led them to believe it would be a peaceful retreat. The deception continued even after it was clear...
- Shadows of Memory
Shadows of Memory is a 2000 documentary by Claudia von Alemann that describes the rise and fall of Hitler from the perspective of a Nazi supporter-- Alemann's 84-year-old mother.-Summary:...
- The Boys of Buchenwald
The Boys of Buchenwald is a documentary film that examines how the child survivors of the Buchenwald concentration camp had to assimilate themselves back into normal society after having experienced the brutality of the Holocaust...
- They Were Not Silent
They were Not Silent is a documentary about the Jewish Labor Committee's anti-Nazi movement in America before, during and after World War II. The film features rare archival footage and photographs along with interviews with labor veterans, Holocaust survivors and scholars...
External links