PoW who broke INTO Auschwitz to save the lives of Jews: OR DID HE?

wfgodot

Former Member
Joined
Mar 4, 2009
Messages
30,166
Reaction score
718
A very good and lengthy Daily Mail story questions the account of a British PoW; if exposed as a falsehood, Denis Avey would join in the line of writers of recent accounts which have been discredited - Mischa Defonseca, Herman Rosenblat, et al.

Did this British PoW really smuggle himself into Auschwitz to expose
the Holocaust... or is his account pure fantasy and an insult to millions who died there?

The story of Denis Avey is one of deep compassion and breathtaking heroism. It is a wartime story that he has kept to himself for several decades, before finally revealing the full account in a book that was published this month.

Called The Man Who Broke Into Auschwitz, the book is already a best-seller.

It tells how Mr Avey was held by the Germans in a PoW camp next to Auschwitz, and how he risked his life by swapping places with a Jewish inmate on two occasions and smuggling himself into the concentration camp to record for posterity the horrors of history’s greatest crime.
However, after the book was published and Avey awarded numerous honors, his account has been questioned:
The trouble is that increasing numbers of people don’t believe him. They include former Auschwitz prisoners, historians and Jewish organisations — and they all doubt very much that he broke into Auschwitz.

This week Dr Piotr Setkiewicz, the head historian at Auschwitz, said that he did not believe Mr Avey’s story of the swap. He said that his fear was the story could provide ammunition for Holocaust deniers who are keen to exploit implausible memoirs in order to ‘prove’ that the Holocaust did not take place.
---
It also emerged this week that Yad Vashem felt unable to honour Mr Avey with Righteous Among The Nations, because it could not back up his claims.
(much more, including pictures, at Daily Mail link above)

University of Kent sociolgist Frank Furedi on false memoirs, including
Mischa Defonseca's: Fake Holocaust memoirs: history as therapy

New York Times on Herman Rosenblat: False Memoir of Holocaust Is Canceled

The jury, of course, is still out on Mr Avey's account, and the case raises many issues.
 
A very sad account by this man. With the informatiion presented, I do not believe him.
I feel sorry for this eldery man exposing himself for some unknown reason and for no gain except for book sales. He has just left the door open for much criticism.
Thanks for the article.

Goz
 
snipped from link:
‘On reflection,’ he says, ‘I can’t really believe that people would believe what I did.’


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...e-Holocaust-account-insult.html#ixzz1J7Ro2EuX

I wonder why he would say this if his story is true? Sadly, I don't believe it is. Had it been as easy to do as he tells, there would almost certainly have been more people to escape the camps. I believe he was encouraged to tell this tale by the man who helped him right his book. Sad.
 
A little OT, but relevant:

One of the very best first-hand accounts, IMO, of Auschwitz is called "Rena's Promise". (by Rena Kornreich Gelissen and Heather Dune McAdam). I met Rena when I was 11 and had not read the book. (Mom wanted me to meet her, get my book signed but read the book later). Had I read it before meeting her, I think I would have passed out - she was so strong.

I haven't read all the "facts" in this case, but Rena's story gave me insight that no other book of that nature ever has.

It is my most treasured book. I contacted Ms. McAdam to check on Rena a couple of years ago, and she said she had developed Alzheimer's. Honestly, maybe that was a gift. Release from the pain. Anyway, sorry to be OT, but her book changed my life.
 
I suppose it is human nature, to want to find good in any situation; but the Holocaust was not just any situation,
it was the bowels of a fiery Hell. Perhaps the only good will be in always remembering its absolute moral dearth,
and in remembering, never repeat it - although it is human nature also to forget.
 
In Rosenblat's case, the true story sounds interesting enough. Too bad he had to "fix" it.
 
As soon as I read about this, I had a gut feeling it was not true. So many years gone by and no way of vefrification and why wait until now?

Sadfly, if proven false it will fuel the holocaust deniers. Why do people do this sort of thing?
 
As soon as I read about this, I had a gut feeling it was not true. So many years gone by and no way of vefrification and why wait until now?

Sadfly, if proven false it will fuel the holocaust deniers. Why do people do this sort of thing?

Attention and money, no doubt. But did you see this link that wfgodot provided in the first post above?

http://www.frankfuredi.com/index.php/site/article/184/




It's an interesting view of faked Holocaust (and other) memoirs in the context of modern thinking, therapy, victimhood, etc.
 
My son's high school had an assembly recently where an alleged holocaust survivor spoke. It was for many a very moving experience however I did a little research and had some doubt as to her veracity. My son also expressed skepticism; she claimed to have a clear memories of things that would have happened when she was really too young to have retained so much.
I do not doubt the truthfulness and sincereity of most of these people. It is however an area in which anyone running across something that doesn't add up is vilified if they point out such a thing.
 
My son's high school had an assembly recently where an alleged holocaust survivor spoke. It was for many a very moving experience however I did a little research and had some doubt as to her veracity. My son also expressed skepticism; she claimed to have a clear memories of things that would have happened when she was really too young to have retained so much.
I do not doubt the truthfulness and sincereity of most of these people. It is however an area in which anyone running across something that doesn't add up is vilified if they point out such a thing.
 

Staff online

Members online

Online statistics

Members online
94
Guests online
808
Total visitors
902

Forum statistics

Threads
589,927
Messages
17,927,759
Members
228,002
Latest member
zipperoni
Back
Top