KORITZINSKY: JEWISH-NORWEGIAN FAMILY HISTORY IN WAR AND PEACE

By Erik W. Koritzinsky

The author has studied the family history of Koritzinsky: A Polish Jewish family who emigrated to Sweden and later to Norway. Photos, documents and personal experience have been evaluated related to the story of family Koritzinsky. Besides, the author has made a personal report about the conditions of living for Jews after the Second World War in Norway. What was the main Jewish reason for not escaping to Sweden? Why did not his father escaped with his family when he knew how Germans treated Jews in Germany? An answer is given in the book, but his father died before he was moved to the concentration camp in Germany. Few believed that the Germans would imprison non Jewish members of a Jewish family. But in 1944 Vidkun Quisling made an official statement that members of any Jewish family were persons with bad qualifications. All the members of the family Koritzinsky could be moved to a concentration camp somewhere in Europe. But the family was lucky. The ships in the harbor of Oslo bound for Germany with unwanted Norwegians and Jews, were sunk by a Norwegian resistance group called: “ Pelle- Group”. The date for the sinking of the ships was November 23, 1944. Six ships were sunk. The leader of the saboteurs was Ragnar Solli. He was a communist and an active member of the communist resistance group called:” Osvald-Group”. The famous saboteur Asbjørn Sunde was the leader of the group. One of the members of the “ Pelle-Group” was Sverre Kokkin. Many years after the war, the author met Sverre Kokkin in France.

The family of Koritzinsky was not a poor family but rather wealthy. Even before the war the family had paid visits to France to see a relative who lived in “ Chateau Simone”. The contact and visit to the wine castle were popular after the war too. The author is debating about issues relating to being Jewish ,about anti-Semitism and the state of Israel. He is no dealing with different political issues relating to the present government of Israel . He is an advocate for the right of the existence of the state of Israel. But I think his brother Theo Koritzinsky and other members of the family might have a different point of view? The members of the family have a close and friendly attitude to each other even if they all differ in political matters.

I recommend reading the book because the author gives you an honest picture about his private life and a report about how to live in Norway after the war.

Erik W. Koritzinsky:

KORITZINSKY-Jewish-Norwegian Family History in War and Peace.

KOLON FORLAG AS .2018.

ANDRE MALRAUX: MALRAUX FACE AUX JEUNES.MAI 68, AVANT, APRES. ENTRETIENS INEDITS

Even if many bookshops  have been closed in the City of Nice, France, during the last years you still find a splendid bookshop in 55, rue Gloffredo in the City of Nice. The name of the bookshop is: LIBRAIRE MASSENA NICE. I always spend some hours in the shop during my annual summer visit to Nice. To my surprise I noticed that my favorite French novelist, Andre Malraux, had published a new book ! He was born in 1901. He died in 1976. In 2016 he published a new book. The book is a small one: Only about 101 pages. The contents of the book are divided into four parts: A foreword written by Michel Crepu: Discuter avec Malraux. Next part of the book is a collections of interviews with French students dealing with subjects related to the books written by Andre Malraux and questions that have been on the agenda of the public life of Andre Malraux for years. As French Minister of Cultural Affairs an interview with him from 1968 is also published: Conference de presse a la radio allemande. The last part of the book is written by Nicolas Mouton: Pour un Musee Imaginaire de la parole.

Let me turn back to the collection of interviews made by young students in 1967. I have written down the names of the students, the age in 1967 and the name of the universities or schools where they studied.

-          Didier Cornille. Age 16 and half. 1re A, de La Madeleine –sur- Lille.

-          Jean –Pierre Marchand.Age 19. De Carvin.

-          Jean-Michel Boucheron. Age 19. De Rennes

-          Philippe Delafond.Age 20. De Viroflay

-          Michel Thote.Age 17. De Versailles.

-          Christian Mosset.Age 18 and half. De Paris.

-          Fanchon Bourgesse.Age 19. De Fontainebleau.

-          Laurene Maury.Age 19. De Paris.

-          Jeannette Fluchaire.Age 18. De C.A.P., de Bonneville.

-          Thierry Besnard Bernadac. Age 18 and half.De Bois-Colombes.

-          Sylviane Boissard.Age 18 and half. De Monthey en Suisse.

-          Marie-Christine Jarry.Age 18. De Sevres.

Andre Malraux was a French novelist, publisher, filmmaker, explorer, aviator, guerilla leader during the Second World War, philosopher,art theorist, Minster of Information and later on: Minister of Cultural Affairs during Charles de Gaulle’s presidency (1958-1969).

My interest for Andre Malraux made me buy books about him and books which he wrote.

Andre Malraux: Malraux face aux jeunes. Mai 68, avant, après. Entretiens inedits. Editions Gallimand , 2016.

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OLD AND FORGOTTEN FIGHTER AIRCRAFTS USED IN MOVIES

I appreciate viewing historical movies and reading books about the content dealt with in the books and the movies: A thrilling past time activity of mine. When I notice that aircrafts and military equipments are used in historical movies in a wrong context, I get a feeling that the movies are of less importance as sources for further research and studies .Sorry. When I viewed an old movie about the Battle of Sutjeska  located in the former Yugoslavia, I noticed that German fighters  were attacking the partisans led by  Marshal Josip Broz Tito. The German fighters were not German fighters, I noticed. After having done some research about military aircrafts used by the Yugoslav Air Force, I found the correct name of the used aircraft: Soko 522 Ikaros. The movie I viewed was not a good one, I think. The famous British actor, Richard Burton, was portraying the Yugoslav partisan commandor Marshal Tito.

The title of the film is: “ Battle of Sutjeska”. The original title is: “ Sutjeska”. The film was released in 1973. The story is about the Axis attempt to capture Marshal Tito and to destroy the partisan groups fighting for Marshal Tito. The fighting scenes are made in a realistic way. But we do not get to know the famous partisan commandor Tito whose name was Josip Broz Tito. He was an active communist before the Second World War. The German fighters which were used during the battle of Sutjeska were portrayed as Focke-Wolf Fw 190t.

But the correct aircrafts used in the movie are Soko 522 Ikaros. The aircraft was a Yugoslav military trainer and light attack aircraft which was built in 1955. From 1958 to 1961 110 aircrafts were produced. Sokos served with the Yugoslav Air Force until 1977.

Many flying clubs in Yugoslavia and abroad bought the aircraft for private use. Some aircrafts were sold to civilian foreign customers in United States and France.

NICE: FILM HUNTING

The One That Got  Away

Some years ago you could find old movies released from all over the world in a big shop in the City of Nice, France. Not any more. Sorry. The shop is closed. No more DVDs for sale. Anyway I do appreciate searching for old books and movies in places where you might find some books or films of interest. Last week I went to a strange shop in Nice. You could find old photos, postcards, books, papers and a lot of old items and above all: Old DVDs.

 I bought one film only: “ L’Evade du Camp 1”. The English title is: “ The One That Got Away”. The film was viewed by me at home today. The actors are all speaking French- no English. The film was released in 1957.The plot is about the story of the German pilot, Luftwaffe fighter,Oberleutnant Franz von Werra, who was shot down over Britain during the Battle of Britain in 1940. He was captured by British soldiers but he had decided to escape within six months. He was sent to a prison camp in the Furness area in Lancashire. During a walk with the other prisoners he managed to escape. An intense manhunt was organized to find him. He was recaptured. Then he was sent to a camp near Swanwick, Derbyshire. A tunnel was made. Five of the German prisoners managed to escape through a tunnel. All were captured including Franz von Werra. But he nearly made it making an attempt to steal a Hawker Hurricane. But he was caught again. He was sent to Canada. Again he managed to escape close to Smith’s Falls, Ontario. He crossed the frozen St Lawrence River in as stolen rowboat and reached Ogdensburg, New York. He crossed the border into Mexico, went to Peru, Bolivia, Brazil and Spain- and reached Berlin on April 18, 1941.

The film is a dramatic story of a man who has made up his mind not to spend time in prison camps. The film is a good one and thrilling.

On October 25 1941 his plane was seen diving into the sea. He was not found.

The German actor Hardy Kruger is featuring Franz von Werra. The film was directed by Roy Ward Baker. The screenplay is based on a book written by Kendal Burt and James Leasor.

LUNCHTIME IN THE CITYOF NICE-FRANCE

I have paid the City of Nice a holiday visit for at least ten years because I love the city. At midday I have heard the shot of a cannon telling me that the time is 12.00. But I did not know the story of the event until some days ago when I found an outdoor presentation of the history of the City of Nice set up close to the beach. A splendid presentation of the history!

I had believed that a real cannon was fired at the Chateau de Nice. No. But the reason for making a loud bang at midday was an interesting story. The Scottish Lord Thomas Coventry-More was spending the winter in Nice with wife. He did not want to have lunch by himself without his wife. The problem was that his wife forgot to come home for lunch at the time decided. She loved to talk to her friends and to walk along the beach of the city. Lord Thomas Coventry-More was a former British officer. He was a punctual man too. The lunch should be eaten at a specified hour every day. His wife forgot about the time for the lunch. The Nice city council was contacted by the Scottish lord about a plan he wanted to put in action. A firing of a cannon every day at 12.00 –a loud bang- was the aim of his plan.

He should pay all costs- even the cost of the cannon. The Nice city council accepted his plan: A bang at 12.00 precisely. The cannon was placed on the lower terrace of the Chateau de Nice. The year was 1861.When Thomas and his wife stopped coming to Nice, the council put an end to the firing of the cannon. But people of Nice had got used the sound of the cannon at 12.00. In 1876 the Nice city council decided the reinstate the midday signal.

You do not hear the firing of a cannon today, but the sound of a large firework from the Chateau de Nice.