Zdzisław Kopciński
Class 5
[Public Elementary] School in Aleksandrów
Iłża district
The local population, observing in fear that the Germans were heading east, collected their belongings, took their children, and set off on their way. Some had already begun to believe that there was no such force that could defeat the huge German army. Later, when they started building prisons, it turned out that the Germans were great barbarians. They took the best people hostage, they did not have mercy even for mothers and children. Everybody was quietly praying to God and asking him to take away this terrible monster that threatened our lives. It was sad and pitiful to look at all the murders. On Sunday night, loud bangs and other sounds of cannons could be heard; the Vistula front was approaching. Nobody expected that they would survive this war.
What do the mass graves say?
The vengeful Nazis would arrive in a village, destroy and burn everything, kill the innocent villagers, and bury them in a pit. The Poles knew that the Germans were bad. They began to organize themselves to interrupt [German] assaults. A lot of heroes and young people died fighting for their Fatherland. Great masses of people sacrificed their lives in Warsaw, where everybody grabbed their weapons and attacked the occupier. The Germans were victorious because they were prepared for that and turned the capital into rubble and ruins. The worst came with the Vistula front. They started deporting and murdering people, leaving behind nothing but a barren land.
The most memorable moment from the occupation
The saddest moment was when the Germans came and ordered us to gather in the street in 15 minutes. What could we take? Nothing of course. Nobody could be sure that they would see their beloved house unburnt. The men could not go out, because the Germans would take them to dig trenches.