Maria Lasek
Class 7
Elementary School in Pokrzywnica
Iłża district
12 November 1946
My most memorable moment from the occupation
My most memorable moment happened in September 1943. We got up early, as usual. The day was beautiful, clear and sunny, and the birds sang beautifully. After breakfast, we got to work, but without much haste, as we did not expect any mishap or accident. But that day was different. Misfortune struck Zuchowiec and Gębice. It was around 10.00 a.m. when we heard the first shots and saw huge clouds of black smoke. We quickly realized what was going on, because such misfortunes were not our first.
The air instantly filled with smoke. We could hear the children groaning, mothers crying, grenades exploding, cattle bleating, horses neighing, geese honking, ducks quacking and hens clucking. People were fleeing, the cattle were scared, and the numerous German executioners were tormenting these unfortunate people. Within minutes, both villages were burned and destroyed. Some rubble and ashes, many orphans and a lot of burned and shot dead bodies were left. Now, if we went to the vicinity of Gębice and Zuchowiec, we would see a lot of mass graves that will testify for centuries to German crimes.