Bombardier Eugeniusz Gębala, born on 18 June 1915, bricklayer, bachelor.
I was taken prisoner on 18 September 1939 between Krasne and Tarnopol. From there, the Russians marched us to Jarmolińce, from Jarmolińce to Jaryczów, from Jaryczów to Busko, and then to Kozłów, from Kozłów to Podliski, from Podliski to Lwów. Our accommodation was organized in a stable, which was very dirty and cold.
The prisoners were mostly Poles, but there were also Ukrainians and a few Jews. The relations between the Poles and the Ukrainians were bad, constant quarrels.
The work conditions were very tough, because if you did not meet the quota you received 400 grams of bread and the first cauldron – the work lasted 12 hours and it was difficult to meet the quota. We were not paid at all and life was constantly miserable.
The NKVD constantly tried to inculcate us with their culture. The NKVD’s attitude was very bad. The way they carried out interrogations was horrible. I was suspected of being a gendarme. [Illegible] interrogated me for over a month, they often woke me up at night, and took me to a dark room, where two NKVD officers with revolvers sat in front of me and asked me questions. If they did not like the answer, they grabbed the revolvers and threatened to kill me like a dog.
Medical assistance was provided by our doctors, but they were unable to help us because they had no medications.
I established contact with my family only on 30 April 1940.
I was released in Starobilsk and I joined the army there along with all the others in Starobilsk.
The march from the last camp in Lwów to Starobilsk. We marched out of Lwów when the Soviet-German war began. We marched on foot, hungry. Over the space of three weeks we covered 850 kilometers to Zolotonosha.
On our way there, many of my companions collapsed due to exhaustion. Those who collapsed were immediately shot dead by Soviet soldiers. Two of my best friends collapsed, Władysław Pawłowski and Pietrykowski – both from Warsaw – along with many others, whose names I cannot remember.
Place of stay, 25 February 1943