Class 7
Elementary School no. 1 in Łuków
The German invasion of Poland in 1939
It was a beautiful autumn morning. A warm, bright sun was rising. That day was accompanied by some sort of odd commotion. Sad and frightened, people were moving through the streets in large groups. They spoke to each other very briefly and then disappeared somewhere. Some herded cattle and horses. Everyone transported or carried in their hands various bundles. They were fleeing to the forests or villages, and only few stayed and sought refuge in shelters.
It was announced on the radio that the Germans were bombing all cities, burning them down and quickly moving forward. The dull humming of the planes came to our ears. They were coming. They were getting closer, we could see them now – these were the German planes. A siren started wailing sadly and horribly, striking fear. It seemed like crying, the sound was full of such sadness and regret. We could see them perfectly now. They circled above the town like a swarm of black crows, glistening under the sun. The roar of heavy planes was so terrible that the earth started groaning.
Suddenly, there was a flash and whirlwind, the buildings wobbled, the glass in the windows broke with a twang, the earth shook, and the air trembled as the first bomb hit the town. Others followed, dropping with a thunderous noise. Machine guns started sending bursts and there was a shower of grenades. Anti-aircraft guns immediately responded with fire.
A horrible shoot-out began, accompanied by the noise made by bombs. The only thing we could hear was the whistling and crashing of shards. The air trembled because the whole earth was shaking. The injured were screaming and groaning. All hell broke loose. A farmer working in the field abandoned his horse and hid himself, while the startled horse ran through the fields. Suddenly, a plane lowered and shot him dead on the spot with a machine gun. The frightened cattle also started running through the pasture. The evening came and the sun set, leaving behind only a pale glow.
A quiet autumn night began. The moon looked curiously upon the towns to count how many buildings had fallen down; then upon the wounded and the dead – to count how many people had died and were now lying in pools of blood. The night passed undisturbed. At dawn, the same thing started happening all over again. Everything got quiet several days later. Those who managed to survive this terrifying moment somewhere in the forest were returning to their homes with sadness. Some of them returned to their homes only to find that they had turned into ruins.
Then the Germans appeared. They advanced like a terrifying and noisy storm, preceded by lightnings and thunders, which destroyed and flooded everything. The angry Krauts marched forward like a terrible hurricane which knocks over buildings and pulls trees out with their roots. The Germans driving heavy, black, roaring machines were like the Antichrist, who wants to burn people alive in an oven. The earth beneath them groaned and seemed to crumble. They kept driving through all the roads without a break.
Soon, all Polish towns and villages were full of Nazi soldiers. The Germans appeared and started executing people. They destroyed everything – including school libraries. They arrested people, carried out round-ups almost daily, and deported people for labor to Prussia. They forced farmers to give away large quotas of grain and meat, chopped down forests and transported the wood to their own country. They were destroying everything. We were forbidden to learn from Polish textbooks. The Poles established secret organizations, wanting to avenge their torment. Our partisans caused the Germans a lot of damages while attacking at night, in retaliation for the killing of Jews, round-ups, and for Majdanek, where the Germans starved, shot and burned people in the crematoria.
Finally, the time has come for the Germans to run. As they were fleeing, they wreaked revenge whenever they could. They kidnapped people, tied them to their cars, and herded into cellars which they then blew up. After they left, they carried out another bombing, but this was their last effort. Now they must be punished for the torture and terrible murders committed against the Poles.