Jerzy Cegiełko
Class 7
Elementary School no. 1 in Łuków
Łuków, 29 June 1946
The German invasion of Poland in 1939
It was a beautiful Polish autumn. A sunny September day. The atmosphere, however, was somewhat strange. People were clearly worried, engaged in some deliberations. After all, there was a war. The very sound of the word fills you with dread. People were working frantically – making preparations, digging shelters, hiding various items. Some left town and fled with their belongings to villages located farther away. Mothers were saying farewell to their sons who were rushing to join the army.
Suddenly, we heard a dull murmur of planes coming from a distance. There must have been loads of them. Were they ours? No. Everyone sensed the oncoming danger. They were close. They slowly glided through the air, producing a menacing groan. Then a loud bang shook the air as the first bomb hit the ground. Others followed. Everything started mixing all together: the noise caused by the bombs, dust, smoke, shots fired from guns and machine guns, people screaming and calling out in terror. Chaos broke out. People were frantically running around, unable to find a proper hiding place. They dropped everything and ran blindly ahead. A farmer working in the field abandoned his horse which was now running around with a plough in frenzy. Another horse was running away, dragging a piece of a cart. The startled cattle was mooing miserably on the pasture. Everyone was in a state of panic. There was a lot of screaming, running, agitation and – on top of that – the sounds of exploding bombs. For a moment, people lost all hope that the terrible enemy could ever be defeated.
Finally, everything went quiet. Having dropped all the bombs, the Germans ceased that hellish music. The planes turned back, leaving behind the rubble and lots of corpses. People started slowly coming out of their hiding places to see if the Germans had destroyed many houses and to count the victims. There were quite a lot of casualties. People could now see that the Krauts did not joke around. Every face showed fear, despair and violent hatred, for many families mourned the relatives who fell victim to the bombing.
The night came. It got quiet, but not for long, because the next day was the same. On this dark night, a bright glow was reflected in the sky. The fire almost finished consuming Polish towns and villages. The Germans would soon appear in their tanks and cars – greeted with hatred and contempt – and start ruling over our country. Looking at them, one could not help but see a gang of robbers who had entered a foreign land by force to do whatever they please.
Within the first couple of days, they established their reputation by carrying out a penal expedition in our town. They began their murderous work by spreading fire and beating everyone within reach, so that the Polish people would not dare strike the German “heroes.” This was supposed to serve as a lesson to refrain from ever opposing the Germans and to accept our fate. Following the penal expedition, the Poles hated the Germans even more, especially since they felt powerless at that time, as they could not count on any help. They were currently powerless, because all of our forces were destroyed, even though the war had started not long ago. The defeated soldiers returned in despair or were marched by the Germans to the camps, where they faced persecution.
Having settled in our country for good, the Germans began introducing “western culture” here. Everyone had to work or they would be taken deep into Germany for labor. This is how they treated the Poles.
The Poles could not stay put, they were always playing tricks on the Germans. We often heard news of some German train blowing up or a German being killed in the street in unknown circumstances. Then the Germans went mad, [organizing] mass arrests and executions, which brought little results. The Poles did not abstain from sacrificing a lot just to harass these wicked bandits. All the prisons were full. Thousands of people were dying daily in Auschwitz, Majdanek and other prisons. The Germans tormented the people in the cruellest manner. Before killing anyone, the Germans subjected them to brutal tortures – and did so with pleasure. The Polish nation was dying just because they got used to being enslaved.
But with each day, spirit grew in Polish hearts. The “forest soldiers” were becoming more and more courageous. The faces of the Germans started looking gloomy. They were no longer so certain of their victory. In the east they met a stronger enemy, who beat them mercilessly, driving them back to Germany. There – bombings, here – partisans, in the east – katyushas. How can an invincible nation that once dreamt of conquering the whole world surrender? It may be very sad about it, but it has no other choice. It withdraws quickly but regrets having to leave Poland, so it continues to destroy and burn everything on its way.
The Polish troops and the Red Army entered soon and were greeted with joy. After so many years of enslavement, we finally saw a Polish soldier.