Zbigniew Malinowski
Elementary School in Tchórzewek
School year 1945/1946
The first days of liberation
25 July is a historic date. On this day the Red Army and the Polish Army entered our lands. The Germans fled in chaos. I saw small units fleeing barefoot and barely clothed, often disarmed. We were amazed: they were always so arrogant and conceited, but they were running away barefoot like hares. These were memorable days. I remember the first Soviet troops marching on our roads. We couldn’t believe it was a different army – we were afraid that they might be Germans in disguise. On Monday evening, the Germans began bombing Radzyń. People were engulfed in fear. The raids lasted four days. We slept in potato mounds. It was a terrible sight. The town was illuminated by the glow of fires. Then a hail of bombs fell. The whole world seemed to be on fire. There were also raids on Łuków. The window panes rattled as the troops and transports were passing by day and night. Finally, the first Polish soldier with an eagle on his cap [came]. He drank his first glass of milk in a peasant’s hut. We held the first conversation with a Polish soldier. These were memorable days. The enemy was running further and further away. Although the explosions haunted us for a long time, we believed that the armies guarding us on the Vistula would repel the hated enemy.