Maria Filipowicz
Class 4
My memories of German crimes
One Friday morning, the Germans encamped in our town and ordered all the inhabitants to go out to the market square. In the market place, they checked the documents of the men, as well as of many of the women. On the same day, the Germans arrested more than [illegible] men, almost all of whom were shot a few days later. Several hundred were taken for forced labor to dig trenches. This was perhaps the most terrible day for our town, as we did not know whether the Germans would want to execute them on the spot. From 4 a.m. until 4 p.m., everyone from old people to babies was on [illegible] looking at the increasing number of men tied up and lying on the ground. Several times the heavy rain soaked everyone and those tied up lay face down in the mud. Then they were loaded into trucks, [laid on] lying down, and the gendarmerie, sitting on benches, put their feet on them. The departure of the unfortunates was accompanied by the stifled weeping of their families and friends.