Class V
Łączna, 15 November 1946
My memories of German crimes
The times were hard during the German occupation. The Germans harassed us terribly, killing a great many people. I will never forget the tragic day when the gendarmes drove up to our village. We were gripped with fear, for we did not know what would happen to us. The gendarmes passed through the whole village without saying anything to anyone. But they soon returned and surrounded our house. 20 gendarmes waited outside, while 20 entered the building. Someone had accused my uncle of possessing a weapon. The gendarmes searched for it all over the house, beating everyone they encountered. Although they did not find the weapon, they took uncle with them. When uncle looked back, wanting to tell us something, they knocked him over and started beating and trampling him. They took him to prison and kept him there for a month. Then they sent him to Auschwitz. In the camp they starved him, and because he was weak, he died. We cried terribly, but it didn’t help – uncle did not return.