2RHPZ
07-01-2004, 03:03 AM
"The Germans take our freedom, but the Russians take our souls" said Foreign minister of Poland in 1939.
Jozef Szwaja.
How did you know that the war started?"
"In the village where we lived, there was only one radio which informed us about Hitler's attack on Poland. Teachers interrupted lessons to tell about the news. Civilian people asked about weapons because they wanted to fight to protect their homeland."
What were the most memorable events?
There was unusually hot weather on September 1939. The infantry was marching west. The majority of Polish civilians believed that the effort was hopeless because the news had been saying that the warfare was very difficult and exhausting on the soldiers.
On the east side of Poland, where I lived with my family before the war, there wasn't any fighting. My village, Skalot, was about nine miles from the Russian border. All people thought that the warfare would only be in the west and the middle part of my homeland. That's why many people started to move to the east. To my village came a lot of families from the west who lived at schools, offices, and in my neighbor's houses.
I remember exactly September 17, 1939, squadrons of Russian planes flew over our heads toward the west. Later we saw the Russian army- infantry, horse units, and tanks-moving westward. They looked atrocious. The soldiers were skinny; the horses were miserable and without saddles. We speculated that either the Russians came to help us fight against Germany or they wanted to take our land. We didn't know for sure why they came. Later, the radio explained everything to us. We knew that the Russians came to wage war against Poland.
What did your village look like after the Russians invaded?
The Russian soldiers plundered all goods-furniture, food, and animals-from private homes and stores. They took all of these things to Russia. People became frightened by their presence. Russian soldiers occupied all Polish offices. Children didn't go to school. My parents and the rest of the rural civilians worked on their farms, and they tried to retain their normal lifestyles. We lived under these circumstances until February 10, 1940.
"What happened on February 10, 1940?"
Before sunrise, Russian soldiers came on sleighs to my village. It was very cold, about 30 degrees Celsius below zero. Four Russian soldiers entered my home. They searched for weapons. After a couple minutes, they told us that we had half an hour to package our things. They tried to convince us that in the place we were going we would find everything we needed. One of the soldiers whispered to my mom that she should take warm clothes and food. She took two sacks of flour, milk for her children, and a picture of Saint Mary. This icon is now in my house because I was the oldest of her children.
How many people were in your family?
"I had six siblings, and the youngest was two years old. I was seventeen, and my parents were forty years old."
What happened after the Russians entered your house and asked you to package your things?
When we went outside, we saw that our neighbors had packaged their belongings as well and were loading themselves onto the sleighs. The Russians took us away to a train station. There were not regular passenger trains waiting at the station. Instead, we were loaded into cattle cars in bunches of thirty to forty people. Inside were bunks and small furnaces made of iron. On the corner of each wagon, there was a "bathroom"-a hole in the floor. Each window had bars confining the people within. There were three families, twenty-eight people, in my wagon.
We stayed for two days in Skalat, my home village. We didn't move anywhere, just sat in the cattle car. During this time came other families. On the second day, Sunday, we heard organs from a church, and everyone cried because they didn't know what was going to happen the next day. The train started to move late Sunday night or early Monday morning; we weren't sure. We had no idea to where we were going. Some of the people speculated that Russia would take the rest of our goods, and then they would return us to our homes. I remember all of these people that said good-bye to us at the train station. They were saying that we wouldn't survive the frigid winter temperatures, the children would be the most apt to suffer. I couldn't understand why my family had to be taken by Russian soldiers. My dad saw that the train crossed Russia's border.. Everyone now understood that they had taken us away to Siberia. People started to sing religious songs. They cried and screamed.
"Was the journey to Siberia very difficult?"
The engine driver used the break constantly. The furnace in our car tipped over once. It was very cold, so all of the boards inside were covered in frost. One time my hair froze to the wall as I slept. Everyday the wagon had been opened to serve us food in a metal bucket. This "food" was liquid which Russian soldiers called soup, and they gave us old, dried out bread. They didn't give us enough coal, so we had to sit in a large group to conserve heat.
How long did it take to get to Siberia?
"The journey took six weeks. The train stopped very often to allow army transports use of the railroad tracks in front of us. One time during a stopover, I broke free from our wagon and went to steal some coal. A Russian soldier caught and punished me. I had to travel alone in a wagon filled with coal for the entire train. I thank God that I didn't freeze to death. All the Polish prisoners began to scream and bang on their wooden cars pleading for my release. Some Russian soldiers came and returned me to my car."
"Where did the train finally stop?"
"We stopped in Siberia. The soldiers shouted, 'Get out!'. they took all of us to one big barrack. We found tables made from old boards. In the middle of each table were samovars with hot water. People were waiting for a meal, but the Russian officers told us that the water was all that we were going to get. If people had sugar, they could use it. After the "meal", soldiers divided us into two groups: women and children, and men. The Women and children rode in sleighs, and the men walked behind them for two days. Finally, we stopped in a place called Kuszwa, a concentration camp.
"How many people were in this group with you?"
"I don't remember exactly, probably a couple hundred. There were three families from my village, and we helped each other the most." "
What did you find when you arrived in Kuszwa?
"Each Polish family had their own house. It was made from tree trunks sealed with grass and moss. Inside were beds, a small table, and a small furnace made from rocks. There was no bathroom at all."
"What did you have to do there?"
"All men had to cut trees while the woman stayed at 'home'."
"Did they pay you for your work?"
Yes. An officer gave out money after work. We had to use this money for bread. We could by 500 grams for those who worked and 400 for those who didn't. Sometimes we could buy soup which was made of fish heads. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough for us. I remember when my mother made soup from grass and mushrooms. Some families around us died of starvation, freezing temperatures, and strenuous labor. We had to buy rags for our feet because we didn't have any boots.
How long did you work during the day?
"We worked twelve hours a day for six days. We didn't have to work when the temperature dropped below negative 45 degrees Celsius."
"Was there a doctor there?"
There was no doctor in our camp.
Did children go to school?
No, there wasn't any school for the children.
How long did you stay there?"
"We stayed there until 1942, for two years of my life. One Russian civilian told us that Stalin and General Sikorski signed an agreement which freed the Polish people in Siberia. Although we were "free", we were only able to move about in Siberia. There was no way to get back to our homeland of Poland. The three families from my village decided that we had to move to a place where we could find work and food. We were extremely exhausted from our time in the camp."
"Where did you go?"
We drove to Troisk. There was a meat processing plant in this town. My father and I worked in this plant making cans of meat for the Russian army. Very often I stole meat for my younger siblings and neighbors. Unfortunately, some people who ate too much food after our long period of starvation got sick and some died."
"How long did you stay in Troisk?"
"On the 28th of May in 1943, a couple friends and I got draft cards for the Polish army which was created in Russia-not Poland. Numerous men decided to go and fight for their freedom. I remember the moment when we said good-bye to our families at the train station. My mother and grandmother cried. They couldn't understand why I, a seventeen-year-old boy, had to go and fight in this ridiculous war.
Finally my train came. there were bodies of abused soldiers, blood and suffering, but it was my train."
"Where did you go?"
"We went to Siedlce on the Oka River. This was the first time that I saw Polish flags and emblems-a white eagle on a red background."
"What did you find in Siedlce?"
I found Polish land, not of Poland, but familiar land where people spoke Polish. There were Polish generals and all Polish people. The people of my group from Siberia were some of the first recruits. We looked really bad: skinny, hungry, torn and dirty clothes, and some had without boots. After a couple days, they gave us Russian uniforms with Polish emblems. We lived in dug out holes in the ground. I remember a day when they gave us weapons. Soldiers kissed arms and said that Poland would be a free country."
"What did you do in Siedlce?"
I had to practice everyday. I had to learn how to take care of a machine gun. The minds and bodies of the people around me were drained and fatigued. On June 15, 1943, we had mass. We promised that we would fight for the freedom for Poland. We were in the command of "Russian" generals, generals born in Poland but forced to grow up in Russia. We finished practice on september, 1943. The final day of practice was the last day for a couple soldiers. After this serious practice, I became a commanding officer of twelve young soldiers who operated four machine guns."
Where did you fight for the first time?
We went by train to Smolensk and later by foot to the battle of Lenino.
I heard that was the first fight with Polish bigotony?
"Yes. The 12th of October after sunrise, we started our attack. German soldiers realized that we were Polish soldiers. They bombed our positions. The Germans spoke to us using a megaphone and said us that we could regain our homelands if we gave up and surrendered. Nobody believed them. For the first time in my life I saw dead, suffering, and abused people. From my group of twelve men, I lost four. I was very upset. I couldn't believe that war could be so brutal and callous. On the nights of September 12th and 13th, 1943, all Russian and Polish soldiers withdrew from the front. After this fight, everyone was sad, but this battle created a legend about the bravery and courage of Polish soldiers. The Russians treated this battle like an exam for Polish soldiers. They had to prove their abilities to fight valiantly. I still don't understand why so many people had to die."
"What did you do after the battle?"
New people came to our bigotony to replace those who died. The battle front moved to the west. We knew that soon there would be important battles in our homeland of Poland. The horses were exhausted like we were, but we knew that we went to fight for freedom. This helped us to survive. We crossed the Polish boarder, and we kissed the Polish ground. I felt that I was home. People, especially farmers, gave us flowers, food, and friendship. The first town that we came to was Lublin, destroyed and burn houses, human bodies, and horse corpses were scattered like dust across the land."
Where did you fight next?
"I fought for the independence of Fort Modlinski. We obeyed the order to leave most of our private things. When we entered this fort, we saw Ukrainian people who fought with Germany. When Germany withdrew, nobody helped them. They died without any help."
What happened next?
"Part of the Polish army went to Warsaw, and I went with them. We knew that on August 1, 1944, there was an uprising against Germany. When we, four thousand of us, were moving toward Warsaw, we ran into an ambush; some young, inexperienced soldiers died. We went to the capital of our country. We started to fight in the middle of Warsaw between houses in the streets. On September 13, 1944, I was seriously wounded. A bullet pierced the right side of my chest and exited under my right shoulder blade. There is still a fragment of the bullet within my body. Someone took me from the middle of the battle. I thought that I was dead because I heard German language. Russian medics took me to a hospital. One of my friends saw this accident. Hewrote to my parents in Siberia that I had died."
"Did you still fight in the front lines? "
"After my hospitalization, the nurses returned my old, worn uniform covered in blood and holes. I didn't know where I could go."
"So, what did you do?"
"I decided to enlist in the tank division. After two months of lessons, they sent me to fight regiments with heavy tanks in the 2nd Kosciuszko Army under command of Karol Swierczewski."
"Where did you fight with them?"
"I fought with them in Nysa Luzycka, Zgorzelec, Budzyn and Drezno in a German area. I had to take weapons to the front. this was my job until April of 1945. Fights were very difficult. We cut off German General Scherman on his way to help Berlin. Out of twenty-one tanks, only six tanks remained after the battle."
"How did you know that the war ended?"
"It was May sixth, 1945, in Drezno. Unfortunately even though the war officially ended, we still had to fight. It is very hard to describe how much happiness and enthusiasm was around the soldiers. I didn't write a diary. I have forgotten about many events, I know. Still I remember pain and evil. Time is the best medicine. It is a way to forget about sadness, and it teaches us how to forgive." "
How did you meet with your family?"
After the war, I went to my aunt who lived in Czestochowa. Then my aunt told me that my uncle went to Warsaw to look for my grave because they didn't believe that I died. My parents and siblings returned to Poland in May of 1946. I thank God that all of my family survived. This time of war cannot come back, never."
"Thank you, Grandpa."
Jozef Szwaja.
How did you know that the war started?"
"In the village where we lived, there was only one radio which informed us about Hitler's attack on Poland. Teachers interrupted lessons to tell about the news. Civilian people asked about weapons because they wanted to fight to protect their homeland."
What were the most memorable events?
There was unusually hot weather on September 1939. The infantry was marching west. The majority of Polish civilians believed that the effort was hopeless because the news had been saying that the warfare was very difficult and exhausting on the soldiers.
On the east side of Poland, where I lived with my family before the war, there wasn't any fighting. My village, Skalot, was about nine miles from the Russian border. All people thought that the warfare would only be in the west and the middle part of my homeland. That's why many people started to move to the east. To my village came a lot of families from the west who lived at schools, offices, and in my neighbor's houses.
I remember exactly September 17, 1939, squadrons of Russian planes flew over our heads toward the west. Later we saw the Russian army- infantry, horse units, and tanks-moving westward. They looked atrocious. The soldiers were skinny; the horses were miserable and without saddles. We speculated that either the Russians came to help us fight against Germany or they wanted to take our land. We didn't know for sure why they came. Later, the radio explained everything to us. We knew that the Russians came to wage war against Poland.
What did your village look like after the Russians invaded?
The Russian soldiers plundered all goods-furniture, food, and animals-from private homes and stores. They took all of these things to Russia. People became frightened by their presence. Russian soldiers occupied all Polish offices. Children didn't go to school. My parents and the rest of the rural civilians worked on their farms, and they tried to retain their normal lifestyles. We lived under these circumstances until February 10, 1940.
"What happened on February 10, 1940?"
Before sunrise, Russian soldiers came on sleighs to my village. It was very cold, about 30 degrees Celsius below zero. Four Russian soldiers entered my home. They searched for weapons. After a couple minutes, they told us that we had half an hour to package our things. They tried to convince us that in the place we were going we would find everything we needed. One of the soldiers whispered to my mom that she should take warm clothes and food. She took two sacks of flour, milk for her children, and a picture of Saint Mary. This icon is now in my house because I was the oldest of her children.
How many people were in your family?
"I had six siblings, and the youngest was two years old. I was seventeen, and my parents were forty years old."
What happened after the Russians entered your house and asked you to package your things?
When we went outside, we saw that our neighbors had packaged their belongings as well and were loading themselves onto the sleighs. The Russians took us away to a train station. There were not regular passenger trains waiting at the station. Instead, we were loaded into cattle cars in bunches of thirty to forty people. Inside were bunks and small furnaces made of iron. On the corner of each wagon, there was a "bathroom"-a hole in the floor. Each window had bars confining the people within. There were three families, twenty-eight people, in my wagon.
We stayed for two days in Skalat, my home village. We didn't move anywhere, just sat in the cattle car. During this time came other families. On the second day, Sunday, we heard organs from a church, and everyone cried because they didn't know what was going to happen the next day. The train started to move late Sunday night or early Monday morning; we weren't sure. We had no idea to where we were going. Some of the people speculated that Russia would take the rest of our goods, and then they would return us to our homes. I remember all of these people that said good-bye to us at the train station. They were saying that we wouldn't survive the frigid winter temperatures, the children would be the most apt to suffer. I couldn't understand why my family had to be taken by Russian soldiers. My dad saw that the train crossed Russia's border.. Everyone now understood that they had taken us away to Siberia. People started to sing religious songs. They cried and screamed.
"Was the journey to Siberia very difficult?"
The engine driver used the break constantly. The furnace in our car tipped over once. It was very cold, so all of the boards inside were covered in frost. One time my hair froze to the wall as I slept. Everyday the wagon had been opened to serve us food in a metal bucket. This "food" was liquid which Russian soldiers called soup, and they gave us old, dried out bread. They didn't give us enough coal, so we had to sit in a large group to conserve heat.
How long did it take to get to Siberia?
"The journey took six weeks. The train stopped very often to allow army transports use of the railroad tracks in front of us. One time during a stopover, I broke free from our wagon and went to steal some coal. A Russian soldier caught and punished me. I had to travel alone in a wagon filled with coal for the entire train. I thank God that I didn't freeze to death. All the Polish prisoners began to scream and bang on their wooden cars pleading for my release. Some Russian soldiers came and returned me to my car."
"Where did the train finally stop?"
"We stopped in Siberia. The soldiers shouted, 'Get out!'. they took all of us to one big barrack. We found tables made from old boards. In the middle of each table were samovars with hot water. People were waiting for a meal, but the Russian officers told us that the water was all that we were going to get. If people had sugar, they could use it. After the "meal", soldiers divided us into two groups: women and children, and men. The Women and children rode in sleighs, and the men walked behind them for two days. Finally, we stopped in a place called Kuszwa, a concentration camp.
"How many people were in this group with you?"
"I don't remember exactly, probably a couple hundred. There were three families from my village, and we helped each other the most." "
What did you find when you arrived in Kuszwa?
"Each Polish family had their own house. It was made from tree trunks sealed with grass and moss. Inside were beds, a small table, and a small furnace made from rocks. There was no bathroom at all."
"What did you have to do there?"
"All men had to cut trees while the woman stayed at 'home'."
"Did they pay you for your work?"
Yes. An officer gave out money after work. We had to use this money for bread. We could by 500 grams for those who worked and 400 for those who didn't. Sometimes we could buy soup which was made of fish heads. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough for us. I remember when my mother made soup from grass and mushrooms. Some families around us died of starvation, freezing temperatures, and strenuous labor. We had to buy rags for our feet because we didn't have any boots.
How long did you work during the day?
"We worked twelve hours a day for six days. We didn't have to work when the temperature dropped below negative 45 degrees Celsius."
"Was there a doctor there?"
There was no doctor in our camp.
Did children go to school?
No, there wasn't any school for the children.
How long did you stay there?"
"We stayed there until 1942, for two years of my life. One Russian civilian told us that Stalin and General Sikorski signed an agreement which freed the Polish people in Siberia. Although we were "free", we were only able to move about in Siberia. There was no way to get back to our homeland of Poland. The three families from my village decided that we had to move to a place where we could find work and food. We were extremely exhausted from our time in the camp."
"Where did you go?"
We drove to Troisk. There was a meat processing plant in this town. My father and I worked in this plant making cans of meat for the Russian army. Very often I stole meat for my younger siblings and neighbors. Unfortunately, some people who ate too much food after our long period of starvation got sick and some died."
"How long did you stay in Troisk?"
"On the 28th of May in 1943, a couple friends and I got draft cards for the Polish army which was created in Russia-not Poland. Numerous men decided to go and fight for their freedom. I remember the moment when we said good-bye to our families at the train station. My mother and grandmother cried. They couldn't understand why I, a seventeen-year-old boy, had to go and fight in this ridiculous war.
Finally my train came. there were bodies of abused soldiers, blood and suffering, but it was my train."
"Where did you go?"
"We went to Siedlce on the Oka River. This was the first time that I saw Polish flags and emblems-a white eagle on a red background."
"What did you find in Siedlce?"
I found Polish land, not of Poland, but familiar land where people spoke Polish. There were Polish generals and all Polish people. The people of my group from Siberia were some of the first recruits. We looked really bad: skinny, hungry, torn and dirty clothes, and some had without boots. After a couple days, they gave us Russian uniforms with Polish emblems. We lived in dug out holes in the ground. I remember a day when they gave us weapons. Soldiers kissed arms and said that Poland would be a free country."
"What did you do in Siedlce?"
I had to practice everyday. I had to learn how to take care of a machine gun. The minds and bodies of the people around me were drained and fatigued. On June 15, 1943, we had mass. We promised that we would fight for the freedom for Poland. We were in the command of "Russian" generals, generals born in Poland but forced to grow up in Russia. We finished practice on september, 1943. The final day of practice was the last day for a couple soldiers. After this serious practice, I became a commanding officer of twelve young soldiers who operated four machine guns."
Where did you fight for the first time?
We went by train to Smolensk and later by foot to the battle of Lenino.
I heard that was the first fight with Polish bigotony?
"Yes. The 12th of October after sunrise, we started our attack. German soldiers realized that we were Polish soldiers. They bombed our positions. The Germans spoke to us using a megaphone and said us that we could regain our homelands if we gave up and surrendered. Nobody believed them. For the first time in my life I saw dead, suffering, and abused people. From my group of twelve men, I lost four. I was very upset. I couldn't believe that war could be so brutal and callous. On the nights of September 12th and 13th, 1943, all Russian and Polish soldiers withdrew from the front. After this fight, everyone was sad, but this battle created a legend about the bravery and courage of Polish soldiers. The Russians treated this battle like an exam for Polish soldiers. They had to prove their abilities to fight valiantly. I still don't understand why so many people had to die."
"What did you do after the battle?"
New people came to our bigotony to replace those who died. The battle front moved to the west. We knew that soon there would be important battles in our homeland of Poland. The horses were exhausted like we were, but we knew that we went to fight for freedom. This helped us to survive. We crossed the Polish boarder, and we kissed the Polish ground. I felt that I was home. People, especially farmers, gave us flowers, food, and friendship. The first town that we came to was Lublin, destroyed and burn houses, human bodies, and horse corpses were scattered like dust across the land."
Where did you fight next?
"I fought for the independence of Fort Modlinski. We obeyed the order to leave most of our private things. When we entered this fort, we saw Ukrainian people who fought with Germany. When Germany withdrew, nobody helped them. They died without any help."
What happened next?
"Part of the Polish army went to Warsaw, and I went with them. We knew that on August 1, 1944, there was an uprising against Germany. When we, four thousand of us, were moving toward Warsaw, we ran into an ambush; some young, inexperienced soldiers died. We went to the capital of our country. We started to fight in the middle of Warsaw between houses in the streets. On September 13, 1944, I was seriously wounded. A bullet pierced the right side of my chest and exited under my right shoulder blade. There is still a fragment of the bullet within my body. Someone took me from the middle of the battle. I thought that I was dead because I heard German language. Russian medics took me to a hospital. One of my friends saw this accident. Hewrote to my parents in Siberia that I had died."
"Did you still fight in the front lines? "
"After my hospitalization, the nurses returned my old, worn uniform covered in blood and holes. I didn't know where I could go."
"So, what did you do?"
"I decided to enlist in the tank division. After two months of lessons, they sent me to fight regiments with heavy tanks in the 2nd Kosciuszko Army under command of Karol Swierczewski."
"Where did you fight with them?"
"I fought with them in Nysa Luzycka, Zgorzelec, Budzyn and Drezno in a German area. I had to take weapons to the front. this was my job until April of 1945. Fights were very difficult. We cut off German General Scherman on his way to help Berlin. Out of twenty-one tanks, only six tanks remained after the battle."
"How did you know that the war ended?"
"It was May sixth, 1945, in Drezno. Unfortunately even though the war officially ended, we still had to fight. It is very hard to describe how much happiness and enthusiasm was around the soldiers. I didn't write a diary. I have forgotten about many events, I know. Still I remember pain and evil. Time is the best medicine. It is a way to forget about sadness, and it teaches us how to forgive." "
How did you meet with your family?"
After the war, I went to my aunt who lived in Czestochowa. Then my aunt told me that my uncle went to Warsaw to look for my grave because they didn't believe that I died. My parents and siblings returned to Poland in May of 1946. I thank God that all of my family survived. This time of war cannot come back, never."
"Thank you, Grandpa."