Janusz Sępioł
Class 5b
Public Elementary School in Iłża
Memories of German crimes
1939 was a memorable date in the history of the Polish nation. The German army crossed the border of the Polish lands, breaking our army, which resisted, defending itself desperately. The fight was terrible because the German side had a big advantage. Spattered with blood, fighting with a bayonet or even a broken rifle, the Polish army retreated because it knew that slavery meant death. However the Polish soldiers surrendered leaving behind fraternal graves and terrible Nazi slavery. The German army committed numerous crimes in Poland. Villages and cities were bombed, burned, children were thrown into the fire. People were arrested and taken to concentration camps. Oh, how terrible were the conditions in which we lived when we were told to forget about our homeland and the fact that we are Poles. Books were taken from schools and libraries were burned down. Soon the school buildings were turned into grain warehouses. The teachers were taken to camps to completely depress the Polish spirit. Poles were thrown into holes and torn apart with grenades. Some were hanged on gallows. This is how thousands of Poles died with a song on their lips: “Poland Is Not Yet Lost”. Despite the terrible crimes, the Germans did not kill the spirit in our nation. Love for the homeland was stronger than death itself. Oh, how I cried when my daddy said they would take us away like Jews. God did not allow the executioners to carry out this last crime, because soon the longed-for freedom came to us.