Seweryn Stępkowski
Class 7
Wola Uhruska, 14 June 1946
Wartime experiences
I remember – it was in July, it was a bright and beautiful day. I was at home reading a book, when suddenly I heard a scream outside and saw people running. I went out and heard: “evacuation.” Our village was to be evacuated. Mom and dad started packing things and in the evening we left for our cousins’ house, which was eight kilometers away from our village. We didn’t stay there for long, because the frontline was getting closer. We had to hide in a forest. We found a ditch near the forest, and we all stayed there until the next morning. Then the battle began. It was horrible, I thought I would die. We were hiding close to a road, on which the Germans were defending themselves, and the Soviets were right behind us, so we could hear everything. I don’t remember how long it lasted, because I fell asleep in the middle of it. My dad woke me up after the fight; I found it difficult to get up. We went to our cousins’ house, where we stayed for a day, and then we returned home. I thank God to this day that I survived that battle.