Czesław Raczyński
Class 6
Wola Uhruska, 18 June 1946
My wartime experiences
In 1944, a terrible war engulfed our country. It had a big impact on all of us. It was horrible for me. We heard loud explosions from the east and felt the ground quake. The Germans acted mad and ordered us to move a few kilometers away. The next morning there was a lot of traffic, as people were leaving for the nearest forest. It was very crowded, and everybody was digging a shelter. The next day we could hear cannons and bombs. I thought that our end had come. German forces were retreating to the west. Soviet planes intensified the bombing of the German front. In the evening we heard rifle shots. I was so afraid that I couldn’t sleep that night. In the morning I saw Polish and Soviet troops. Overjoyed, I ran out of the shelter, but the planes appeared once more. In the afternoon we returned home. We had a lot of cleaning to do, but I was happy that I survived that horrible war.
We all returned home safe and sound, and our house was still standing.