Historie pazurem wojny kreślone

These are modestly elaborated biographical notes with fragments of reports. Neighbors, mainly from the vicinity of Suchowola, girls and youth during the German occupation. Bad luck wanted them to be taken out of their family homes, mostly to bauers in East Prussia, to other places of forced labor. They were all described as slaves of the Third Reich.

First, there was a surprise, then a brief preparation for the journey, riding carts to Grodno, here they were basking in anticipation of transport. They did not fully realize what might happen to them. Tears of separation, uncertainty, fear, but also an admixture of curiosity. Further riding in freight wagons, the "slave market" and so went to German farms, less often to production plants. Work, work, hunger, longing. We already know about this from other reports. It can be said that the heroes of this book were mostly treated by their "masters" ruthlessly, but without drastic harassment, without bullying. I was pleased that these reports were not very extensive, but true, written without excessive pathos, not only to show martyrdom. For example, the young inhabitants of the Biebrza region at the time did not hide that they were surprised by the novelties of civilization, household appliances that they did not see in their homeland.

It is very good that such a volume appears in print, enriching still modest regional and local literature. Although it does not contain sensational findings, extremely important facts and assessments. It is, however, a valuable source material for studying the history of this part of the lands of the present Podlasie province, it consolidates the fate of the occupation of eight people, it should be primarily a reading for contemporary girls and boys.