Alfreda Bęc
Class 5b
Primary school
District of Iłża
15 November 1946
My most memorable moment from the occupation
In 1944, the Germans came to our village in the early morning. They surrounded it on every side. A few Germans stood guard, and the rest of them went into the village. They started running around the yards, [they] broke into the pigsties. They were looking everywhere, checking if there were any cows or calves hidden somewhere. They started taking cows away from people. The animals smelled the enemy, they lowed, they didn’t want to leave, and they even wrenched themselves away. Some people did not know about this, while others cried, shouted, and asked them [the Germans] to leave at least a few cows for the whole village. The Germans did not care if someone had only one cow; they just took all the cows and went on. Some women and peasants with children followed them to try and arouse pity in the hearts of [those] cruel people. But the enemy was deaf, insensitive to their pleas. What did he care that a few children would die sooner or become ill for lack of milk? It was one of [those] moments that I will remember for a long time.