Artilleryman (Medical Orderly) of the Reserve Jan Banach, 47 years old, married, a transport worker by occupation.
When Poland was occupied by the Germans and Soviets in 1939, I was serving in the Polish Army. On 18 September 1939, I was taken prisoner by the Soviets near the Romanian border.
After we were disarmed, the Soviets transported us to the army barracks in Shepetivka, where we remained for 14 days. We received food – a diluted, watery dish – once daily. Next, they transferred us to the barracks in Hoszcza. We were detained there for four months, and the food was as before. From Hoszcza I was taken to the labor camp in Tuderowo, where I was forced to work and earned 700 grams of bread a day. Soon I was deported to Filipowicze – also a labor camp – where I remained for two weeks, going to work and receiving payment in the form of 600 grams of bread per day. Thereafter I was sent to forced labor in an ore mine, this for a period of two months. From the mine I was taken to Rudniki, where I worked on the construction of a railway line. From Rudniki, in turn, we were transported back to Polish territory, to Równe, where we worked building highways and roads.
The payment that we received for carrying out the norm would vary, however it did not exceed seven rubles, of which five were deducted per day for food. It was considered imperative that we carry out the norms. The living conditions were passable, and the hygienic conditions and medical care were not all that bad either; the only tangible problem was the lack of medical supplies. From Równe they sent us to Volochysk, where I worked at the dezkamera [disinfection chamber]. Finally, we were moved to the camp in Starobilsk, wherefrom we were released by the NKVD following the signature of the Anglo- American-Soviet Alliance and the announcement of the amnesty. Once freed, I traveled to Totskoye, where the Polish Army was being formed. On 30 August 1941, I enlisted in the Polish Army and was assigned to the 6th Light Artillery Regiment.
Official stamp, 6 March 1943