1. Personal data:
Senior Uhlan Józef Przygoda, born on 5 February 1909; nationality: Polish; married.
2. Date and circumstances of arrest:
I was taken captive on 18 September 1939 in Stanisławów.
3. Name of the camp, prison or forced labor site:
I was deported for forced labor to Marhanets, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast. Five months later I was moved north, to the Komi ASSR (Ukhta).
4. Description of the camp, prison:
It was in the so-called 13th lagpunkt [camp point] in the forest. There were two barracks with big holes and plenty of bugs.
5. The composition of prisoners-of-war, inmates, exiles:
There were about 300 people in this lagpunkt, of whom 75 percent were Poles, 20 percent Ukrainians and 5 percent Jews. The Ukrainians kept apart from us and shouted to the commandant of the camp, “we are your people, we wanted the Soviet Union, we have always wanted to work, only separate us from the Poles”. From amongst the Poles, Rajski and Czaplaski worked for the Soviets and against us.
6. Life in the camp, prison:
We toiled 12 hours a day, regardless of rain, snow and frost. We worked at railroad construction. The food was very meager, because it depended on the percentage of the work quota that one met. In order to get better food you had to meet 125 percent of the quota, as then you were entitled to the so-called third caldron and 900 grams of bread. However, 125 percent was beyond our reach. Remuneration was such that I constantly heard the foreman read out: “Przygoda, for this month you owe five rubles, six rubles, four rubles...”
7. The NKVD’s attitude towards Poles:
The NKVD had a very bad attitude towards Poles, and we even heard them say „don’t think
about Poland, it’s like your ear: you’ll never see it. You have to work, ukreplyat [strengthen]
the Soviet Union. Back in Poland you worked for your noblemen and priests and on top of
that they beat you, and there’s nothing like that here because everything is vso ravno [equal
for everyone] in Russia.”
8. Medical assistance, hospitals, mortality rate:
Medical assistance was very poor – I remember that when I reported to the doctor, he told me, “I cannot give you a sick leave, because the commandant ordered me to exempt [no more than] nine people from work, and I have already reached that number”. Seven people died.
9. Was there any possibility of getting in contact with one’s country and family?
I didn’t have any message from my family in the country, despite the fact that I wrote 25 letters.
10. When were you released and how did you get through to the Polish Army?
When the German-Soviet war broke out on 22 June 1941, we were released from work and sent to Vyazniki. There I appeared before our draft board, and later we came to Tatishchevo.