1. Personal data (name, surname, rank, age, occupation, and marital status):
Rifleman Stanisław Garbiak, born in 1913, secondary school teacher, bachelor; Carpathian MMG Battalion.
2. Date and circumstances of the arrest:
Arrested on 23 June 1941 in Tarnopol.
3. Name of the camp, prison, place of forced labor:
After the evacuation of the Tarnopol prison, I was imprisoned in Verkhneuralsk, Chelyabinsk Oblast (70 km away from the Magnitogorsk train station).
4. –
5. Social composition of prisoners, deportees:
The majority of the prisoners were Ukrainians, 10 percent were Poles, 3 percent – Russians, 1 percent – Romanians. Their intellectual standing varied, the majority were small Ukrainian farmers who were aware of their nationality and had been arrested for various crimes. The majority of Poles were intelligent, and mostly state officials and secondary school students, imprisoned for political crimes. Nationality-related disputes [occurred] among prisoners.
6. Life in the camp, prison:
Days in prison were monotonous, uniform, without the slightest variation. The food could not even be called modest, and comprised 400 grams of bread, a warm dish, and boiled water.
I did not do any physical work.
In each cell (8 by 6 meters) there were 60 to 70 prisoners on average, just vegetating. Cultural and educational life was limited to three books by contemporary Soviet authors delivered to us every week (for a total number of 70 people).
7. Attitude of the authorities, the NKVD, towards Poles:
The attitude of the NKVD was exceedingly unfavorable, arrogant, and inhumane. Especially during the transports and prison evacuations.
8. Medical assistance, hospitals, mortality:
The medical assistance provided was not up to scratch, it was sluggish and there were no medicines at all (most common diseases: avitaminosis, scurvy, typhus). The number of deaths is unknown because prisoners changed cells very often.
9. Was it possible to keep in touch with the home country and your family?
I had no contact with my family because the outbreak of the Russian-German war made it absolutely impossible to communicate with the home country.
10. When were you released and how did you join the army?
I was released by virtue of the amnesty on 21 January 1942 and sent by the wojenkomat [drafting committee] to Chelyabinsk to appear before a military draft board.
In 1942, I traveled from Chelyabinsk to Lugovoy, where on 8 March 1942 I joined the Polish army, the 28th Infantry Regiment of the 10th Infantry Division, 1st MMG Company.