1. Personal data (name, surname, rank, age, occupation, and marital status):
Corporal Stanisław Gralak, born on 14 June 1915, farmer, bachelor.
2. Date and circumstances of the arrest:
I was interned in Lithuania in a camp in the town of Vilkaviškis.
3. Name of the camp, prison, place of forced labor:
On 10 July 1940, after the Soviet authorities had occupied Lithuania, I was transferred deep into Russia to the Yukhnov camp, located 160 km away from Moscow.
4. Description of the camp, prison:
The Yukhnov camp was situated by a small river in the forest. It was inhabited by about three thousand Poles (soldiers). The buildings were warm and heated, the housing conditions were acceptable. The hygiene was quite acceptable, and observed by the Soviet authorities.
5. Social composition of prisoners, POWs, deportees:
The camp comprised about three thousand internees from Lithuania and Latvia, of Polish nationality. The internees were officer cadets, non-commissioned officers, privates, several dozen students volunteering in the Polish Army, and several dozen civilians. The intellectual and moral standing was quite high, people had patriotic views. Mutual relations were very good.
6. Life in the camp, prison:
We lived in the camp and were not forced to work, except for those who voluntarily wanted to work in the camp area without any remuneration, only for food bonuses. If your clothes were worn out, you got new ones. Acceptable food. Very good social life. People always advised and helped one another. There was a Soviet library in the camp.
7. Attitude of the NKVD towards Poles:
The NKVD were quite kind towards Poles. Interrogations were very detailed, especially those concerning Poles occupying important positions in Poland. Propaganda was so widespread that it was supported even by some Poles (but what kind of Poles?) who claimed that we would have a Soviet Poland by means of revolution.
News concerning Poland was very negative, e.g. that Poland would never rise again.
8. Medical assistance, hospitals, mortality:
Quite far-sighted medical and hospital help. Very low mortality.
9. Was it possible to keep in touch with the home country and your family?
After three months we were allowed to write letters to our families living in areas of Poland occupied by the Germans and the Bolsheviks, thanks to which we received valuable information.
10. When were you released and how did you join the army?
I lived like that until 1 June 1941. Everything changed that day. We were transferred from the camp to the Kola Peninsula, where we arrived after a month, hungry and cold. On the Kola Peninsula, we were taken 12 km away from the local port, and corralled in the marshy tundra, under the open sky. We received food for five days in advance, but it was only enough for a day and then only when we tried hard. We were also forced to work for 12 hours without a break, building an airport in the tundra, without the fortification given by food. After twelve hours, we slept outdoors, cold and hungry. Fortunately after 14 days of living in such conditions, on 28 July 1941, we were taken through Arkhangelsk to Suzdal, where we gradually received more food and were not forced to work. On 24 August 1941, after Colonel Sulik-Sarnowski had arrived, I was enlisted into the Polish Army. On 1 September, I officially joined the Polish Army, the 5th Infantry Division in Tatischevo.
Place of stay, 22 February 1943