Genowefa Jaskólska
Class 6
What do the mass graves tell us?
Our homeland suffered a lot during the six years of German occupation. The Germans left many graves on our land.
In the first year of the war, when the Germans entered Poland, Polish soldiers were hiding in the forests. People from one village provided them with food. The Germans found out about it. The next day at the break of dawn, they surrounded that village and went into every house. They took all the men and boys over sixteen. They marched them to the edge of the village. There was a big barn at one farmer’s place. The Germans drove the people into the barn, surrounded it so that no one would escape, and set it on fire. When those inside noticed that the barn was on fire, they started to tear off the boards and flee, but those who managed to get out were immediately killed. The Germans had several farmers from another village dig a large pit. They threw the corpses into the pit and made a mass grave.
In another village people went to church on Good Friday. Then gendarmes arrived in a car, surrounded the church, rushed inside and killed 20 people. They ordered everybody to watch the execution. Those who refused were also killed. The Germans prepared a big grave near the church. This is how Poland suffered during the war with the Germans.