CZ7 Digging graves

Narrator: a nephew of Dean Kvapil
Reporter: Heike Knapova

(Memory of Dean Kvapil`s nephew, who was executed by the German Gestapo)

After my uncle Frantisek Kvapil had been arrested our village Zelec was surrounded by German soldiers. Dean Kvapil came from this village - he had his relatives there and they still live there today. Every house was searched because Kvapil was reported to the police allegedly possessing guns. This was shortly after Heydrich's assassination. The whole thing lasted for 9 days; our first daughter was one year old at that time.

Later when the war front was in our area we had to dig graves for the Russians and the Germans. There were smashed windows everywhere. When we went out into the street we were taken by the Germans and we had to dig graves until half past twelve in the night.