P9 My father’s story

Narrator: Mr Wilk Reporter: Dawid Wilk

I was born in Łebki, in 1937. My father worked as a farmer and he also worked in a forest. He was a member of the National Army. On these lands during the time of the war there was underground army under the command of Mr Joseph Janik whose pseudonym was ANGEL. In 1944 there was dropped landing operation, in which were Russians and six Germans. It was the period of late autumn when near the village called Pludry there was the first throw without disturbances, they knew that they had to meet Mr John Wilk who lived in Łebki. This worked out without any problems and according to plans. My father joined a group of the National Army then.

The time passed and the second part of Russian soldiers was dropped. Among them there were two women who were attacked by German soldiers. They were able to run away to Pawanków to a miller and hide in a barn. They were found there. One of Russians was injured. Luckily he was able to away and he reached the village called Łebki. My father met him with group of the National Army and they took him to hospital or to a doctor’s- I don’t know.

The two women put the grenades under their bodies and they died (grenades tore their bodies) and two Russians lost their legs then. The rest of them were murdered. These two Russians who had survived were taken by German soldiers and they started questioning them. They revealed with whom and where they were joined and who had helped them.

It was in December 1944. All occupants of Łebki (it was a small village - about 16 occupants) were called in. They did not call only my father because he had been able to run away. When all inhabitants were present they brought in my father and the rest were told to just go. From the village Herby he was taken by the Gestapo to the SS-Office in Blachownia and there they tortured him. He was maltreated to unconsciousness, but he did not say them anything. He was hanged with his hands upside-down, when he lost his consciousness they lowered him down onto the ground and went away. After some time when he regained consciousness he managed to run away.

He came to our house in the early morning. He was naked, he washed himself and he dressed. He was taken by cart to Mr Joseph Pyka in Lubockie. In the morning Gestapo noticed that he had vanished. They wanted to take away all our family to Auschwitz. But father had told mum to run away because he knew that they would pursue him. Father spent some time in Mr Pyka’s cowshed with his horses and recovered. Then father learned that Mr Pyka was taken by the Secret Police to Lubliniec and there was beaten so horribly that he died after three months. That’s all I can recall.