Stefan Dygas
Class 7
Elementary School in Podkonice
Rzeczniów Commune, Iłża District
20 November 1946
My most memorable moment from the occupation
There was a forest not far from us, and near that forest was a village. Many partisans were stationed in the forest. One time, they killed several Germans, while the rest of the soldiers fled. People did not expect that any misfortune would come from this. The Germans positioned themselves in the fields and started shooting at the partisans in the forest. The partisans fought for a while but had to retreat because they were too few in number. The Germans burned the village and took the residents’ belongings. The people they captured were taken to Iłża, where they were forced to dig a pit. They were then pushed into it and killed. I was very distressed because my uncle was in this group. Two of his sons managed to escape, but my uncle and his daughter were captured and taken near Kraków, where they were finally released. This moment is memorable for me because I saw people fleeing from the village. I heard the screams and the sound of German rifles and grenades. The village burned until evening and throughout the night. It was a terrifying moment for me and for everyone.