been pushed 70 km back from Warsaw. And many people did go back to Warsaw. We didn’t believe the news. We knew the main radio station in Raszyn255 was already in German hands and we took all the announcements as German provocation.
We set off for Siedlce,256 where we hoped to be able to have a rest because one of us had a relative there, a cart driver. We also dreamt of getting hold of a horse and cart there so that we wouldn’t have to continue our journey on foot. In the meantime, it was dreadfully hard going. German bombers appeared. First, we saw a Polish fighter on the horizon, and after it came a whole fleet of German bombers. It was Friday. We stopped by a stream to rest and bathe. All of a sudden, German bombers swooped down over our headsand fired at us with machine guns from quite low down, no higher than the treetops. We scattered into the bushes, losing touch with each other. Oncethe planes had disappeared, our whole group got back together with no one missing, but all around us we saw people who had not got up. Also, many people had discarded their rucksacks, suitcases, and other belongings. We ran on, but the road became more dangerous because of the German planes circling overhead. We moved 100 metres off the road, went into [6] a peasant’shut, and decided to wait and move only at night when the planes weren’t flying. We got to Siedlce on Friday evening. The town was full of fugitives. It was impossible to find our friend’s relative because the whole town was in flames. The streets were covered in glass and rubble. From the houses we could hear cries of people trapped under the rubble. No one stopped or gave any thought to rescuing them. Quickly, without any rest, we ran from the town. We felt unbearably hot. We pushed on towards Międzyrzec.257 It was just before dawn
