evident. There were long, long queues of men and women outside the food stores – state stores, of course, not private shops. It is worth noting that there was no shortage of food – neither when Lvov was being shelled by the Germans, nor even later, when the Germans were already in the city. Nevertheless, there was great anxiety, especially [2] among the Jewish population. Everyone clearly understood that the situation could turn very ugly for the Jews if the Soviets had to abandon Lvov. Apart from the Germans themselves, there was great fear of the Lvov Poles and Ukrainians. The latter had already been sharpening their teeth against the Jewish population, although no one yet knew the outcome of the war nor anything about the relative situation of the two belligerents. Nonetheless, the Jewish population was saddened and depressed, whereas the Ukrainians and Poles were in a sanguine mood.
Meanwhile, there was great confusion in the city. The streets were filled with troop units moving back and forth. At the same time [3] all cars and wagons in Lvov were confiscated. The early morning bombardment ceased during the day. The bombers had been driven off by Russian airmen who engaged them in aerial combat, as well by the large numbers of zenitówki deployed throughout the city. In the first days, the Russian defence of Lvov showed great strength and power, so the population tended to believe that the German attack was sure to break down, especially as the Soviet troops themselves shouted to people: “We are marching on Warsaw!” The Soviet counterattack, [4] both in the air and on the ground outside Lvov, really was very strong. The strongest and heaviest formations which the Soviets possessed were deployed at the front. Their heaviest tanks went into battle. And yet the unexpected and unforeseen, especially for the Jews, came to pass. On the eighth day of the offensive, the anxiety of the population was growing and the tension was great. Everybody already knew that Lvov’s civilian authorities, as well as many political commissars, were leaving the city in the direction of Kiev. On that day the traffic of private and military vehicles was very dense, and all of them were heading for Kiev. It was also plain to see [5] that troops were moving in the same direction. It was now clear to everyone that the Russians were abandoning the city. At the same time, the German artillery barrage was growing stronger, and it continued throughout the night until the morning of the ninth day.
On the morning of the ninth day, i.e. on the ninth day of the German offensive, the first German formations entered the city. The Jewish population
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