[1a] All those with przepustki from the L.O.P.P. or the O.P.L.⁸⁴⁴ went
on duty. The shops were closed. Everything went dead, but we did not see
any enemy aircraft. The alarm lasted until 12 noon, when it was called off
by the same signal. At 6 p.m., there was another alarm, which lasted till
8 in the evening, and duty watches were set up for the whole night. At 10 in
the evening, we heard on the radio that Polish cities such as Częstochowa,
Kraków, Toruń, Warsaw, and others had been bombed.
Saturday, 2 September. More reservists departed. At 8 a.m., another siren
sounded when aeroplanes were heard. It lasted until 12 noon. At 2 in the afternoon, reservists arrived from Łask, already with blue mobilisation cards. They
came on foot because the train for civilians was not running. They told us
that Sieradz, Łask, Zduńska Wola and Pabianice had been heavily damaged
by bombs from the aeroplanes. Many people also arrived from Łódź, fleeing
from the bombing in the city. [2] The Łódź Kaliska station had been smashed
to pieces. There was panic because the cars had not arrived in time.
Sunday, 3 September. More sirens. Enemy aeroplanes appeared and
dropped bombs on parts of the town like Osiny, the railway station, and Młynar
ska Street. Many people were killed and many wounded. That night
another alarm, but nothing happened and no aeroplanes were seen.
Monday, 4 September. More sirens. Aeroplanes re-appeared, dropped
bombs and caused casualties. The shops were closed and the population hid
in the shelters. For fear of the bombs, the inhabitants began to flee to the surrounding villages. Transportation came to a complete standstill, and there
was no electricity. In the evening, my in-law Landsberg and his wife arrived
on foot from Sieradz. They had abandoned everything and told us that the
Germans had already taken Wieluń, Częstochowa,⁸⁴⁵ etc., and that Sieradz
and the surroundings had been bombed on Saturday.
[2a] Tuesday, 5 September. There was no market. Sirens were heard and
aeroplanes flew overhead. The population fled to the villages. The city looked
dead, a “remarkable” sight. A Christian, Warda, drove in from the village of
Skaratki,⁸⁴⁶ bringing potatoes to sell. Not finding any customers and wanting
to buy a sweater for himself, he came to me and offered to take us to the
844 Abbreviations in Polish, in Latin characters.
845 Wieluń was taken by the Germans on 2 September; Częstochowa on 3 September.
846 Skaratki (Łowicz County).
