only bundles to carry on their backs and left the town on foot. One could see
numerous groups of Jews leaving Kalisz with bags on their backs and with
their wives and children marching at their side. They marched along the
roads leading to Łódź, Warsaw, or to other towns and cities located farther
east. None of those people knew if leaving their homes and property to their
fate was the right thing to do. Few people tried to logically persuade themselves
against such a step. The escape psychosis simply [7] infected everybody.
The population [. . .] whoever remains [will be?] in danger of certain [death?].
And so during those days preceding the outbreak of the war, three quarters
[. . .] left the town and started their wandering, and Kalisz, deserted and
silent, awaited the further course of events.
(12 July 1941)
[1] II. September 1939. Koło
Succumbing to the general psychosis, we left Kalisz on the day of the outbreak
of the war and we travelled on a cart piled to the brim toward Koło, a town
located 64 km from Kalisz. The news of the outbreak of the war did not surprise
anybody because everybody had expected it. In Koło there were already
many refugees from the towns of Pomerania and from the Poznań region.
Everybody was convinced that Koło was entirely safe, as it lacked any military
objectives. A large number of refugees from the west had streamed into
the town and moved in with their relatives and friends.
As early as on the Saturday of 2 September no newspapers were delivered
to Koło. News came in only via the radio. We learned that the enemy was
bombing a number of cities, including Warsaw, Poznań, Kraków, Częstochowa,
etc. We then heard that England had declared war on Germany.¹¹²⁶ The radio
gave information about the course of the subsequent demonstration organised
outside the British embassy. We heard the crowd assembled outside the
embassy chanting, “Hail to England!” and “Away with Hitler!” We also heard
the speech of the English ambassador, who spoke in broken Polish about
brotherhood-in-arms and destruction of the common enemy.
An anti-aircraft state of emergency was introduced in Koło. The time people
could stay outside their homes was limited, windows were blackened out,
and guard was kept night and day on the tower of the town hall to look out
1126 Great Britain declared war on Germany on 3 September.
