Irena Hartigová

"A Marie Halamová from Harrachov came and I said: 'Marie, you're soiled, how come?' - 'I had no time to wash, Hartigová, don't you know what's up?' I said, 'What's up?' - 'Come on, the Russians are rolling in!' We came to the factory and had a meeting. The CEO told us the Russians were coming and to go home. I heard airplanes. I walked home by the chapel crying - what about my children?! My mum was downstairs watching them. I came and asked my mum: 'Where are the children?' 'They took the money and went to buy salt and sugar.' I was scared. It was one day, and then we went to work again. One woman didn't even listen to the meeting; she came home, packed up and left the country."

"I got a Hitler Youth form for my granpa to sign. I took it home and said, 'Grandpa, this is for you to sign.' He ripped it in two. I said, 'What do I tell them, Grandpa?' - 'Well tell them I tore it up!' The teacher asked for it. I gave it to him and said: 'Grandpa tore it up.' He got up, he had a little hump, and yelled: 'Du Böhmische Hund, you Czech dog! Go tell your grandpa that once the war is over and we win, he'll be the first we shoot standing on the chimney.' I told Grandpa, and he said, 'Just let him come and shoot me, it doesn't matter, but you're not going there.' I studied as hard as I could, my aunt taught me German, but she said, this is not going to work, you can't do this at home... and they had me fail again anyway." - "How did he punish you?" - "How did he punish me? He kicked me until my butt was blue. He kept me in until seven o'clock when the cleaning lady came and let me out. My parents were already running around, asking the neighbours if they'd seen me, and that's when I came in. That's how he punished me. He had instructed the gendarmes. They were stationed by the ČSAD plant where the German school was and they were watching us. I walked with Poldík because we lived close and went to school together. They watched us to see if we did the Nazi salute. When we forgot to, they wouldn't let us in, not even the boy, and had us stand outside in the cold in the hall for a long time."