Bohumír Baxa

"His initial courage and determination to defend himself transformed into an understanding he wouldn't be able to defend anyone. He changed his mind on the situation and was considering where to place the gun. Since we had bee hives behid the workshop, he threw it into one of them and closed it. Then he walked towards the workshop. In the meantime, they arrived. I don't know exactly what was the turn of events but I was there and grandma was crying. I went up to the house which was in a terrible state. Everything was thrown out. My father had such a beautiful black desk that he made himself. On the sides, it had trays with doors and a drawer in the middle. On top, it was lined with a black frame, with textile in between. All of that was thrown out. When he returned, he didn't talk about it. Nobody felt like talking about it. But I recall this and my grandma saying they were looking for a transmitter. I don't know whether there was one."

"My mum received an order to pack my and my sister's luggage. In Svatobořice, they even placed newly-borns there. They made no distinction. I don't know how it happened that mum left without us. The SS-men who came to take away mum, grandpa and grandma told us they'd take care of us. We had to say goodbye. Our stuff was packed. What was next, I do not recall. There is a gap in my memory. I really don't know where I was and how long. In the end, they didn't take us with mum to the camp because the people who arrested her already knew that we were suitable for re-education in the German Reich. They had investigated whether we were of Jewish origin. This saved us."