Bedřich Kyselka

“I was wounded in Poland. The Germans surrounded us and we were almost annihilated. We were saved by the Red Army. I had this hole over there. There were medics going around so they picked us up and took us to the field hospital. Which was this tent in the woods, they gave us an injection and that was it. The next day they took us to Poland, away from the front lines to some hospital. I spent maybe two months there. It was just awful. After they took us to Poland they dropped us off right there. At this stable where the Germans kept their horses. It was some kind of a community centre. They dropped us off in front of it. There were Russians. They dropped us off, it was dark. There was just screaming and crying, there was no light. There were soldiers with no arms, with no legs, some were delirious from fever. And there were nurses but they would just redress the wound and give you tetanus vaccine, that was it. And those who made it, made it, and those who didn't, just didn't.”

“I saw Jews being murdered. It happened while the Germans were there. They were merchants, traders, who bought stuff like ruits or poultry from us and we bought what we needed from them. Food and some other things. They treated them like animals. They had to dig this mass grave and they had to stand inside it and after that some German came and gunned them down. They fell into the grave and there was a next wave. They were doing that openly. They would take them out of the village, they executed them and that was it.”

“As my parents wrote to me that I should occupy a farm in that area, I seized one for myself. And it was good, as long as the Germans were there, but after they had been expelled, I had to do all the work myself which was not so good. “ - “Can you recall the Germans being expelled?” - “Those people had such unpleasant, such a terrible time. As they complied with our wishes in every way. They welcomed us, they gave us accommodation, they were cooperating.” - “How did you manage the farm after the Germans left?” - “It was really hard. Then my parents came, so I let them take care of it and I left for Karlovy Vary, where I have been living to this day.”

“I had to join the military police. It was quite difficult, as we had to escort the convicts and others... we had to watch over them, they were all deserters. As it had been a penal unit. They were not executed. They sent them on a mission and if they had succeeded they could even win their freedom.” - “You mean like suicide attacks, some dangerous missions?” - “Yes, exactly. If things went bad, they called the penal company. And we had to escort them.” - “So it was like you were being punished, right?” - “For us, it was quite a hideous experience.”

“As we were living in Kupychiv, the front line had been overturned near Moscow, the Red Army advanced swiftly and had been pushing the Germans back. The front line was getting closer to us, to Kupychiv. We were afraid. We learned that there was this Czech army being organized under the command of general Svoboda. So they had selected four people and sent them across the German lines to the Soviet side. They contacted general Svoboda and told him that there were many Czechs in our region, young and equipped with arms. We were armed, as we had to defend ourselves. So the general gave them ten Czech soldiers who crossed the Soviet and German lines back to Kupychiv and we were enlisted. Then next day we departed. There were women and children with us as we headed to the other side.” - “And you also had a gun back then?” - “We had guns.” - “And were you ready to shoot? As you were quite young.” - “We have been defending yourselves with guns in our hands.” - “And how old were you?” - “Eighteen.”