Antonie Militká

In that time the transport already went from there. People went and didn´t know where are they going. First transports appeared already, at night at the train station. First, they led them to the street Merhautova, to the school which stood there. There was the gathering. After day or two when Germans inspected their luggage if they all have a maximum of thirty kilos ... In the meantime those people stayed in the gym. And then they went do Židenice station - at two o'clock at night, so the least people could see them. There were wagons, sometimes passenger, sometimes for cattle. Nobody knew where they went.

Transports were running and we were in a "Transportleitung" and we had to help. Because the transports were dispatched to Theresienstadt, back, and of course there have been a lot of Poles, Germans and other nationalities. They all came to Theresienstadt. They gathered them everywhere and brought to Theresienstadt. The wagons were awful - seventy people in one wagon, and only twenty living. Fifty were dead. And the bodies had to be pulled out and taken away. The food and everything, it was miserable. Some of the Poles, poor them, they even weren´t people anymore. Only bones held them together somehow. The Theresienstadt was not ready yet. For example a soup was poured into barrels to give it to them. So they stood there for a while and suddenly began to beat to get to eat. So they upset the soup and did not have anything. And so on - it was life-threatening. And they brought serious illnesses - typhoid and everything.

My friend, who was my primary schoolmate - her father was still in the Jewish community in Legionary street. The Gestapo men were among them and made transports. They work was simple work: they came to (Jewish) community and wanted registrar. Thus they got all the information. The Gestapo had hired people who have not been in transportation yet, and they had to make records transports, numbering, etc. And in that time my friend came and said: "Tonička, dad works at the Jewish community. There is a list of transport, which is called CY. I'm on the registered in that list and so are you." She told me this in January 1943. I asked: "Is there anyone else from my family?" She replied: "No, nor from my family. From our families only we are there." So I said: "Liduška, what shall I do? "And she said: "We can have thirty kilos of baggage, so you have to prepare." I replied: "Well, if it's possible, I will." We came to our house through the garden, and I told her: "Liduška, there´s only one thing I ask of you – don´t say anything to my parents." This was in January. It was snow and ice. "As it should be in April and who knows what may happen till that day, so do not say anything to them please. And every day, they won´t know I'm in transportation, every that day is better for them."

They led us to Holešov station. They led us before three o'clock at night so as little as possible people could saw us through the window. At this time, it wasn´t also likely that someone will go in the streets. So we went to the station. We were one hundred and fifty men. Gestapo men accompanied us. Suddenly I saw my father standing at the bus stop, there were also others - mothers and fathers. They learned in Prague (Jewish) community that the transport goes around that stop. They pretended they were waiting for the tram. And as we walked, I suddenly saw my father among them. He ran into the line and gave me a packet of drugs, wool and everything else he got or was advised in the Prague community. He hugged me and one Gestapo officer told him: "You can come with us! You can come with us! If you do not leave immediately, you´ll come with us!" But dad didn´t want to leave, he had not the strength to leave. And I told him: "Dad, go, please go, you can not go with us, you can not! Mommy is home, and Karlíček also, you have to save them! Do not worry, nothing will happen to me." So after all he left because he realized that wherever he steps, right, left, it´s awful everywhere. He waved to me yet and this was the last time we´ve seen each other.