Antonie Robová

“There were the so-called death transports, those were cattle wagons, that means closed wagons with these tiny barred windows. And that’s what they used to transport those people. Believe it or not, when I think about this… They would stick out their skinny little hands through the bars towards us, to try and get something from us. But you know, there were Germans walking around all the time. There were so many people at the train station. They did have pieces of bread in their pockets, they did have potatoes and what not but they couldn’t give them anything, the Germans would shoot them all so what happened? They used us kids again. We can squeeze everywhere and we’re cheeky without realizing the danger, that was the point, we didn’t realize what could happen to us so we climbed under there through the other side, away from Hrombaba, to the back of the wagons. But we couldn’t reach all the way up, they couldn’t reach all the way down, it was too high up, so we stood on each other’s shoulders or we threw the food up at them. I have to say, that I did see this soldier, who was just a boy, I don’t know whether he felt sorry for us, the children, or if he felt sorry for those poor people in the wagons, I really don’t know, and he didn’t shoot us, he just pretended he didn’t see us at all.”

“I had no idea, I’m telling you right away, that I was collaborating with some resistance movement or that I was bringing food to partisans, not at all! People didn’t talk about it, of course. So I would bring them food in a basket, that’s true, but I had no idea who they were. And it’s true that after the war I got to meet them. That was so nice! Her name was Emilka Macáková, she would find the food for them and clothing and that sort of things. And then I saw her, Emilka with a man, and he had a ring of sausages around his neck. And Emilka says to him: “Look Vasilij, that’s the little girl who used to bring you food.” You know, lots of hugging. And what I liked a lot is that he gave me the ring of sausages.”