Jana Singerová

“He actually ended it by bombing Dresden, when he was standing with that train just outside Dresden. He said that the train was completely jumping, what was the force of the pressure. There he decided to return home, to leave. It probably was not overnight, because he had to go back to his base station, Gőrlitz, and secretly take his things and walk home. It was February. I know that the raid on Dresden was in February. Dad always walked only at night; he hid during the day and did not come home until April. He was in very bad shape and still risked being taken away. There was a wonderful head doctor at the Paka hospital. He offered to take Dad to the hospital as he was wounded anyway. He had to go for a medical check anyway, as he was not well after that trip. And so he lived to see the end of the war.”

"Here he drove a locomotive and again worked as a stoker. He had the best certificates, so he could also work as a machinist. Because he was the youngest employee who came, and they were obliged to send I don't know how many people, but my father was among them, to work in Germany. I already know this for sure: my father was assigned to the main station in Gőrlitz - what is the name of Gőrlitz in Czech?" - "Zhořelec." - "Yes, to Zhořelec, and throughout the war he travelled with weapons to the Eastern Front. We didn't even think about it, we children, mom did. Mom just had a really hard time. That was such a risky job, I only realized that later."