Václav Topš

"We all were smokers. We had some Taras Bulba or some other tobacco, but we didn’t have any lighter, no way a lighter. But we didn’t even have the matches. And he said: ´Don’t you worry.´ He took out a comb made out of celluloid, not a plastic one. He took a small piece of glass and started to rub it against the celluloid. He scraped fluff as big as a bee worm. Then he pulled a yarn from a blanket (you could only use the wool kind of blanket). He spread the fabric wide filled it up with the rubbed comb stuff and created sort of a cone out of it. Then he put it on the floor and started to run with the shoe over it. It usually took about five or ten minutes, but we were ready...And then it made this wheee sound and a tiny fire appeared. We quickly lighted one cigarette and that was it, we could smoke."

"They were going to and from work by bus every day from Mnichovo Hradiste town. They were leaving every day at 5 o’clock. Once when they were gathering at the bus stop a huge bang came from the nearby mine field. This lieutenant named Vlcek who was in charge of it went there too se what happened without getting the map of the field. Unfortunately everything was covered with snow and he stepped on the mine. It ripped his leg all the way up here, like this high...And now what? Nobody went to get him there, because we could also step on some mine especially if we didn’t know it there. So me and one other boy, I don’t remember his name anymore, went to get him out. Luckily we managed to pull him out to the bus stop. All the officers had to get off the bus and he went to the hospital in Mlada Boleslav town. The doctors must have amputated his leg like this, which is the best length for the peg-leg, because you can even dance like this...Just imagine, he was teaching English language, so he was so important to the army they would released him even with his duplicate leg."

Contents: Mr. Tops and his friends namely Vyckal, Franta Kamp, Ada Petrovsky and Joseph Charvatek were thinking about escaping from the labor camp. One of them came with the idea to use the Tatra 111 truck for that. They made a plan how to steel the truck. Mr. Tops was supposed to leave with them, but at the end something stopped him. His friend managed to escape in deed and for some time they were free, but they were caught again eventually.

"I also remember when the Jews marched in a row from the train station. Although it was warm outside they were wearing fur coats, because they were allowed to take only up to 30 kilos of their stuff or something like that. And they carried those luggages. But it was for nothing, because the Germans took everything from them later anyway. They carried their kids too. It wasn’t really pleasant to watch them. The Germans marked each of the barracks buildings with the A, B, or C and the Jews were not allowed to visit each other in the buildings..."

"I have been arrested in Ruzyne prison for almost a year. They used a lot of violence on me like solitary cell, torture, beating, hunger and all kinds of things..., psychic force. I wasn’t allowed to be sitting or lying. I had to walk all the time. They used to wake me up in the middle of the night beating and everything. There was one STB agents who was in charge of me and have couple of other agents who helped him. They swap every two or three hours. It was never ending, only the people were changing. Once I was on hunger strike for four days before they found out about it. Then they would bring their lunches with them. It smelled sooooo good and they just tortured you by eating it in front of you saying: See, if you would have told the truth, you’d be eating this with us now!"

Contents: It’s about the Romany who served the army in Zatec town at the time when Mr. Tops was there. It’s about the kind of life the Romany led in Zatec. How they used the wooden floor for warming themselves up, how they got drunk, how they fought against each other. The police had to ask the military police for help several times as they fought. It’s also about the national constitution in the army.

Could you tell me with your own words about the arrest itself and the following lock up in Ruzyne jail? "I was at work in the armory so I could easily take any gun or machine gun and shoot them like the other two boys did it, but I wouldn’t even think about it. There were all kinds of different guns there, because the soldiers to be had to learn to use all of them. For an example English weapons, German guns, Walter etc. Anyway, I was at work when my chief Mr. Vlcek accompanied by Mr. Sevcik - the commander of the whole unit came to me saying: ´So comrade, take only your private stuff and leave everything else here you’ll go to Prague now to extend your drivers license for the bus driver permit.´ I went without the cuffs carrying only a box with toilet paper and a toot brush. The Tatraplan limo was waiting for us outside and next to it two KGB (Committee for State Security) agents. They brought me to the car, opened the door for me and said: ´You’re under arrest, rowdy! Then they put the cuffs on my hands and legs covered my eyes and on top of that covered my whole body with their rain coat. So nobody could see if there is someone in the car or not. But that was completely useless. And off we went, but I had no idea where they’re taking me to."