Erwin Zwerschina

"One hot August day, our street was taken over by guards carrying assault rifles. What a horror. It was clear to us immediately that now, it was our turn to be expelled. My uncle told me: 'Run quickly to Imperial to cpt. Pankrato.' I ran through the rear side. Drahovice are placed on a hill, so I had to start off rapidly. I was proud of myself for becoming a saviour. I started off quickly up the hill. I wasn't a good runner but I made it to the Imperial Hotel. Cpt. Pankrato jumped up in his uniform, got to his heavy black limousine, placed me on the back seat and we drove down towards our street. When we got there, cpt. Pankrato got out but there was no Czech revolutionary there anymore. This was the beginning of our expulsion, which took place on 2 October 1945. That day, me and my mother walked on foot via Sokolov and Cheb towards Bavaria. Wearing backpacks and briefcases."

"For a long time, there were no food stamps. When the Russians came, there was a long cue along the hospital fence. We used to pick nettles and make a salad out of them - previously, dogs peed on them. We stole potatoes from the farmers. When there was bread, one had to stand in the line at 3 a.m. already. Otherwise, when the baker opened up at 7, one couldn't get any more bread. It was completely normal to eat mouldy bread back then."