Poppa gathered us all together, “Everyone please listen up, and here is the plan. At first light, seeing we have no other alternative, we will have to try to make tracks, and flee from the danger. In the hours of darkness, the men will pack up the cars, and trucks we have, along with the wagons we have available to us. Anything we can use to travel. We all stick together does everyone understand? We are going to bring all the other Jews we have taken in. They are our extended family. We have forty people or more to organize, so please, consider bringing only what we really need.” He pointed to three men, and nominated them as in charge of groups, and people began to congregate to them. My Abram was one of them.
Four am came too soon and we were already all pulling out - down our driveway, in one large caravan, Abram in the lead. I was looking back at our farm as we left, praying we would be returning soon. And then disaster struck - before we even made it to the end of the driveway to our farm, the war we had hoped would be held off, had reached Kutno, my beloved hometown. German planes appeared, and were now dropping bombs on our fair town, in a coordinated attack. Deafening explosions erupted as their synchronized attack proceeded – which meant a huge firestorm laid ahead, as the dropping bombs continued to strike their intended targets and exploded with such power. Soon, the city was ablaze. Flames higher than I had ever witnessed, as the buildings themselves caught fire. It was still semi-dark, so it made the fires quite stark and shocking.
But there were so many fires it did not seem possible planes could bring such destruction, the sky was completely lit up. My ears were ringing from each new exploding bomb since we were only about two-miles out of town. There was no hesitation whether or not we should stop, my father-in-law said, “Abram keep going, head away from town, we have to get out of here!”
By this time, Abiela would not stop crying, I tried comforting her, to no avail. I do love her so, but even I could not take her crying at the moment, I was on edged, so scared. Abram was driving, paying no attention to me. I was in the car with us were his parents, and his cousin. In addition to the human cargo, our stuff, we could not afford the space, so we did not bring much along with us. Mainly the clothes on our back, and our valuables.
We took a road that took us away from town; in order to avoid the fighting and mayhem. In the pre-dawn gloom, we could see the town burst into flames – Abram’s father began to weep when he realized that the store and his house could possibly have been completely destroyed in this ruthless attack. There really was nothing we could say to console him. I reached out and hugged him tightly, comfort him, and say to him, not to worry, because everything was going to turn out just fine. I think ever than I think even then, I knew that would be a complete lie. As we looked at one another, I think we were all thinking the very same thing, but none of us dared to articulate our true feelings since it would not help. My adrenaline was on overload - I wanted to scream out! I had so much fear, anger building up - I was scared for all our lives. I was like a pressure cooker, needed to go off. It was taking every fiber in my body to hold it together, I really was not sure that I could.
He was hard to look at when I could see such hurt, so much pain in his face but yet I was discovering I was incapable of peeling my eyes away from seeing the utter carnage of our town. The town I was born in being so viciously attacked I it t dawned on me, that my parents might had also lost everything in the attack as well. We did not want to be spotted, so each car turned off all headlights, soon more than a few cars from town were fleeing ahead of the German attack were added to our own caravan. There was a huge rag tag caravan forming both behind us, and ahead of us. I guess I not blame them.
Behind us, the German large bombers that brought us so much destruction into our lives and now large planes dropping off hundreds of paratroopers came into sight. Their white parachutes dotted the skies off to the east towards town. Probably to take complete control of our town. I knew we made the right choice in leaving.
The horrible destructive war, that I foresaw more than a year ago had stepped out of my dreams, and arrived in reality at our doorstep. The German’s were cutting off our troops by not just coming at the country in just one direct attack. They had our country surrounded on nearly three sides, trapping surrender our troops. Forcing mass.
I glanced over at Abram - his forehead was coated in sweat the blank lifeless look I completely understood. He was transfixed on the steering wheel, as a fast moving fighter plane flew right over our convoy - sadly, I knew being found was not good. I could hear the loud wine of its engine. With all the accumulation of cars that had added to our convoy, they made us lose our ability to hide, and we became sitting ducks, slowing the speed at which we could travel otherwise.
One emotion I experienced because of this was annoyance – I feared for the security of my own family. I began blaming the fellow residents of my town for the attack. Bullets from the plane's machine guns began rapidly striking cars right down the line including our own. I was hyperventilating. Without having to think it though, my motherly instincts were quickly kicking in. I tried my best to protect my daughter, by shielding her, the best I could. I did not want anything to happen to her - she was so young, so innocent, she had not sinned in her God's eyes, and she had a whole life she deserved to live. The noise around me was so deafening - he power and heat, and sheer speed and power of each bullet ripped through the car’s thin metal roof. The bullets pelted the whole length of the car in just seconds. And then it was over, or so I had thought.
Just before the bullets reached our car, in the rear view mirror, Abram saw what had been coming our way, Abram scream, “Everybody get down and stay down!”
Miraculously luckily, for us, none of the car’s occupants ended up being hit by bullets. We all felt so fortunate, and I am sure we each silent gave thanks to God. The car’s back windshield was completely blown out by the attack - we were all pelted with little pieces of glass from the car. I began screaming. I was hit by small pieces of busted glass that hit my back. The plane passed overhead and rapidly turned. I was trying to keep a close eye on the whereabouts of this fighter plane - I was worried the plane would come back on us for a second attack!
Then I saw the plane making yet another fly by barely giving any of us time to catch our breath. “Everyone get down the plane’s coming back again!”
I could not help myself I screamed. The German plane’s tactics had altered on this pass. We were not going to get off so easily - it dropped a bomb. The bomb struck two separate cars - six cars directly up from us. My ears were buzzing as the reverberation of the explosion hit us. The heat from the explosion was hotter than any fire I had ever felt – it washed over the car in a boom. I was thrown back, hard against the car seat. Bits of different shards of hot metal from the exploding cars flew everywhere. I was hit in my right arm by a large piece I was too much in shock at the time to have even felt it, not realizing it until later. We were all bewildered, in sort of an odd daze - a haze as time had slowed down somehow, it was as if I stepped out of my body temporarily and was now looking back. I was unable to hear - anything. I gradually turned my head and looked at everyone else in the car -I was trying to make sense of what was happening. There was such fright written on all their faces. Their eyes were wide with terror; they looked right through me as if I was not even there. I probably was doing the same. As I slowly started snapping out of the fog that was currently encompassing me, the noise poured back in - extremely loud, my ears ringing. I looked at the cars behind our car - just quickly looking back - it appeared that none of our family was caught in the last attack, but I could not say for certain if they were struck by any bullets.
We were not in the clear just yet, I think far from it. I looked around trying to think. The road was now completely being blocked - since it was a narrow road. Darn it, I thought we are all sitting ducks if we sit here. We will not be able to survive too many more passes.
I knew the plane was going to come back. The car directly ahead of us jus
t sat there. We were the lead car of the family I could see it was up to us to do something to try to save the family, or we would be endangering the rest of our convoy.
I said to my husband loudly, “Abram do something, we cannot just sit here like this. The plane could be coming back at anytime, next time he might not miss us - think of your daughter!” Abram was absolutely frozen with fear - it was as if he did not even hear what I was currently saying to him. I reached over and struck him across his face, slapping. That is when I noticed he was stuck in two places, his forehead, and cheek, about an inch below his left eye. I saw some blood coming from his forehead, but the slap did the trick, snapping him out of it. He cranked the steering wheel sharply to the left, jamming his foot down on the gas pedal, and with no thoroughfare available, he busted through a wooden fence leading to a pasture, full of grazing sheep. He aimed right for the sheep - it was them or us. Heading to the cover of the nearby forest of tall firs, he kept the speed up. I looked back. The rest of our family began following us.
Our three cars is all that made it to safety of the tree’s. We had three other cars and two wagons. The others were starting across the field, when a fighter plane showed up all over again. Dropping both bombs and then on another pass machine gun fire began scrapping the remanding of cars. They had been sitting ducks with no chance. I looked out and witnessed them all being cut down. Afterwards everything was still.
Abram did not bother slowing down until we were safely tucked away under the canopy of the trees. He was forced to weave in and out of the trees, trying to avoid smashing into one. We smashed into several large limbs, but we were brought to a complete halt when we collided head on into large boulder, which was hidden by large branches. I smashed my head into the dash.
We had come far enough that - it would had been hard for the plane to be able to spot our cars beneath the canopy of fir trees.
Abram’s dad yelled, “Get out of the car - you guys hurry up! Come on get out! Son hurry you had to go make sure everyone else gets out of their cars I will have Hana with me - now go.” We had to save what is left of our families. The other three cars all plowed in right behind us, since there was not a whole lot of room between the trees.
Abram - following his dad’s commands - ran back towards the other cars, getting everyone out of their vehicles. He went and aided my great uncle out of his truck - he was pinned in after being shot in right leg. I clutched on too my daughter as my husband’s Mom, dad, cousin all heard another plane coming our way, clearly gunning for us, determined to take out the whole convoy. The bullets started flying, and yet another bomb which missed the vehicles altogether.
Poppa yelled out stalwartly, “Everyone, get away from the vehicles as fast as you can, run into the woods take cover behind the trees - hide!”
What had seemed like an hour passing by was really only five - minutes, if even that! I felt like I was suddenly trapped in a horrible nightmare - this just could not be true. I ran straight into the woods holding tightly onto Abiela, I did not ever consider letting go of her. It was through this that for the first time I sincerely felt like a mother, I know now that I would be willing to give my own life to protect her. I knelt down and prayed we were going to not be hit. By this time, all of our nerves were quite frayed. I could hear the bullets zinging by, pelting everything around. The bullets started striking the cars it was clear, if we were too had stayed in the cars we would had all been killed. The plane passed by. I shouted, “Why don’t you stop, leave us all alone, we did nothing to any of you.” Then I began crying. I dropped to my knees again. We wondered if it was going to be returning for another pass. We all stayed at where we were, and just waited it out, definitely afraid to move about, paralyzed. We feared it was coming back and I could not stop my uncontrollable shaking.
It did not return. Probably out of ammunition, or it saw the explosion when the cars were hit and assumed we were caught. I thought the attack on us was over. Abiela had fallen asleep in all this chaos and clamor - so much drama had spread-out right in front of us, and she was sound asleep, God bless her little heart! I stood up, and began looking around. Everyone was glancing around, checking up on one another. We were all dazed, undoubtedly confused, and traumatized beyond belief. How could it be possible, how could one people attack another group of people that had been unarmed at the time, and without showing any scruples?
I spotted my father in close proximity to the car that had been directly behind the car I was riding in. He was kneeling down, hovering over someone, a woman.
Oh, my God, I thought, who is she? I started panicking when the reality came crashing down on top of me. A sickening feeling washed over me, that I already had the answer before I got over to him. I searched around for my Momma. Then I recognized the dress on the person he was hovering over. I ran over to Poppa, tears streaming from my face, “No, no Momma, Momma! Poppa is she going to be ok?”
Abram headed me off, as if he was defending his ground from the enemy. Before I was able to make it all the way over to my Poppa, Abram put his hands on my shoulders, holding firmly onto me, looking at me into my eyes. “No Hana, please don’t, sweetie I am sorry she’s passed on. I am so sorry!”
“I beg you to please let me go, please honey!”
He grabbed Abiela from me, so I could go to my Momma; he realized I needed to go.
I dropped to my knees directly in front of her, there was blood everywhere around her the bullets had torn though her - hitting her head, and back and arms. Poppa looked so lifeless, so completely helpless. It was as if he had not even noticed me sitting next to him, or accepting she was gone. Then I heard a soft crying coming from beneath Momma’s lifeless body that was facing down. Poppa ignored the sound all together, it was clear he was in shock.
“Poppa I have to roll Momma over, ok Poppa, I think your grandbaby is trapped underneath Momma.” I rolled my mother’s dead body over. She felt so strange, it was clear no life was left in her. It was the hardest thing I have ever done – then and in the time following. I had to get Poppa to let go of her hand, he did not want to let go. It looked like Momma had been clutching onto Marym’s youngest daughter at the time of the attack - her body had somehow successfully safeguarded her granddaughter, saving her young life. The greatest sacrifice one could make is it not. Marym was white as a ghost – she came and grabbed her daughter, tears streaming down her face. She saw, her baby was ok, checked her over and began wiping Momma’s blood from the child – and then I think she realized that Momma had given her own life to save her daughter.
I gently lifted my mother’s head up, and rested it in my lap. I gazed down at her, “Oh Momma, I need you!” Crying, I then whispered, “Oh Momma you dear, you saved her, you knew you were not both going to make it didn’t you?” I undid her hair from her bun, ran my hand through her long graying hair - to try to get some kind of comfort, as she always had done for me, and I her. “You did a real good thing Momma, a real good thing, I am so proud of you.”
Poppa kept saying “No, no, no, don’t leave me my love. How am I supposed to walk this earth without your love and wisdom? I do not blame you for saving my precious grandbaby. I am so proud of you. I would had done the same thing.”
I then whispered in her ear, “I promise I will take care of Poppa, he’ll need me to take care of him.” Poppa then bent down and kissed Momma on her lips, and began to break down. At this point seeing him like this, him and I cried harder than either of us had ever cried, in fact I had never seem my Poppa cry this hard. It was so unreal – in the quiet woods, kissing Momma goodbye. It didn’t seem right.
Hersz came running over to us. “We had to get going now everyone! We’re not safe here. I spotted soldiers, coming this way. They are going to be looking for us soon. The pilots probably reported back our location.” Abram and Hersz gathered everyone up. I gently put Momma down on the ground; I saw some wildflowers - the ones she liked. I picked a small bunch and then placed them in her arms, and said, “Goodbye Momma, I
love you,” knowing we would not be able to put her in the ground properly, like she so deserved, or according to our religion. I felt horrible just leaving her just like this. But I know that she would not want us risking the valuable time it would take to bury her. I stood up,
“Come on Poppa please, we have to get going. I am sorry there is nothing we can do for her now, she has passed on. Poppa you need to come with me, please Poppa, you still have your family to think of - to live for, you’re head of the family, I need you to be strong for all of us. She would not have wanted you to just give up, now please Poppa we need you now come with me!
Poppa looked up at me, “I need her!”
I had to do something, “Poppa she’ll always be in your heart. Will you give up on me?”
Chapter Fourteen
“The occupation
Abram said, "Come on, Hana sweetheart we really must get going! You are going to have to leave her. It is not safe for us to stay here - surely, the soldiers will be here soon. I will not let something happen to the two of you as well, but we got to get going now!"
War Torn Love Page 23