Nancy Fordonski - July 29, 1982
Conditions on March
On this march, if you had to go to the bathroom, what did you do?
Most of the time we just sit down and we make because we were afraid to move away a little bit, because that uh, the SS men or the SS women didn't know. Or we just have to make or we wanna escape. So while we were marching, we just sat down and they were going on. So later, if you were what--ten, fifteen, lines behind, then you went back to your line. Or, after marching for so many days, they didn't care or you were in the first line or you were in the last line, as long as you were just marching. But they didn't march straight. They were just whipping, you know. If you felt like you wanna to sit down or whatever, you got a knock a, a slap or uh, with a whip or with a, with a, their uh, boots they gave you.
How long did you continue to walk, do you have any idea?
It was for a long time. Then when we came to a point and we were, we were sure already that we are going to Theresienstadt, that they are taking us to the crematorium. Because in that time, this was--I will say, probably by the end of March, 1945, this was no time that they were sending people to working camps. There was just like uh, they were trying to destroy us already at that time. So uh, while we were going through fields and then from fields through a forest. It--the forest was near the field. So we decided--my sister Sasha and then were another few friends of ours, that we will try, one by one, to get into that forest. Not together, just one by one and to see where they will look for us or we can stay on there or to wait even for the next transport what will come on, because we were exhausted. It was without any strength, without food. The, the people were dropping and--on the spot and nobody even bothered anymore. So, so we were thinking maybe we have enough strength to try to escape now. And that what we did. We went in and the whole transport was going on. Thanks God, they didn't miss us. And nobody noticed. We were there, we didn't know or we have to be happy or whatever. Because we were just like lambs left on a field. Or, or where to go next. We were scared, even, even frightened more than before because before we were marching with everybody. Here we are on our own, not knowing who is behind us and who is after us and who will help us or who will kill us. But that forest was a little on a hill. And then when we looked down we could notice that it was a small--a farmhouse. So uh, when it was dark, I don't remember, maybe it was my sister. She was pretty brave and she was older than I was. She went down and there was uh, prepared some food to feed the pigs. And it was uh, some kind, it was a flour with some, with, with, with uh, potatoes. Some...something, how do you say, connection, concussion?
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