Voice/Vision Holocaust Survivor Oral History Archive

Martin Koby - April 20, 1999

Russian Liberation (continued)

Uh-huh.

Because they were shooting somewheres over there toward Lutsk, I don't know, to the other villages across--you know, to shooting west. They could shoot a pretty good distance.

Uh-huh.

A kilometer, two, five kilometers was nothing. And you could--ah, makes this horrendous noise, the shells and you--the booming. And we started to hear--what did the Russians--what is the Russian battle cry? Russian's battle cry is hurrah. Yeah.

Oh, I don't...

They--hurrah, en masse.

So they're coming?

Huh? So they're close somewheres. So he came back you know, before morning and he told us you know, that the Russians are over there. Ah! If you can see or hear a hurrah, they're very close, maybe a kilometer, maybe two because voice carries in a village, open fields. Finally morning came and my father was--the only one--you could--from the trap door to see what's going, they're--only one person could stand in the trap door. And who got priority? My father! Well, I got rights too. And I said--I used to stick my head in there too to see.

Hm.

I almost got choked. My father would not give way for me.

Did, did you see any retreating Germans?

No.

No?

Did not see. Uh, just you know, in the early morning was kind of drizzly, cold. It's muddy, you know. It's--was not a nice day. Two Russian soldiers come in--no, first one Russian comes. And you know, they ride that Mongolian pony, which...

On horseback.

???--yeah...

Yeah.

...comes in. He must have been a scout of some sort. And he's--his legs were dragging on the ground. That's how big the pony was. You know, the Mongolian ponies were very short little horses. And a lot of hair on the you know, on the back of their legs, the, the ponies have.

Yeah, yeah.

I guess this is for you know, protection...

Right.

...against the snow. And he comes in there and he rides on this pony. And Mr. Szczasny comes out the door. And he sits down on this little horse, with a gun you know, with a rifle on his back. And he says to Mr. Szczasny, he says, "???" you know, "Boss, do you have any Germans in your barns?" And Szczasny says, "No, no Germans." "Thank you very much," and he rode away.


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