European Resistance Archive/European Resistance Archive (ERA)

He was wounded.

A bullet went through my apron but didn’t hit me.

I hid myself in a hole under the stove.

The Gestapo, or policeman, came in and stuck his machinegun into the hole.

But he looked in and saw that there was only a child and pulled me out.

I was not frightened any more, feeling nothing.

I was in shock.

Then I had to step over these partisans. He made me step over the dead people!

One of them was not dead, yet.

He begged to be shot again and was looking at us pleadingly.

I had to step right over their heads.

I still remember these eyes.

Whenever I see blue eyes like these somewhere, I remember this man.

I do have a problem with that; I cannot forget that.

Then they took me inside to the two old farmers and my cousin.

One of them just wanted to shoot us and burn the house down.

Another one said: “You shouldn’t do that.

The partisans have to be buried, everything cleaned.

In two hours time a patrol will come and there mustn’t be anything showing.”

And they did that.