Slovakia, Autumn 1944 - p.11: Wandering
October 28, 1944
We climbed and wandered aimlessly most of the day, guided by instinct toward the south. It was now the fourth day that we had anything warm in our stomachs. All three of us were still wet from wading through the narrow river during the previous night. Now our coats were getting wet from the almost steady, cold rain. We were hungry, thirsty and tired. As darkness came we settled down under some tall spruce trees. The older guy managed to start a small fire. I don't know how he did it with the wet leaves, grass and twigs. The wavering, smoky flames were sufficient for warming our hands.
All of a sudden two men, in uniforms similar to ours, stepped from the darkness into our midst. They gave us the frightening news about the end of the uprising and the Germans taking Banská Bystrica, about the retreat and dispersal of the regular army and partisan groups into the mountains north of the town. We were crushed by the news. The two men told us to put out the fire because of the likelihood of German units patrolling through the area. I started to worry about the fate of my father and brother. --- The two soldiers left at daybreak.
October 29, 1944
Another rainy day. We could not see the sun but kept moving southward. In addition to hunger, thirst and exhaustion we were now burdened with the hopelessness of our situation. We licked raindrops hanging from the tips of the branches. The older guy pulled from his knapsack a small, round tin and we ate a small mouthful of cocoa-like powder called Ovomaltine. This was a mistake. The dry powder made our thirst much worse. As we walked and staggered on I was sucking rainwater from the cuffs of my coat. We stopped to debate our situation. There was serious discussion about suicide. It was late afternoon when my namesake Ivan- Vrútky said he will try to make his way back north, to the region from where we started just four days ago. His hometown was not far from Martin. We said goodbye. --- The older guy and I stayed together through the night.
October 30, 1944
MACARONI WITH REJECTION
A new morning, again the same empty stomachs. The two of us were making good progress on level ground along the summit of a mountain. Around mid-day we parted. The older guy was heading toward the region of Detva, while I was determined to reach Bystrica and find out what happened to my father and young brother. This walking, climbing and wandering without proper rest and without food was going on since five or six days. I felt weak, at my extreme physical limit. I ate two of the Dextro-Energen wafers that were given to me by a kindly pharmacist a month earlier while I was on a short leave in my hometown. The wafers held a concentration of glucose (Traubenzucker). It seemed to me that after about fifteen minutes I started to feel better. I carried on, barely able to see in the thick fog or low clouds. In the afternoon I again felt exhausted and lied down in a small depression near some bare bushes.
I was raised from sleep when someone was tapping me on my shoulder. Several men in Slovak army uniforms were surrounding me. After questioning they led me to a large tent. A kettle was bubbling nearby. The soldiers fed me with a mess tin full of freshly boiled macaroni. They gave me more details about the collapse of the SNP uprising and the fall of Bystrica three days earlier. They also said that the area at the base of the mountain was already occupied by the Germans. I asked the soldiers to allow me to stay with them. They refused, saying the unit was trying to make its way east, hoping to reach the Russian front line. One of them also commented that as a partisan I would endanger the whole group in case they were captured by the Germans. I understood their reasoning but felt bitter nonetheless. I left the soldiers and wandered off into the fog and early twilight. As I went I threw my rifle into a clump of bushes. As I moved on looking for a spot where I could settle for the night I could hear distant engine noises and shouting coming from somewhere below the mountain.
We climbed and wandered aimlessly most of the day, guided by instinct toward the south. It was now the fourth day that we had anything warm in our stomachs. All three of us were still wet from wading through the narrow river during the previous night. Now our coats were getting wet from the almost steady, cold rain. We were hungry, thirsty and tired. As darkness came we settled down under some tall spruce trees. The older guy managed to start a small fire. I don't know how he did it with the wet leaves, grass and twigs. The wavering, smoky flames were sufficient for warming our hands.
All of a sudden two men, in uniforms similar to ours, stepped from the darkness into our midst. They gave us the frightening news about the end of the uprising and the Germans taking Banská Bystrica, about the retreat and dispersal of the regular army and partisan groups into the mountains north of the town. We were crushed by the news. The two men told us to put out the fire because of the likelihood of German units patrolling through the area. I started to worry about the fate of my father and brother. --- The two soldiers left at daybreak.
October 29, 1944
Another rainy day. We could not see the sun but kept moving southward. In addition to hunger, thirst and exhaustion we were now burdened with the hopelessness of our situation. We licked raindrops hanging from the tips of the branches. The older guy pulled from his knapsack a small, round tin and we ate a small mouthful of cocoa-like powder called Ovomaltine. This was a mistake. The dry powder made our thirst much worse. As we walked and staggered on I was sucking rainwater from the cuffs of my coat. We stopped to debate our situation. There was serious discussion about suicide. It was late afternoon when my namesake Ivan- Vrútky said he will try to make his way back north, to the region from where we started just four days ago. His hometown was not far from Martin. We said goodbye. --- The older guy and I stayed together through the night.
October 30, 1944
MACARONI WITH REJECTION
A new morning, again the same empty stomachs. The two of us were making good progress on level ground along the summit of a mountain. Around mid-day we parted. The older guy was heading toward the region of Detva, while I was determined to reach Bystrica and find out what happened to my father and young brother. This walking, climbing and wandering without proper rest and without food was going on since five or six days. I felt weak, at my extreme physical limit. I ate two of the Dextro-Energen wafers that were given to me by a kindly pharmacist a month earlier while I was on a short leave in my hometown. The wafers held a concentration of glucose (Traubenzucker). It seemed to me that after about fifteen minutes I started to feel better. I carried on, barely able to see in the thick fog or low clouds. In the afternoon I again felt exhausted and lied down in a small depression near some bare bushes.
I was raised from sleep when someone was tapping me on my shoulder. Several men in Slovak army uniforms were surrounding me. After questioning they led me to a large tent. A kettle was bubbling nearby. The soldiers fed me with a mess tin full of freshly boiled macaroni. They gave me more details about the collapse of the SNP uprising and the fall of Bystrica three days earlier. They also said that the area at the base of the mountain was already occupied by the Germans. I asked the soldiers to allow me to stay with them. They refused, saying the unit was trying to make its way east, hoping to reach the Russian front line. One of them also commented that as a partisan I would endanger the whole group in case they were captured by the Germans. I understood their reasoning but felt bitter nonetheless. I left the soldiers and wandered off into the fog and early twilight. As I went I threw my rifle into a clump of bushes. As I moved on looking for a spot where I could settle for the night I could hear distant engine noises and shouting coming from somewhere below the mountain.
posted by Observer at 11:31 PM
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