Slovakia, Autumn 1944 - p.8: Retreat
We had no radios, there was no field telephone. We did not know what was happening to the south, in the core of the uprising territory around my hometown. Perhaps our two leaders ( the pretend-captain and the commissar) received instructions by messenger or they acted as local conditions dictated.
October 25, 1944 Wednesday
A cool and rainy day. Earlier the Germans moved into Jaseno, the village nearest to our line of deployment. They were motorized and had mortars, we had rifles and a few light machine guns whose small, straight magazines were only good for a few short bursts. In the afternoon we were called down into the valley to join the main body of our platoon and to prepare for a retreat south into the mountains. --- Several families from the village, hoping for protection, showed up in open carts drawn by horses or oxen. It was a bad situation, they did not know that our whole group was about to leave. There they were, men, women and children sitting in the drizzle on their possessions, here and there a goat or a lamb tethered to a wagon. We were a subdued lot as we started the climb into the mountains during the falling darkness, abandoning the villagers.
We climbed through a good part of the night and it was heavy going. Our shoes and boots were slipping on the wet ground and pine needles. Like the others, I was frequently sliding backwards and then scrambling to make up for the lost distance. Ivan-Vrutky also struggled uphill with his light machine gun. To lighten his load we occasionally switched weapons through this long, rainy night.
October 26, 1944 Thursday
Our group of over forty people continued climbing and walking through the whole day.
We frequently halted to rest but there was nothing to drink or eat. The rain stopped and the temperature started to drop in the afternoon. After organizing the sentry schedule for the night, we spread out in small units on the windless side of a bare summit, pulled down the sides of our caps over the ears, bundled into our coats and blankets, hugged close our rifles and went to sleep. After three weeks in the field we were used to sleeping on the cold, bare ground. I remember that I slept very well, probably compensating for the exhausting last two days. Someone else also had a good night's rest.
October 27, 1944 Friday
I woke up feeling stiff, hungry and was shivering from the cold. Not far from me stood the former army desiatnik (corporal), putting on a show turning, stretching his arms and yawning in all directions. After making sure that he had a big enough audience, the corporal told us in detail about his wet dream.
No water, no food and we walked again for several hours. I don't think any of us knew where we were being led, why we were heading south in the direction of central Slovakia. --- We had no inkling that the SNP Uprising was being crushed that same day as the German army and SS troops reached its centre, my hometown Banská Bystrica.
Shortly after noon, while resting on a bare summit, we heard the sound of approaching airplanes. We were turning around to hear and see better, expecting to spot machines with friendly markings. Two single-seat fighters flew past at the same height as our position; we could see into their cockpits. We could also see the Luftwaffe's black cross on their fuselage. The two planes continued toward the north and did not return. We reassembled and moved on, finally starting downhill.
Still on this Friday, in mid-afternoon we came to a large clearing that must have been a hayfield a few weeks earlier. Around the clearing were small huts, built like log cabins with steeply pitched roofs. They had no doors or windows except for a large opening, well above ground level, on the side facing the clearing. The huts were filled with dry hay, cut by men from nearby villages or by local shepherds and stored for the winter as fodder for livestock. Most of us were allowed to disperse and rest in these comfortable shelters. I did not smoke at that time and traded three cigarettes for a small, dry crust of bread. While chewing on this piece I could see through the opening that a few of our people started a fire in the middle of the clearing. About an hour later we were in a queu with our mess tins, moving toward the fire above which hung a large kettle. I was in the group of the first twenty to receive a soup with small pieces of potatoes and meat. I do not know from where all this came from, during our two-day climb I did not see anyone burdened with the kettle or with sacks of provisions. They may have been found in one of the huts. As I started to walk away with the hot food, things started to happen as in a bad film.
(Continued on page 9)
October 25, 1944 Wednesday
A cool and rainy day. Earlier the Germans moved into Jaseno, the village nearest to our line of deployment. They were motorized and had mortars, we had rifles and a few light machine guns whose small, straight magazines were only good for a few short bursts. In the afternoon we were called down into the valley to join the main body of our platoon and to prepare for a retreat south into the mountains. --- Several families from the village, hoping for protection, showed up in open carts drawn by horses or oxen. It was a bad situation, they did not know that our whole group was about to leave. There they were, men, women and children sitting in the drizzle on their possessions, here and there a goat or a lamb tethered to a wagon. We were a subdued lot as we started the climb into the mountains during the falling darkness, abandoning the villagers.
We climbed through a good part of the night and it was heavy going. Our shoes and boots were slipping on the wet ground and pine needles. Like the others, I was frequently sliding backwards and then scrambling to make up for the lost distance. Ivan-Vrutky also struggled uphill with his light machine gun. To lighten his load we occasionally switched weapons through this long, rainy night.
October 26, 1944 Thursday
Our group of over forty people continued climbing and walking through the whole day.
We frequently halted to rest but there was nothing to drink or eat. The rain stopped and the temperature started to drop in the afternoon. After organizing the sentry schedule for the night, we spread out in small units on the windless side of a bare summit, pulled down the sides of our caps over the ears, bundled into our coats and blankets, hugged close our rifles and went to sleep. After three weeks in the field we were used to sleeping on the cold, bare ground. I remember that I slept very well, probably compensating for the exhausting last two days. Someone else also had a good night's rest.
October 27, 1944 Friday
I woke up feeling stiff, hungry and was shivering from the cold. Not far from me stood the former army desiatnik (corporal), putting on a show turning, stretching his arms and yawning in all directions. After making sure that he had a big enough audience, the corporal told us in detail about his wet dream.
No water, no food and we walked again for several hours. I don't think any of us knew where we were being led, why we were heading south in the direction of central Slovakia. --- We had no inkling that the SNP Uprising was being crushed that same day as the German army and SS troops reached its centre, my hometown Banská Bystrica.
Shortly after noon, while resting on a bare summit, we heard the sound of approaching airplanes. We were turning around to hear and see better, expecting to spot machines with friendly markings. Two single-seat fighters flew past at the same height as our position; we could see into their cockpits. We could also see the Luftwaffe's black cross on their fuselage. The two planes continued toward the north and did not return. We reassembled and moved on, finally starting downhill.
Still on this Friday, in mid-afternoon we came to a large clearing that must have been a hayfield a few weeks earlier. Around the clearing were small huts, built like log cabins with steeply pitched roofs. They had no doors or windows except for a large opening, well above ground level, on the side facing the clearing. The huts were filled with dry hay, cut by men from nearby villages or by local shepherds and stored for the winter as fodder for livestock. Most of us were allowed to disperse and rest in these comfortable shelters. I did not smoke at that time and traded three cigarettes for a small, dry crust of bread. While chewing on this piece I could see through the opening that a few of our people started a fire in the middle of the clearing. About an hour later we were in a queu with our mess tins, moving toward the fire above which hung a large kettle. I was in the group of the first twenty to receive a soup with small pieces of potatoes and meat. I do not know from where all this came from, during our two-day climb I did not see anyone burdened with the kettle or with sacks of provisions. They may have been found in one of the huts. As I started to walk away with the hot food, things started to happen as in a bad film.
(Continued on page 9)
posted by Observer at 10:30 PM
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