František Antl

When there was war, Prostejov was liberated by Romanians, but Russians were throwing the bombs. And those bombs really fell there into that factory. Not only into the malt house but also into the village near. Because there were three airports in Prostejov. So there fell a lot of bombs, I remember it well. There lived two families in our house. We lived downstairs and there also lived the Dvorsk family in the house. Milena Dvorská, that actress. She had still had a sister Hanka and a brother Evžen. We used to go to the basement under the malt house, under the factory. In the place where barley used to be dried. It was about two stories under the ground. There we went to sleep. And since the raids did not end, we went to the basement. There was a big basement under our house we in which led plenty of stairs. There were bunk bed grandfather made. And when the alarm was raised, we slept there. Grandma equipped the room with duvets and blankets. Although the basement was damp and cold, we slept there until morning. So we did not have to go back up at night. Especially since we did not know how it all turns out. They bombed one house at our factory. It fell down. In the village Vrahovice which sided with the factory, they were also victims. The bombs were falling tthere and I can hear the sound till today. And the sirens too.

As a party member I had to go to the party's education. When I graduated from two-year school "The Economic policy of the party" for the third time ... That was really funny. They went to the White house, were sat forty disgusted people. Then came the lecturer who did not know anything. But I had to go there, we got stamps for the presence, it was strictly controlled. Comrades told me that it is like two or three years since I was there last time. And that I must continue. Of course they thought up I will go to the VUML. So I said "no way. I will not register in the VUML, I just will not go there." Do you know what it was VUML? Evening University of Marxism - Leninism. Extraordinarily stupid school. Not that there were taught completely wrong subjects. There was thaught the Hegelian philosophy and other things. However, the general focus was a disaster. There were many levels of the students very - from university professors to workers. And all in one class. So you can imagine how they debated about. There was also such an unpleasant affair - especially in aviation and parachuting - it was selective activity. Candidates were examined by State security. If somebody had relatives abroad, in exile, they gave him no recommendation. So many people did not get to skydiving because they had this kind of so-called cadre defects and there was no chance.