Martin Budáč

* 1931

Victim of persecution due the forced agricultural collectivisation, Witnesses of local events connected to WWII, Svědci lokálních událostí z éry komunismu, Farmer
29. 8. 1944 - April 1945 - The Slovak National Uprising
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    We experienced a lot while being children

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    “We experienced a lot while being children. Uprising, front, Germans… They used to have exercises in the mornings, so we watched them. There were cannons and they fired from them, but none of us got hurt, or even the soldiers didn’t shoot at each other. We could hear how Germans opened fire, because the Russians were near already, and they jumped out of wagons. They drove the horses into Segeč’s barn, where the Russians caught them, but the Germans weren’t there. Only the stuff they didn’t manage to take in a rush was left behind. They jumped out and fled to Breznička through the woods. I don’t know how many were there, but we heard how horses ran away from the wagons. There was no one killed on any of the carriages.”

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    They took their razors, watches, rings

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    “For about two weeks the German troops lived in our old house. However, when the front came, the Russians drove them to Mládzovo. Then a Russian commander with his unit came and lodged in our house instead. Those ten Germans, whom they caught, were dragged to this yard and the Russians took their razors, watches, rings. They distributed little knives to us, the children. Then they took them on horses across this road to Pinciná.”

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    How we saw white glooms (description of railroad bombing)

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    “We saw many airplanes in the sky right before the Uprising broke out. We were shepherding cows and suddenly we saw white glooms spreading from Petrovec. We wondered what was it happening. There was great roaring until the bombs started to fall. Behind our village of Breznička, one bomb was let down and then another three, since they probably wanted to bomb out the railroad. Our neighbor Janko was shepherding cows over there and when it started, he was running to Kalinovo police station to inform that someone was bombing his cows. Luckily, the cows were not hurt, although holes of app. 5 meters deep remained.”

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    Červeň, Breznička, Slovensko, 23.02.2018

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    Červeň, Breznička, Slovensko, 29.04.2018

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Our bunker was in a haystack. The bullets were straying and whistling around, but none of us got hurt

Portrait
Portrait
photo: Pri nahrávaní
photo: Pri nahrávaní
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Martin Budáč was born on February 22, 1931 in Červeň (today a part of the village Breznička). From 1938 he attended elementary school in Kalinovo and Hrabovo. He wasn’t able to continue studying at middle school, since after the outbreak of the Slovak National Uprising, the school was taken over by partisans and closed. During the Christmas of 1944 until the January 12, 1945, his family had to provide lodging for German commanders. As soon as they left, the Soviet soldiers came and stayed at their house for a change. During the years 1950 - 1952 Martin completed the compulsory military service. After his return home, he started working as a farmer and had to deliver mandatory quotas (contingents) to the Join Agricultural Cooperative (JRD). Finally, in 1960 his father was forced to sign surrendering his fields to the JRD. Martin passed his tractor driving license and until 1985 he worked as a tractor driver. Since 1990 he has been retired and lives in Červeň with his wife, in his parent’s home. He is the last living citizen of Breznička, who remembers times of the Second World War and events of the Slovak National Uprising.

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