Karel Kožíšek

"At that time, the first three blocks, which are closer to the Skoda plant, were demolished [after the air raid]. The only thing I remember from that is that when those blocks were being liquidated, they took out the gas clocks, it was just a metal flask with a window, it was glass, and they took the gas clocks out of the houses in front of the houses and there were maybe thirty of them. And because I, as a proper Karlovakian, had a shotgun, so whoever shots the glass... I did it too, the manager of Karlov, Mr. Špilar, told my father in the pub, that I had shot it there and that the metal containers were bent from the stones. So dad had to take the damaged ones home and solder the dents with tin and then varnish them so he wouldn't have to pay for them. Maybe it went to the scrap yard anyway. Of course, there was a beating. Then I remember from when I was five years old, there was a fire alarm in every street, it was about a six-foot container on the house, also with a slide, and the older guys - whoever hit it. The stone was a little bit bigger, it hit the button, and in five minutes the firemen from Skoda were there. Of course, word got back to me when I went to register for school, and the school principal said, 'Oh, that's the one who called the fire department.'"

"I remember when I was about four years old, when the Americans came to Karlov, and there they were giving out chocolates and juice cans to the children, I can still feel the taste. I was also rewarded. Then I remember the American snacks that came through UNRRU. But better off were the older guys who said there were broken down tanks and cars around the airport, they would pick up various tools and keep them for a long, long time afterwards. There was even one guy who had a complete Indian costume, so they were a little better off than us younger guys."