František Pakandl

“The best thing was, but I already knew that, when I needed something on the region or somewhere, so I took the work dress before having it washed, when I was dirt. So I put those dirty clothes on and went there. And they went on: someone went out: ‚Comrade, what do you wish to do? Comrade.‘ Just like the true working class man. A real one. ‚ Comrade, what do you wish?‘ And they were all around you like crazy.”

“The bombs they threw on Vitana, the communists used to say that Americans were responsible for it, for throwing them down. But these were Russian. But I already knew that a long time ago, as my father told me that the grandad, who lived here, where the farm was, now owned by the carpenter Válek. We were there. It was the number 129, and my great grandad and grandad were there. There was the machinery workshop. So grandad told him about the times they threw the bombs on Vitana´s reception. There were people gathered as a row of Germans was passing by and those people lined up and the Russians threw the bomb down and killed them all. And my old dad used to say those were no Americans, but Russians as he could see the red star on the wings. So I knew that when I was a little boy, that they did it. But you could not say that to anyone, that the Russians were responsible. I did know back then though. As my father told me that his father told him how he watched them fly over, he heard the noise as they were flying terribly low and he could see the red stars.“