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SERIALS FROM PAST ISSUESRADZIA, AMERICAN PRISONER
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| Born and educated in America, Radzia accompanied her parents upon their
return to Poland. There she marries a Polish Army officer and has two daughters,
Irene and Dana. Although her comfortable villa in Torun was not damaged by
bombing at the start of WW II, it has been taken over by a Volksdeutscher,
a Pole of German descent. Likewise, the Germans have confiscated her mother's
considerable real estate and bank accounts. Her husband, Edmund, became a
prisoner of war. She and the children were allowed to live in the basement of
the villa, but her mother successfully relocated in Warsaw. Radzia sought
transport to America, but refused to leave without her children. Now she, as
other American women, has been arrested and is in a camp in Germany. Chapter 29 One of the camp rules we had to adjust to was the evening roll call. Every night at 9:00 p.m. the guard made the rounds of the rooms; we supposedly were in bed by that time. He knocked and, not waiting for "enter," opened the door, walked in and counted the women after first checking the list on the door. Most of us were already in bed; some were sound asleep and snoring. Then he would remark playfully, "Mrs. Janis, she is already fast asleep, my, my!" These evening visits by the guard were very embarrassing, but we soon became used to the 9:00 p.m. inspection. At 9:10 p.m. lights were out. If you were slow and wavered, then you groped your way about in the dark. No light from the outside entered the room. The windows here, as in all of Germany and Poland, were covered or had light-proof drapes. In the corridors hung blue, dimmed, electric bulbs. The rule was: all had to be in bed before the guard arrived. Sometimes some of the women were not ready. In this case an internee stood guard at the door to see how close he was. Soon the words, "He's coming," sounded. The women not yet ready jumped into bed, shoes and all, pulled the coverlet up to the chin and faked sleep. When he entered, all were in bed. Of course, after he left, the women jumped out of bed and now leisurely got ready by the subdued light in the corridor. |