Yolanda and Stefania
Yolanda R. interviewed her grandmother, Stefania, who was living in Poland when German soldiers seized the country.
By Yolanda R., Grade 4
By Yolanda R., Grade 4
Summary:
World War II started in 1939, after Germany invaded Poland. Led by Adolf Hitler, the German army went on to conquer much of Europe. The United States and its allies defeated Germany and its allies, Italy and Japan, in 1945. Yolanda R. interviewed her grandmother, Stefania, who was living in Poland when German soldiers seized the country.
Yolanda: How old are you?
Stefania: I am 82 years old. … I came to America in 1951.
Yolanda: What do you mean you came to the United States in 1951?
Stefania: I am not born in America. I am an emigrant.
Yolanda: What does that mean?
Stefania: An emigrant is a person who decides to leave his or her country to reside somewhere else.
Yolanda: Why did you leave?
Stefania: I am born in Poland. Germany invaded our country in September 1939 and occupied our land for six years. Believe me, it was not a picnic! You could be arrested for no reason. Many were executed by hanging or shooting. Groups of people were forced to watch the executions.
Yolanda: Did the people say anything?
Stefania: They usually died with dignity. The last words of the Jews were, “Vengeance through God.” The last words of the Polish were, “Long live Poland.”
Yolanda: What else was going on?
Stefania: The German built many concentration camps. … Gypsies, Jews, sick ones, Russian prisoners of war, and undesirables of any kind never left the camp alive.
Yolanda: How did your family survive?
Stefania: We became very poor. I had to work in a factory. My father worked in the stone quarry as a foreman. Before the war, he was the owner. In 1943, my father was arrested for political reasons.
Yolanda: What happened to you?
Stefania: My mother, sister, and I were sent to a labor camp—first in former Czechoslovakia, then as household help in Potsdam, Germany. … After a while, we managed to escape to Berlin.
Yolanda: How was life in Berlin?
Stefania: January and February 1945 were indescribable in the city. In one month, we survived 47 air raids—American or English.
Yolanda: What happened to your father?
Stefania: We did not know. But my parents had an understanding. In case we get separated, there was one place we should try to get to. My father’s sister was a nun in an Austrian convent.
Yolanda: Did you ever get there?
Stefania: Yes, after all kinds of difficulties. It was a beautiful place located at the Danube River.
Yolanda: Was the war finally over?
Stefania: Not yet. On one side of the Danube were the Russians. On the other side were the Germans. After a big battle, there were many bodies of dead soldiers floating in the beautiful blue Danube river.
Yolanda: What did you do?
Stefania: The nuns suggested we give the dead soldiers a decent burial. With the help of the Hungarian refugees, we dug only seven graves. Since the ground was very muddy, two bodies shared the same grave, one Russian and one German. According to Mother Superior, in death all soldiers are equal.
Yolanda: When was the war over?
Stefania: Finally, in May 1945 the war was over. No more shooting and no more fear. Everything was quiet. … Finally there was peace in the Danube.
Yolanda: Did you find your father?
Stefania: We were looking for him in the Red Cross. Finally, we found him in a hospital in Germany.
Yolanda: What did you do?
Stefania: The US Army collected all foreigners and settled them in DP camps in Austria or Germany. … [DP] is short for displaced person. People were forcefully taken from their home and sent somewhere else. So we lived in a DP camp in Germany.
Yolanda: What finally happened?
Stefania: It was not advisable to return to Poland since it was under communist control. I decided to emigrate to the United States. After all, it was the country where all people are equal, regardless of color, race, religion and nationality.
What Yolanda Learned
I learned that you never know what might happen in your life, but you have to try your best. I heard how horrible a war can be. But I think it would be nice to have no more war and if everybody could get along.
Interview:
Yolanda: How old are you?
Stefania: I am 82 years old. … I came to America in 1951.
Yolanda: What do you mean you came to the United States in 1951?
Stefania: I am not born in America. I am an emigrant.
Yolanda: What does that mean?
Stefania: An emigrant is a person who decides to leave his or her country to reside somewhere else.
Yolanda: Why did you leave?
Stefania: I am born in Poland. Germany invaded our country in September 1939 and occupied our land for six years. Believe me, it was not a picnic! You could be arrested for no reason. Many were executed by hanging or shooting. Groups of people were forced to watch the executions.
Yolanda: Did the people say anything?
Stefania: They usually died with dignity. The last words of the Jews were, “Vengeance through God.” The last words of the Polish were, “Long live Poland.”
Yolanda: What else was going on?
Stefania: The German built many concentration camps. … Gypsies, Jews, sick ones, Russian prisoners of war, and undesirables of any kind never left the camp alive.
Yolanda: How did your family survive?
Stefania: We became very poor. I had to work in a factory. My father worked in the stone quarry as a foreman. Before the war, he was the owner. In 1943, my father was arrested for political reasons.
Yolanda: What happened to you?
Stefania: My mother, sister, and I were sent to a labor camp—first in former Czechoslovakia, then as household help in Potsdam, Germany. … After a while, we managed to escape to Berlin.
Yolanda: How was life in Berlin?
Stefania: January and February 1945 were indescribable in the city. In one month, we survived 47 air raids—American or English.
German soldiers ride through Poland in an armored car.
Photo Credit: Corbis/iStockPhoto
Photo Credit: Corbis/iStockPhoto
Yolanda: What happened to your father?
Stefania: We did not know. But my parents had an understanding. In case we get separated, there was one place we should try to get to. My father’s sister was a nun in an Austrian convent.
Yolanda: Did you ever get there?
Stefania: Yes, after all kinds of difficulties. It was a beautiful place located at the Danube River.
Yolanda: Was the war finally over?
Stefania: Not yet. On one side of the Danube were the Russians. On the other side were the Germans. After a big battle, there were many bodies of dead soldiers floating in the beautiful blue Danube river.
Yolanda: What did you do?
Stefania: The nuns suggested we give the dead soldiers a decent burial. With the help of the Hungarian refugees, we dug only seven graves. Since the ground was very muddy, two bodies shared the same grave, one Russian and one German. According to Mother Superior, in death all soldiers are equal.
Yolanda: When was the war over?
Stefania: Finally, in May 1945 the war was over. No more shooting and no more fear. Everything was quiet. … Finally there was peace in the Danube.
Yolanda: Did you find your father?
Stefania: We were looking for him in the Red Cross. Finally, we found him in a hospital in Germany.
Yolanda: What did you do?
Stefania: The US Army collected all foreigners and settled them in DP camps in Austria or Germany. … [DP] is short for displaced person. People were forcefully taken from their home and sent somewhere else. So we lived in a DP camp in Germany.
Yolanda: What finally happened?
Stefania: It was not advisable to return to Poland since it was under communist control. I decided to emigrate to the United States. After all, it was the country where all people are equal, regardless of color, race, religion and nationality.
What Yolanda Learned
I learned that you never know what might happen in your life, but you have to try your best. I heard how horrible a war can be. But I think it would be nice to have no more war and if everybody could get along.
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