Jarmila Jägerová

“The family knew that I spoke German, and therefore they asked for me. At that time, even here, in the interior, the Germans had the last say.”

“Běleč is surrounded by forests, and partisans were living there. I was bringing food for them there, I was pretending that I was going to pick mushrooms, nobody knew about it, just me. I would always bring them food and leave it there secretly, placing the dishes there and taking back the empty ones. I was supporting them this way. There was a chase for them after the war. Tonda, who was a ruthless villain, wanted to win a higher post. I don’t know how exactly it was, if they shot somebody or not, it’s possible that someone had been watching me.”

“In Albeř, Czechs and Germans lived next to each other, they worked in a factory which connected Albeř to Nová Bystřice.”

“We loaded their things onto a hay-wagon and took them over the border to Austria.”

“Afterwards, there were mostly only Czechs living in the border regions, and they treated the Germans cruelly. We, the Czech nation, know to be evil. They were shooting them like rabbits. They shot him, and he hasn’t even done or said anything to them, they shot him and buried him in the forest. There was so much hatred after the war.” Interviewer: “Were you ashamed of them?” – “I was ashamed of the Czechs, sure I was! When I was growing up there as a child, the Czechs and Germans were living next to each other, they were working in one factory, which connected Albeř to Nová Bystřice, and then it ended so badly. Our people were shooting people like rabbits. I didn’t witness these postwar excesses.” Interviewer: “And how did you learn about them?” – “Because I saw a man who was buried in the forest, his arm was protruding from the ground, he was from he neighbouring village, from Hůrka.”