The Marian Martyrs of Rosica

116 The Marian Martyrs of Rosica a travel kit of biscuits, lard flavored with the tears of my land- lady, and some odds and ends. At that time, my colleagues were taken away: Stephen Chojnacki, Stanislaus Bogucki, and Fr. Przybysz fromMariampole. They didn't allow me to stay in my room in the garret; in fact the room was sealed. To have the seal removed I was supposed to apply to the head caretaker. I was quite determined to share the fate of my colleagues rather than stay by myself with the war imminent. Finally, on the eve of the war, I reached Mr. Head Caretaker and I demanded that my apartment be “unsealed,” no matter what the consequences. The master of my residence deigned to give permission for the seal to be removed. I spent the night in my own place. On the lower floor, there was traffic all night long, with doors slamming. Troops were marching on the streets — eastward. At dawn it started. Boom, boom, boom. The house trembled. I ran to my Lithuanian colleagues, my neighbors. I shouted: Karas ! “War!” They were skeptical. “No, it’s maneuvers.” But they believed me after the next bombardment. I watched the Aleksot airport. An aircraft took off. Then another and a third one left. Was it to defend us? No. They were fleeing. Kaunas was completely unprepared to defend itself. The rule of the new masters — the Supermen — began. After establishing themselves well, the Germans began to mar- tyr the Jews. They created a ghetto in Vilianpole, a suburb of Kaunas. From there, they led large groups of Jews to an old fort, I believe it was Fort Number IX, and killed them. The memory of this crime will always stay with me. Fort Number IX was not far from Lucjanow where I would go during the summers. A convoy of trucks brought these miserable people who were guilty only of being born Jewish. From far away, one could see a crowd of people standing in a long row in front of a ditch. Suddenly a terrible wailing and crying was heard from the mass of humanity. And then a hellish burst of machine gunfire. Then silence. Inhuman, deadly silence. And then single shots. Finally, it started all over again.