The Horse Adjutant
Leon and Maciek Artists Conception by Shoosty
think it was done specifically on the Jewish holiday to add an extra measure of sadism. About 800 prisoners were gathered up, placed on trucks, and executed about 2 kilo- meters from the prison in the nearby woods. Sergeant Strybuc participated in this. He chose my friend, Goldberg, to help. Goldberg never came back. Almost one-third of the camp was executed. I was given the details about it by a peasant who worked with me in our stable. He was not a prisoner, so he was free to come and go as he pleased. He told me once the prisoners were killed their bodies were piled up on railroad ties and set on fire. He did not have to tell me about the smoke or the smell. I will never forget the disgusting odor or the long trail of smoke in the sky. It went on for the whole night. All of us from the stable were becoming very uncomfortable with our situation and considered escape. Nearby, in Jaslo, the underground had attacked one of the prison camps and successfully locked up the German guards, releasing the prisoners. Partisans were all over the area including the area surrounding my camp. This incident and the related mayhem may have also made the Germans anxious at my camp. They wanted to reduce the numbers of prisoners to make the camp more controllable, while also sending a message to the resistance that attack would not be tolerated. I could not
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