Hum of blazes devouring cozy family houses; earsplitting blasts; roar of engines in solid military cars; groaning and crying of woman and children; bodies of shot men lying one on another on the backyard of local grange. Unfortunately, this is not a scene from a catastrophic film as it could seem to be. This is a cruel reality which afflicted one small village called Lidice.
Lidice suffered from the situation during the World War II and its doom was sealed on the 9th July 1942 when Nazis destroyed this village. This incomprehensible act was a consequence of Reinhard Heidrich’s assassination.Reinhard Heidrich was the most mportant person in occupied Czechoslovakia. Therefore, Nazis made their best effort to punish and revenge disobedience of Czechoslovak nation and the worst vengeance affected innocent Lidice. As was said above, this event happened in 20th century. Whole 20th century brought hard tryouts at our world.
Everything started with the World War I which was different from previous ones. Science discovered and developed many new powerful inventions and weapons which were then used in the World War I.Belligerents used tanks, combatant aircrafts, and chemical weapons which had never been used before. Hence, about 8 million people died during this devastating war. The World War I and following Great Depression were basis for another and more devastating period which was the World War II. The most important role played Germany and its Nazi leader Adolf Hitler.
His charisma and promises to improve poor living conditions for people during the Great Depression convinced people to promote Hitler’s thoughts and intentions. Unfortunately, his intentions were inhuman and the big threat for another nations.Nazis’ policy was clear: expansiveness, occupation of non-German territories, deterrence and errorization of people, and most of all, their policy of clear Aryan race. This policy recognized only clear Aryan people which are predestinated to control people of other races. Therefore, Nazis tried to get rid of people who didn’t meet their conditions.
Most of unfitting people were sent to concentration or annihilation camps where most of them died because of cruel and poor conditions or were killed. This involved mainly people with Jewish background but the final thought was to efface all Slavic nations.With Nazis expansion though Europe they Germanized occupied territories. Who knows where it would end, if their expansion weren’t stopped. However, about 40 million of civil people died in the World War II.
We aren’t able to follow fates of all these people but we can focus on some events which changed lives of many people as it was in Lidice. Unfortunately for Czechoslovakians, their republic bordered on Germany, where the “Nazi mischief” fluctuated from. Dangerous heavy clouds floated above Czechoslovakia when Great Britain, France, Italy and Germany signed the Munich diktat on 29th October 1939.This treaty gave control over borderland of Czechoslovakia to Germany where many German people lived.
People in Europe naively thought that this will satisfy Hitler’s hunger for new territories but it didn’t. His merciless troops magnified sphere of his actions. Inhabitants of Czechoslovakia tried hard to defend their loved motherland but they couldn’t face more modern and equipped German troops. Finally, not only borderland but whole Czechoslovakia was forcibly absorbed by Nazis.
This territory was controlled by Reinhard Heydrich, Deputy Protector of Bohemia and Moravia.His importance was significant and Czechoslovak government in exile decided to assassinate him. On May 27th 1942, Heydrich as traveling in his car through Prague suburb of Kobylisy. Thrown bomb decided that the attempt was successfully accomplished. On the other hand, this well-meant action had horrible consequences. Nazis thirsted for intransigent revenge which would discourage another possible signs of resistance.
They immediately brought into operation special actions. 4 700 000 inspected , 13 113 retained, 621 arrested.This is the result of the operation of 450 000 Nazis who searched through almost every house and flat in an effort to find offenders. In following months they executed more than 2 thousand people without certain eason. Nazis’ fury didn’t have the end. In addition to inspections, special commission was established in Prague.
Its mission was to enquire into all suspicious affairs which can disclose offenders and this commission happened to be fatal for Lidice. Once, the officers received letter for some AniAka who worked in a factory in Slany. Her superior opened her letter without authorization and then informed the commission.The letter was: “Dear AniAka, I’m sorry I’m writing you so late and I hope you understand me but you know that I had much work and concerns. What I wanted to do, I did.
In the fatal day I slept somewhere in Aabarna. I am good. See you this week and then we will not meet again. Milan. ”1 This letter started investigation which disclosed complicated story. The letter itself was from married man who had secret relationship with AniAka and he wanted to end this relationship through the letter.
The problem was that when Nazis questioned AniAka, she brought in that her lover asked her if she knows some people from Lidice.He wanted to give regards to Horak’s family from Pepik who he met some days ago. Finally, Nacis found that two families from Lidice had two missing sons since 1939 who robably acted abroad. Nazis’ uncontrolled desire to punish everyone who could be connected to Heydrich’s assassination was promoted again.
They didn’t need so many real evidences to take this chance and intervene. Connection of Lidice and assassination seemed clear enough for Nazis and the clocks of unsuspecting Lidice started counting down its last hours. Lidice was a small village located about 20 km north-west of Prague.It lye in peaceful nature of central Bohemia, surrounded with moderate hills and wide forests. Its population was 503 inhabitants who lived in about 50 houses.
Children were thoroughly educated at local school, adults worked mainly in factories and mines in Kladno or Slany which were the towns near Lidice. They lived their hard but quite happy lives in their loved village, visited their church, rowed on boats on the pond, listened to fizzle of the stream flowing through the village. However, this peace was radically disturbed on 9th of June 1942.During the day, Nazis set up the plan to surround Lidice and not to let anybody to get out of the village. As they decided, they did but the command from above was much cruel.
According to talk with Adolf Hitler, Gestapo (secret police of Nazi Germany) were obligated to shoot all adult men, transport women to concentration camps, gather the children suitable for Germanization and place them into Reich’s families, other children bring up in different ways, burn the village out and level it with the ground. The command was clear and proceeding of Gestapo too.It was around 11 pm and people were dreaming in their beds. Firstly, Gestapo found chief magistrate of Lidice who had to provide them accounting of cash balance, livestock, stock of corn and so on. Then Gestapo went round all houses, woke all adults and children and forced them to leave their houses in the middle of night. They could take only blanket, warm clothes and some valuable things.
Other groups of Gestapo searched the houses in order to gather things with some value but it wasn’t enough for them. They raised confused atmosphere by throwing furniture out of windows.The ground was besprinkled by broken beds where people peacefully slept, chairs on which they ate their breakfasts, toys which small children played with. The rest of Gestapo inflamed cleaned houses. Even the church and graveyard didn’t arouse any respect in their obscured eyes. Gestapo coldly destroyed every building in the village and in the same emotionless way they destroyed lives of living human beings; unprotected and unarmed people who just wanted to work, have happy family and raise their children.
The worst fate met men from Lidice.Males, who were older than 16, were assembled in a local grange of Horak’s family where they spent whole night. Nobody of them knew why everything was happening and what was going to happen. On the other hand, they suspected that it will probably not end in a good way.
The feeling of uncertainty and fear accompanied them till their last minutes of life. Gestapo prepared the backyard of this grange for execution. They covered the walls with mattress not to let bullets ricochet.The new day started and members of Gestapo were prepared to kill.
Around 7 a. m. irst five men were brought out of the cellar. Their probably had never thought that their life will be ended in such an unfair and discreditable way. Two shots into chest, one shot into head and than one more shot from higher officer.
Their motionless bodies fell one on another as dominoes. Gestapo left their bodies where they fell nd following men had to cross them. The backyard turned into mass grave. Gestapo even searched dead bodies for gold and tore gold teeth up. They handled human beings as worthless things. The cold Gestpo’s approach confirmed their program during the execution too.
They peacefully broiled geese and hens, drank what they found and had actually wonderful working day. The oldest shot man was 84 years old. On the other side, the youngest man was less than 15 years old. According to command only men from 16 years where supposed to be shot but his father wanted to spare her wife from worries and took him nto the group of men. He couldn’t know what will follow.
Overall, 173 men were executed this day. The rest of families - children and women, were gathered in the local school. Mothers and their children didn’t know what was happening too.They only heard hubbub of dying village; sound they had never heard before. After dreamless night Gestapo transported all of them into a gym in a grammar school in near-by Kladno. The process of children’s examinations in attempt to find some of them able to be Germanized started.
Only three children satisfied their strict conditions for reeducation. Cruel fate was waiting for the rest of them and their mothers. The fact that Nazis woke them up in the middle of the night, forced them to leave their houses, burgled their houses and destroyed them, and killed their husbands and father wasn’t enough for them.In the gym, they tore children off their mothers’ arms.
Gestapo said that they will send mothers into work camp by trains and children will be transported by buses to have more comfortable journey. Everything was one big lie. Three children who were picked for reeducation were deported into Reich’s families. The rest of 88 hildren experienced journey to Lodz- the Racial and Displacing Head Office.
In two dirty and unequipped rooms they waited for decision what to do with them. Their only property was what they had on; their only care was when they helped each other. Nobody was concerned about them.Finally, leaders in the head office received report to transport children into next camp where they will be executed without judicial judgement. Their last journey in the life started.
It is not absolutely sure what happened next but according to some proofs and testimonials, they were probably transported to annihilation camp in Chelmn. Before the transport, Nazis choose seven more children suitable for Germanization which saved their lives. But the rest of them were predestinated to die. Chelmn was a camp hidden in the middle of gross forests in Poland. Children were put to death right after arrival.
In the special designer cars their lungs filled by mortal gas. Their young and unblemished life was at the end. From 105 Lidice’s children only 17 survived: 9 children in German families, 6 of the youngest children till the age of 1 placed in creche in Prague, and one boy which was born to her mother after tragedy in Lidice. There were other children who survived but died before they could come back home: one boy who died in creche, another 6 born children who didn’t survived.
Only 17 children had a chance to come back home, if they were old enough to remember where they come from.When we come back to the gym in Kladno, we know what happened to all children but what life tests were waiting for women from Lidice? The most important person in their lives – children - were deported from them. Mothers didn’t know it was the last time they held their children, smoothed their hair, sang the songs to lullaby them. When children were gone, heir mothers and sisters older than 16 years were transported to concentration camp in Ravensbruck.
This camp lied about 85 km far from Berlin and was considered as the biggest camp for women in Nazi Germany.The camp was established for 6000 women but in 1945 there were about 40 000 women! Women from Lidice had to stay for three long years there. The conditions dominating the camp are unimaginable for modern people living comfortable life with sufficiency of food, water, hygiene, and affable homes. Poorly dressed women were obliged to stay for hours and hours on the courtyard in any weather.
They slept n the three-decked beds full of fleas and lice or on the bare ground. Warm clothes, blankets or hot water didn’t exist there.The food was poor, consisting of peace of bread, 2 to 5 potatoes or beet and some floury soups for dinner. The situation worsened in 1945. At least little bit eatable food turned into bread with admixture of saw-dust, peels of potatoes and nothing for dinner, only black coffee for ill women.
Their main routine was hard and exhausting work. Women worked in the camp or they were hired into large factories as Siemens. It was monotonous work of components’ assembling or sewing. Endless working hours, no food, no rest and psychical and physical terror from wardresses was devastating.
Women were hit even when they only turn the head. Many women couldn’t stand this pressure and died of exhaustion or illnesses. If they were sick, there was a hospital. Unfortunately, it wasn’t a hospital in a sense we all know hospitals.
Women who were ill where killed by fatal injections or they got in hands of local doctor Rosenthal. He used women for his nightmarish experiments. Rosenthal amputated their limbs, tried to invoke inflammation in order to try new medicines to cure them then. Woman in camp couldn’t find help or better place anywhere.They were entirely dependent on moods, manipulation and decisions of their jailers. Besides suffering in the camp in Ravensbruck, there was another threat called “transports of death”.
Once in a while, some women were chosen and sent to Oswiecim where most of them died. Fortunately, the end of the war was approaching. In 1945 Soviet troops fighting against Nazis were getting closer and closer to Ravensbruck. Therefore, women had to leave the camp. They walked about 40 kilometers per day without rest or food. The Soviet roops were quick and Nazis couldn’t guard all woman.
Many of them succeeded to escape and got to Soviets. Women from Lidice was lucky because when Soviets found out that they are from Lidice, which became well-known place for all people fighting against Nazi, the sent all Lidice’s women home, back to their native Czechoslovakia. However, this final happy end didn’t met 49 women from Lidice who died during their hard stay in concentration camps. Women got back into their motherland but they couldn’t return to their homes. The place, where old Lidice stood, was absolutely different.
No houses, no roads, no school, no life.Only ground with grass, flowers, and stones sometimes mixed with brick rubble. Nobody could say that this place was flourishing village three years ago. Nevertheless, Czech nation doesn’t give up. Tragedy in Lidice spread all over the world and other nations displayed support to afflicted village. Therefore, don’t be surprised if you met Cuban girl who introduces herself as Lidice Atenia Guerra Gonzales or if you visit Columbian town Medelinn with district called Lidice.
It is not coincidence! Mainly people in Czechoslovakia felt need to remedy and repair what happened.On the third jubilee of Lidice massacre the Czechoslovak minister Vaclav Nosek solemnly read decree which started restoration of Lidice. In 1949 women from Lidice moved to new houses built close to original Lidice. Some of them get married again, established new families and second life of Lidice could begin. Nowadays, Lidice is a well-maintained and fresh village full of life.
If you go through the village, you walk into Lidice memorial which remind people of tragic Lidice’s history. The memorial is a longish bow-shaped building. Inside you find museum containing all important information about the history.If you stay in front of the building you see whole place where original Lidice stood. Now it looks like a slow valley with bright green grass, some trees and pond on the right side.
The only things which remained from original village are bottoms of Horak’s grunge and marked location of the church and the school. The most impressive is The Memorial to the Child Victims of the War. It is a statue of group of children with powerless and innocent expression in their eyes. On the right side from the main building there is The garden of friendship and peace.This garden was opened in 1955 and consists of oses sent from all over the world.
9 thousand bushes of roses from 32 countries symbolize solidarity between different nations and effort to make our world better. I stood in the middle of garden and smelt sweet aroma. After depressive and gloomy sight-seeing it made me feel better and forget about all worries. I suddenly believed that there is always hope for better future. Our world has experiences many bloody experiences during its existence and we still can’t be sure that something will change and people will live in peace. Our history shows us that people have made mistakes over and over.
So why can’t mankind learn from their mistakes? I can’t understand how anybody is able to make such a horrible thing which happened to Lidice but we can see that it is very easy to make people do wrong things. Lidice is a very small village in our big world but it warmed up reactions all over the world. Therefore, everybody should try to make our world better no matter how powerful the person is. We can’t let people do same mistakes as people in our history did.
Don’t forget to find roses of hope in every situation as roses in Lidice symbolized return of hope for better lives of people from Lidice.
