Here when the entrance post in now located there was an entrance to the German shop

         On the display there was a mock-up of a terrain where a shining small river was flowing over which there was a bridge protected by two cardboard bunkers, in the sand there were carved shooting ditches, barbed wire entanglements surrounded the fortifications; tanks and armoured cars were stuck on the front line. Near the forest cannons bristled their barrels, diving in the direction of small, burnt wood, and miniature puppets of soldiers completed that amazing picture of "the victory of Germans on all fronts..."
         The enemy was missing here, impossibility of that picture was obvious to us- sometimes we dropped in the train station and we saw transports of injured and battered "knights under the banner of a swastika."
         That shop window was the reason for my "battle" action.
         One day, when we were standing on a step in front of the shop window, there jumped out of the shop a German, taller than we, dressed in a Hitlerjugend uniform, hit Kazik, pushed him off the step, and I - before I managed to jump aside - was served with a kick! We ran away from the shop, and started snapping replies at the Kraut! We had to do a runner, nevertheless, as in the door appeared a chubby German with an Alsatian whose muzzle looked beastly.
         It was a great humiliation for us!
         In revenge, from time to time, stealing near the shop, we spat on the shop window panes...
         It didn't bring the right satisfaction nevertheless and I often thought how to strike back at German in the most "tangible" way for him.
         Breaking the window was thought to be too risky, as in the region lots of Krauts were always hanging around.
         For a long time I couldn't make up anything, and then I succeeded - I knew what should be done: that German mitten which is so often put up for the Nazi greeting I'll smear with shit!
         Obtaining the "battle" material was relatively easy, though I had to overcome some technical difficulties which I won't describe.

         Before the shop was closed I was lurking nearby, waiting when the Kraut would go out into the shop back. Observing him through the shop window I saw him close the drawers, hanging about near display cases, he took out a cash box to the back, then he pulled down the blind of the door and of the both shop windows. Now I had some minutes' time before the fatso would be ready to go out and I set about acting on the spot!
         The whole action was quite efficient and fast: the door handle I smeared along its entire length and I withdrew onto the "premeditated position", waiting impatiently when German would go out to close his lousy shop. I waited quite long, being afraid of the action success, but finally in the door there appeared a chubby figure of German with his inseparable Alsatian.
         My heart was beating stronger! After a while the fatso closed the door, for a moment he got frozen, looked at the palm opened before his nose, looked around and then with a hand stretched out like a sleepwalker, he went inside...
         Thinking the matter fixed up I decided to do a runner. Never before had I been so pleased with myself.

         Later on we did the same with friends many times, taking a liking to tramway handles on the first step, where was written "only for Germans," but such a fun and such emotions that were connected with the shop at Senatorska Street I didn't experience again.

Janusz Wałkuski

Janusz Walkuski in our times

drawn up by: Maciej Janaszek-Seydlitz

translation: Małgorzata Szyszkowska