The march continues for several weeks, leaving a trail of dead and dying Jews across the landscape. There are no medical supplies, and you are not permitted to use your training to make even the painfully ill of your companions more comfortable. As you watch people die, one by one, you become bitterly angry, but there is nothing you can do; you are helpless and frustrated.
One morning, the SS guards force all of you to lie face down in a ditch at the side of the road. You are sure that the crackle of machine gun fire will soon be heard – that you will be massacred, as so many other Jews have been. However, nothing happens. After a long wait, you have the courage to turn your head; you are surprised that the guards are gone. They have all disappeared, fleeing for their own lives!
You and the other survivors drag yourselves into a nearby village where horrified people try to help you. They give you food and shelter and make you as comfortable as they can. The warm barn where these kind folks have sheltered you seems like a palace, compared to what you have been through.
When the Allied soldiers enter the town, they, too, try to help. Each of you is interviewed and allowed to make a decision about where you want to go.
If you choose to continue toward western Europe, not wishing to return to Poland, continue to page 165.
If you decide to go back, seeking any survivors in your family, continue to page 166.