Lech Proczkowski's Imprisonment in Siberia

My father was born in Lviv/Lvov in what was then eastern Poland (now in today's Western Ukraine). He had a young sister. His father was a lecturer and worked in railway logistics. My father started his studies as a mechanical engineer, but he never managed to finish them due to the war.

Although Lviv was never occupied by the Germans, his region of Poland was invaded by the Soviets. My grandfather (Lech's father) was arrested by the NKVD (the forerunner to the KGB) on 2 March 1940, and at the end of the same year, he was sent to Prison Camp No. 1, where he died at the age of 59. My grandmother and her sister were sent to Siberia by ship. My father was sent to a camp where he had to work as forced labour constructing railways.

They were so starving that he had to dig in the frozen ground to find raw onions. Due to vitamin deficiency, his sight was going bad in the dark (night blindness), which was very dangerous since they could have gotten lost outside and died.

He was freed as part of the General Anders agreement (Soviet agreement with the British concerning the exchange of Polish prisoners). He travelled to Palestine through Persia, where he regained his strength and was trained for service in the army. He travelled to Italy to take part in the Battle of Monte Cassino.

Lech served in communications because he didn't want to shoot at people, even enemies.