Mila 18 - Leon Uris [245]
Wolf’s judgment on the planting of the kasha bowl was confirmed.
Chapter Sixteen
Journal Entry
THE THIRD DAY
Today we administered to the Germans their most humiliating defeat of our infant rebellion. I shall describe it.
The Reinhard Corps who survived the first day and Ukrainians, Litts, Latts, and Estonians assembled at their parade ground off 101 Zelazna Street and crossed and marched along the wall along Leszno Street, apparently to enter at Tlomatskie Gate. Rodel has been anticipating such a move against the uniform factory. The Germans moved in the former “Polish corridor,” a slot between two sets of walls. Rodel’s Fighters had rounded up twenty ladders. With the Germans singing and marching in the “protected” corridor, they rushed the ladders against the wall, climbed, and pelted pipe grenades down on the Germans. The enemy never even got into the ghetto!
Later in the afternoon Germans poured through four gates behind heavy machine-gun and mortar barrages. Our strategy: let them in. Their protective barrage must lift quickly after their troops penetrate. Then we hit them from the rear. All four times we drove them out.
Two events to hearten us! The first Russian bombers’ passed overhead for an air raid (on Germany, we hoped). We cheered them wildly!
Tonight the Germans admit on the radio broadcasts that the “Polish bandits” have been joined by Jewish gangs (perverts, subhumans, nun rapists, etc., etc.). This admission that they are fighting Jews is bound to have an impact on the people.
THE FOURTH DAY
Our friends arrived at dawn. This time they neither sang nor marched in formation. They moved in dispersed, heavily, armed formations. After artillery, mortars, and machine guns drove us to cover, they came in slowly. They crept along in the shadows of the building. We no longer suffer from fright. It is they who show fear. We allow them to get deep into the ghetto, and then we hit them with cross fires at intersections, hurl fire bombs and grenades down from the roofs, shout at them in German to confuse them, jump them from the rear.
Today they concentrated on the uniform factory. We estimate they used a thousand troops to seal it off. Rodel's forces harassed them unmercifully, but they managed to get a few hundred workers out. Frantic for a victory, they blew up a hospital near Pawiak Prison. All but the bed patients had long been evacuated.
THE FOURTH NIGHT
Banks of floodlights in tall buildings over the wall lit up large sections of the ghetto. Their troops moved in to continue with a night attack on the uniform factory. Simon and Andrei have spoken of this possibility (night action) for some time. Simon tried our most daring foray. Broken into three groups, our people dressed in German uniforms taken from the factory and trimmed (leather belts, helmets, even decorations) from fallen enemy. Group 1 was led by Andrei, Group 2 by Simon, and Group 3 by Tolek Alterman. Our “Germans” merely marched out of the ghetto. The enemy mistook us. We got them completely off guard. Simon’s group attacked the floodlights and artillery. They wrecked twenty floodlights and five cannons. Tolek’s group raided the arsenal at SS barracks, captured a machine gun and twenty rifles and several thousand rounds of ammunition (desperately needed).
Group 3, Androfski split into two parts. Part one raided the central market and “confiscated” three trucks loaded with food. The second unit raided the Citadel Hospital for medical supplies.
We know we have reached our high-water mark. We cannot use German uniforms at night again, as they will undoubtedly think of using a password to prevent future occurrences. (Further testimony to their respect for us as a fighting force.) Nevertheless, we can continue to confuse them in the day by sudden