“When Krystyna Balut was 10 years old, in June 1941, soldiers of the Soviet Union’s Red Army came in the night.”
Rest of story:-
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2004135123_polishdeportees20.html?syndication=rss
Seem to be reading more and more of these stories.
My mother never talked about her deportation. At least now with these stories I can get an idea what she might have gone through.
Quote from the article: “The Soviets … deported between 1.5 million and 2 million Poles to Siberia.”
The real number of the deportees is 320.000 people of all ages and genders.
The number is obtained by Ośrodka KARTA - a Polish independent non-governmental organization (incorporated as a foundation), documenting and popularizing the recent history of Poland and Eastern Europe. It continues the activities of the illegal “Karta” and the clandestine Eastern Archives of the 1980s.
Of those 320.000 deported roughly 20.000 died (top estimate) during the time in USSR, i.e. during the periods from 11 to 16 months (There were 3 ways of deportation, thefore 3 groups of deportees spent different time spans.). This constitutes average yearly death rate of 6,3%. For comparisson the yearly mortality rate in USSR in 1940 was 1,7%.
More reading in Polish: http://www.indeks.karta.org.pl/represje_sowieckie_10.html
More reading on this forum: http://www.ww2incolor.com/forum/showpost.php?p=96565&postcount=40
http://www.ww2incolor.com/forum/showpost.php?p=107959&postcount=54
Those who survived went thriugh a lot of hardship a nd many of them lost their dear ones… Those people deserve their story to be told.
Glad you agree.
Glad you are glad! 
I’m glad that you are glad that I am glad.