Dramatic escape stories: Two men, a winter together express memories

Dramatic escape stories: Two men, a winter together express memories

In times of war, many people consider their escape through uncertain times. Two remarkable stories show how far people are willing to go to safety. Hans Joachim Pawlowski, an 88-year-old survivor of World War II, remembers his dramatic escape as a child from East Prussia. "My grandmother fled with me over the ice of the Curonian lagoon," says the pensioner, who was eight years old at the time. For months they suffered from hunger and the constant attacks by low -flyers, while they traveled from Königsberg to Westphalia. Today Pawlowski lives in Hain and looks back on a fulfilling life, which was made possible by the escape of his family, as .

On the other hand, the 98-year-old Lidia Stepanivna, who had to flee in her home country before the most brutal threat. In the middle of Russian aggression, she found herself in her village Otscheretyne, which is now occupied. Without food or water, she managed to walk ten kilometers on foot, based on two wooden bars. Despite the bombardments, their overwhelming will was unbroken. "I survived the Second World War and I will also survive this war," the old lady assured before it was brought to a refugee accommodation by Ukrainian soldiers, such as dailyspiegel.de documented.

Both stories illustrate the unbroken determination of the people, even in the face of war and displacement. Pawlowski lives with the memories of his escape and love of his late wife in his new homeland, while Stepanivna draws hope in a new chapter of her life. Her stories are not only testimonies of your personal strength, but also examples of the ongoing human tragedies that leave wars.