Miroslav Kubik (born on 7th November 1925)
In the report for K H Frank written by Kladno Gestapo he was identified as one of the “principal plotters“ of the attempt on A. Bauer’s life, thus in fact already very soon after his arrest his further fate was decided: he would not be released from the Small Fortress, but sent to another concentration camp
In his memories, Slávek describes the cruelty of Small Fortress wardens, beginning with the first interrogations which all of them had to go through. After a fortnight of work in the fort, he started to be assigned to outside commandos. He worked, for example, in Reichsbahn commando, Litomerice hospital or in commandos at Kopisty. Thanks to assignments outside the fort he could sight his father and even his two brothers.
In autumn 1942 when some students already celebrated their release from Terezin, barely seventeen-year-old Slávek was, along with other boys, put on a transport to the dreaded concentration camp in Auschwitz. The citizens of Roudnice were well familiar with the camp as many members of the Sokol club at Roudnice had been deported there in the past.
Photo of Miroslav Kubík from KL Auschwitz, FAPT 1008
In Auschwitz, Slávek was first assigned to cleaning service, then he worked on Krankenbau (construction of hospital) and later in Landwirtschaft (agriculture). In summer 1943 he and two other schoolmates were moved to block No. 11, where were usually put inmates before their release. Nevertheless, executions took place there as well. The students hoped, even were quite sure that they would be released soon. The greater was their disappointment when they were put on a transport to another concentration camp, to Dachau. There were also severe conditions, but according to Miroslav Kubik still a little more bearable than in Auschwitz. The students were placed in block No. 20. Kubik worked at different places, for example got into so-called “Kammer“ (chamber), as an Elektriklehrling into the SS Waffenwerkstätten (weapon workshops), later into commando “Plantations”. Since mid 1944 inmates in the camp experienced air strikes, which continued up to the liberation in April 1945. Although the camp was under quarantine, Slávek and Alexandr Svet managed to get out of the camp, and in the evening of 18th May they got to Roudnice. He came back almost three years after his arrest.
He survived the dangers of three Nazi camps, and great merit for that to both his optimistic nature and strength as well as his very supporting and loving family with which he kept correspondence during the whole wartime. His parents sent him food packages to Auschwitz and Dachau, a total of 860 kg. All in a difficult time of rationing, high prices of goods on the black market and the constant fear of their child’s life.
Ema Blazkova (31st August 1924 – 31st August 2003)
Ema Blažková, FAPT 1664
Ema joined the grammar school at Roudnice in the fatal school year 1941/1942. At that time she already painted, and in May 1942 she asked the headmaster for a permission to organize an exhibition of own drawings. However, the exhibition did not take place, because Ema was among the arrested students who were deported to the Small Fortress. Thanks to her memories and the memories of other girls we learn many interesting things about the life of girls in the fort. They were terribly impressed by the moment when the door closed behind them and it was locked. In the course of time the girls were getting accustomed to life in prison and tried to survive the best they could. Ema was not idle with her art there, although keeping a pencil in the fort was very dangerous. She got the first pencil from her schoolmate, and kept only its lead which she hid in a floor crack. Ema skilfully pictured the daily life of prisoners, some of her classmates, and she also drew Milada Horakova, a prisoner in the Small Fortress then. Eventually wardens at the women’s courtyard learned about her skills, however, they did not punish Ema for holding a pencil, on the contrary, she drew pictures for them as well.
Ema was released on 2nd November 1942. After that she was sent to clear brushwood at Krivoklat.
