In January 1945, Bohdan Korzeniewski witnessed Soviet tanks near Pruszków and the war-ravaged landscape of Warsaw, where Red Army soldiers and locals struggled to survive.
Soviet Tanks on the Approach
Walking along the tracks from Pruszków to Warsaw, Dr. Bohdan Korzeniewski spotted Soviet tanks moving across the snow-covered horizon. Soon after, he passed a group of the machines. Their crews, dirty and exhausted, ate, drank, smoked, and slept in the snow.
A City of Rubble
Warsaw, or what remained of it, looked different. In mid-January 1945, it resembled a frozen sea of rubble, with islands of habitable buildings emerging. Between them, “bearded and elderly coachmen in patched sheepskin coats drove frost-covered horses with lazy swings of their whips,” Korzeniewski recalled, a scene reminiscent of nomadic tribal migrations.
Wartime Wanderers
Some of these wartime travelers stayed in Warsaw for only a few days. Their presence was marked by plumes of smoke rising from various points, where Red Army soldiers lit fires to keep warm.
