Joseph Wardzala

Born 1923, Smigno, Poland

Joseph and his family were Roman Catholics. After Germany invaded Poland in 1939, roundups of Poles for forced labor began. Joseph escaped arrest twice but the third time, in 1941, he was deported to a forced-labor camp in Hannover, Germany. For over four years he was forced to work on the construction of concrete air-raid shelters. He was liberated by U.S. forces in 1945, and the forced-labor camp was transformed into a displaced persons' camp. He stayed there until he got a visa to enter the U.S. in 1950.

Describes wearing a patch identifying him as a Pole while in a forced-labor camp.

Julian Noga

Born 1921, Skrzynka, Poland

Julian's Catholic parents had settled in the United States, but his mother returned to Poland. In 1939, Julian was deported to Austria to do farm labor after he was caught for hiding a rifle. On the farm he met the landowner's daughter, Frieda, his future wife. He was arrested in 1941 because relationships between Austrians and Poles were considered illegal and in 1942 he was deported to the Flossenbuerg camp in Germany. During a forced march in 1945, he was liberated by U.S. forces. Julian and Freida married after the war.

Describes conditions in the Flossenbuerg camp in Germany.

Karl Gorath