Emil Šlosarčík

“The training we had in England was for Commandos. We were trained in how to kill with a knife. They had a plan to drop us over France and let us fight in the mainland. Then they abandoned this plan and used us during the invasion of France.”

“None of us were injured but there was a girl passing by the church who was blown up by a mine. The mine made a hole in the tank at the place where the driver was. He was not hurt but the tank could not go on so they had to tow us to Dunkerque.”

“The French who were there with us ran away.” Mr Šlosarčík’s wife: “But it was not a fully trained army. Those were members of the French resistance. They were singing there and the Germans must have heard that. One of my commanders said that if he got one of them, he would shoot him. And when the shooting began. Those French ran away and there were only Czechs and Canadians left to fight.” E.Š. “They ran away like rabbits.”

“During the siege of Dunkerque we couldn’t use the tanks. It was flooded all around the fortress so we had to go on small boats in the night. In the fights you are not afraid. There is no time for fear and one gets used to it that there is no fear.”