Kazimiera Mika – The horror of war through a young girl’s eyes

It’s Wednesday, September 13, 1939 in Warsaw, Poland. Twelve days prior, Germany invaded the country and now Warsaw (which has been bombed since the onset of the war) is under siege.

In a field along Jana Ostroroga Street just outside the Powązki Cemetery, seven women dig for potatoes, which essentially comprises the diet of the starving people. Suddenly, two German planes race from the sky and indiscriminately bomb a nearby home, killing two occupants.

The women in the field drop to the ground as the planes race into the distance. Once assured that the aircraft have departed, the women again return to their desperate search for food.

Then, the planes return, roaring from the sky with machine guns blazing upon the helpless victims caught in the open. Bullets rip through two of the women in murderous fashion.

Shortly thereafter, American filmmaker Julien Bryan comes upon the scene. As he films the lifeless body of a young girl, a 10 year-old girl by the name of Kazimiera Mika runs upon the corpse. She stops and stares at it, stunned in absolute bewilderment and horror. Her frantic eyes look at the photographer and the others gathered about as if perhaps they can make the surreal scene go away. As if they could somehow fix the horror of her older sister laying upon the ground, a lifeless hand clutching a wound to her chest, blood covering her jacket, the young girl’s mouth covered in blood coughed-up in hapless attempts to breathe.

Bryan captures the scene as Kazimiera kneels by her sister, distress shaking her small frame and grief all about her. Kazimiera wants to do something for her big sister- needs to to something- but there is nothing to be done.

Bryan approaches the girl and holds her, joining Kazimiera in sorrowful tears. Others do the same, including two Polish officers.

Such terror gripped Warsaw during the war, culminating in the Warsaw Ghetto.

Kazimiera would survive the war but never forget that awful autumn day. Neither would Bryan, or the other startling images he documented during the Nazi invasion.

Below is a collection of photographs documenting that terrible September day. They show Kazimiera by her sister’s side and Bryan with the young girl.

Back in New York, Bryan would compile hours of Warsaw footage into a 10 minute newsreel that was shown in theaters across the country.  You can view the newsreel here and see actual footage of Kazimiera at about 9:38.

Here are the photos…