Ten-year-old Polish girl Kazimiera Mika mourning the death of her sister, caused by strafing German aircraft, near Jana Ostroroga Street, Warsaw, Poland, 13 Sep 1939, photo 1 of 2

Caption     Ten-year-old Polish girl Kazimiera Mika mourning the death of her sister, caused by strafing German aircraft, near Jana Ostroroga Street, Warsaw, Poland, 13 Sep 1939, photo 1 of 2 ww2dbase
Photographer   
Source    ww2dbaseWikimedia Commons
Link to Source    Link
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Invasion of Poland   Main article  Photos  
Photo Size 627 x 939 pixels
Photos in Series See all 2 photos in this series
Photos on Same Day 13 Sep 1939
Photos at Same Place Warsaw, Poland
Added By C. Peter Chen
Licensing  This work is believed to be in the public domain.

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Visitor Submitted Comments

1. Commenter identity confirmed C. Peter Chen says:
29 Jul 2009 08:20:10 PM

Photographer Julien Bryan described the scene: "As we drove by a small field at the edge of town we were just a few minutes too late to witness a tragic event, the most incredible of all. Seven women had been digging potatoes in a field. There was no flour in their district, and they were desperate for food. Suddenly two German planes appeared from nowhere and dropped two bombs only two hundred yards away on a small home. Two women in the house were killed. The potato diggers dropped flat upon the ground, hoping to be unnoticed. After the bombers had gone, the women returned to their work. They had to have food.

But the Nazi fliers were not satisfied with their work. In a few minutes they came back and swooped down to within two hundred feet of the ground, this time raking the field with machine-gun fire. Two of the seven women were killed. The other five escaped somehow.

While I was photographing the bodies, a little ten-year old girl came running up and stood transfixed by one of the dead. The woman was her older sister. The child had never before seen death and couldn't understand why her sister would not speak to her...
The child looked at us in bewilderment. I threw my arm about her and held her tightly, trying to comfort her. She cried. So did I and the two Polish officers who were with me..."
2. dimitris says:
25 Jan 2010 12:51:46 PM

As new entrant, I can notver be decisive However, my first impresion is that this site is very intersting one and that i will be looking forword to spend a lot of time in here.
3. Koresh says:
10 Dec 2011 05:10:15 PM

Saw this picture on a WW2 book I was reading and it stuck with me so I had to look it up.Being Europe, I can still understand the hatred that was inflicted by WW2 and its after effects to this day.
4. Anonymous says:
13 Sep 2014 09:38:56 AM

The girl grew up and was still alive in 2009, see more photos here https://iesounonies.wordpress.com/tag/fotografia/

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Modern Day Location
WW2-Era Place Name Warsaw, Poland
Lat/Long 52.2475, 20.9658
Famous WW2 Quote
"Goddam it, you'll never get the Purple Heart hiding in a foxhole! Follow me!"

Captain Henry P. Jim Crowe, Guadalcanal, 13 Jan 1943


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