Kazimiera Mika - famous photo from WWII/Warsaw

"Photographer Julien Bryan":

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...

catbirdThreads: 1 Joined: May 30, 09	Edited by: Administrator May 30, 09, 04:56 / #
Does anyone know if she is still alive or anything has been written about her after the war? Thanks. I could not attach file, so you can see the photo on flickr:

gosc11Threads: - Posts: 1 Joined: Dec 7, 09	Edited by: gosc11 Dec 7, 09, 05:56 / #
Yes, this girl is still alive and she's living in Warsaw. This is a article about her: warszawa.gazeta.pl/warszawa/1,34880,6986800.html Actual foto of her: warszawa.gazeta.pl/warszawa/51,34880,6986800.html?i=1

mateinoneThreads: 10 Posts: 78 Joined: Mar 15, 09	Edited by: mateinone Dec 7, 09, 06:19 / #
Here is a link with multiples pictures of the story => Web Page One example quoting the photographer on this can be found through this link => Web Page "Photographer Julien Bryan": 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... I have listed the full quote, because it is on many web pages and there is no "source" web page, so I cannot see any copyright issues. IF the admin want to reduce it to 100 words and just the link, that is okay, I have just added why I cannot see it being necessary and hence why I posted it in this manner.

ZIMMYThreads: 10 Posts: 2,353 Joined: Feb 21, 09	Dec 7, 09, 06:27 / #
Thanks, I've occasionally wondered what happened to her. That photo has stuck with me because it epitomizes the suffering, grief and shock of war - and how in one instance a young life's world is turned to hell.