‘My mother sacrificed herself for me’: Escape from the train of death

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1 day ago

January 26, 2025

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It was almost spring, when the Gestapo came for them.

The Gronowskis had planned to escape through the back garden if the worst happened. But they were taken by surprise, sitting at the breakfast table sipping coffee and spreading jam on bread, when the doorbell rang.

“The door opened and two men shouted ‘Gestapo. Papers’,” recalls Simon, who was aged just 11. As the Nazis entered their small flat, his mother, Chana, and older sister, Ita, turned pale and started trembling. After examining Chana’s ID card and passport, he confirmed her fears.

“You have been denounced,” he said, curtly.

It was March 1943, almost three years into the Nazi occupation of Belgium. As Jews, the Gronowskis had left their home six months earlier and gone into hiding in a different part of their home city of Brussels. But the Nazi’s secret police had tracked them down.

Just a child at the time, Simon had no clue his family were to be deported to Auschwitz-Birkenau – the notorious death camp where the Third Reich carried out mass murder with brutal efficiency.

As the soldiers shouted at them to pack their bags, Simon grabbed his beloved scout uniform and followed his family into the unknown. Pointing at her young son, Chana asked: “The little one too?”.

“Yes,” they replied. “The little one too.”

After their arrest in Belgium, they were held in a former army barracks in the neighbouring city of Mechelen. This was was Belgium’s only transit camp, a holding place for Jews and Romani before their deportation to the extermination camps.

The living conditions were wretched. A hundred men, women and children were crammed together in each room, forced to sleep on hay mattresses on rickety wooden bunks. Nobody knew what fate awaited them. The word “Auschwitz” was never mentioned, says Simon. “The Nazis told us that Jews must go away to work, in labour camps.”

A month later, Simon and his mother were informed by the SS that they would be leaving the next day by train. Ita, briefly protected by the Belgian citizenship she had proudly claimed on her 16th birthday, wasn’t on the list that day.

The next day, Simon and Chana were loaded on to one of 34 train wagons alongside 1,600 other prisoners. Nobody knew their final destination, they all thought they were going to work.

When the 11-year-old was escorted out of the barracks, he found himself standing “between two rows of soldiers all carrying rifles, leading right up to a train wagon which seemed enormous, as I was very small. I climbed in with my mother and 50 other people”.

Inside the wagon, there was straw on the floor, no seats and barely any light inside. “I was still in my little world of cub scouts,” says Simon. “I didn’t know that I had been condemned to death and that this train was going to transport me to the place of my execution.”

But this was one of the convoys which sent more than 25,000 Jews from Belgium to the death camps between 1942 and 1944.

During the journey, the train came under attack from the Belgian Resistance. Three young fighters halted the train and managed to help people escape. Cowering in their carriage, Simon and his mother held their breath.

Once the train started moving again, the door of their carriage, possibly damaged in the raid, slid open. As others leapt down, his mother told him to follow.

Jumping down, Simon heard soldiers running in his direction, firing guns and shouting. When he dared to look back, he saw that soldiers had caught his mother before she could jump.

“I jumped from the train to obey my mother. If she had told me to stay then I’d have never left her side and I would have died with her in the gas chamber,” says Simon. “I adored my mother. She sacrificed herself to ensure my escape.”

Terrified, Simon ran for his life. He spent the night in the woods before a local Belgian family gave him refuge. Eventually he was reunited with his father, Leon, who was in hospital at the time of their arrest having suffered a breakdown. On his release, he was sheltered by friends.

Three days later, Chana was dead. Murdered in the gas chambers at Auschwitz, the camp where the Third Reich perfected its methods of mass murder.

By the end of the Nazis’ four and half years in control of the camp, they had killed more than a million people – the majority of whom were Jews.

Six months later, Simon’s sister, Ita, also lost her life at Auschwitz.

On Monday, around 50 survivors will join an array of international dignitaries including King Charles, France’s President Emmanuel Macron and Polish President Andrzej Duda to remember the day Soviet soldiers liberated the camp 80 years ago.

In total, an estimated 6 million lost their lives in the Holocaust, one of the greatest crimes in history. Today, Simon is concerned by what he sees as rising antisemitism and the growing popularity of far-right parties and populism in the US and Europe.

“I fight against the extreme right and antisemitism, because I was a victim of it. The extreme right is a pathway to hatred,” he says.

America, the UK, Germany, France and the Netherlands are just some of the countries which reported a rise in antisemitic incidents in the year following the October 7 2023 attack.

A “disregard or disrespect for democracy” is fuelling the popularity of “antisemitism, racism and other forms of hostilities” in Europe, says Professor Stefanie Schuler-Springorum from the Centre for Research on Antisemitism in Berlin.

“We have to be on the alert,” she warns.

The 80th anniversary of Auschwitz’s liberation will be for some the final time they attend a major anniversary event and bear witness to the crimes committed.

It’s for this reason, Simon wants to share his memories of the horror he witnessed.

“My mother gave me life twice. When I was born, and the day of my escape,” he says. “I want young people to know about the cruelty of yesterday, to help defend our democracy today.”

Siobhan Robbins reports from Auschwitz-Birkenau in Poland with Sophie Garratt, Europe news editor, and Serena Kutchinsky, assistant editor for premium content

World

North Koreans ‘blow themselves up with grenades rather than risk capture’, say Ukraine soldiers

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2 hours ago

January 27, 2025

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North Koreans 'blow themselves up with grenades rather than risk capture', say Ukraine soldiers

North Korean troops appear to have temporarily pulled back from the frontline in Russia after suffering heavy losses, a Ukrainian special forces commander has told Sky News.

The commander, who goes by the codename “Puls”, said Kim Jong Un‘s men were likely either learning lessons from mistakes made during their first, bloody clashes with Ukrainian soldiers, tending to their wounded or waiting for reinforcements.

“I think they’ll be back soon,” he said, speaking at a secret base in northeastern Ukraine.

Interviews with several Ukrainian troops reveal remarkable details about how the North Koreans have been fighting since they arrived on the battlefield in the Russian region of Kursk last month. This includes:

• An apparent initial lack of awareness about the threats from drones and artillery, with North Korean soldiers attacking on foot “like something out of World War Two” in groups of 20, 40 or even 60 men, making themselves easy targets

• “Brainwashing” which means they keep pushing forward despite being under Ukrainian fire and with comrades being killed and wounded around them

• A desire to remove evidence of their presence from the warzone, with North Koreans in white helmets spotted trying to recover the wounded and the dead

• A refusal to be taken alive, with claims that North Koreans have been seen blowing themselves up with grenades rather than risk capture. Puls even claimed a North Korean has been heard shouting “For General Kim Jong Un” before killing himself

• Poor coordination between North Korean and Russian forces because of the language barrier. One soldier claimed radio intercepts revealed North Koreans accidentally targeted Russian positions. He also said they would storm Ukrainian positions, suffering losses, but Russian troops would then fail to exploit the gains

• Better kit than many Russians, including rifles and uniform, but a lack of heavy armour, with North Koreans only moving on foot and using golf buggies to transport ammunition.

“They were all clean-shaven and perfectly groomed, like models,” said Puls.

“Every single one – no beards, unkempt hair, or bald heads… It was also hard to determine their age. They all looked between 25 and 35, maybe up to 40.”

North Korean troop deployment not officially confirmed

Ukraine and its Western allies say Pyongyang has sent 11,000 troops to join Russia’s war, focusing on bolstering infantry lines in the Kursk region where Ukrainian troops captured swathes of territory in a daring invasion last August.

Neither Kim Jong-Un nor Vladimir Putin have officially confirmed the deployment.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy claimed last week that some 4,000 North Korean soldiers have already been killed or injured.

Puls commands the 1st Combat Divers Battalion of Special Operations Forces.

His elite commandos were tasked with capturing DNA samples and documents from a unit of about 25 North Korean soldiers who were killed in a drone and artillery barrage about a fortnight ago inside Kursk.

Body camera footage from the mission has been shared with Sky News. Edited clips have also been posted on social media.

Forensic samples taken

Ukrainian soldiers can be seen carefully sticking cottonwool buds into the mouths of dead North Korean troops to take samples of saliva and place them in an evidence bag.

They then remove the troops’ helmets, cutting clumps of hair and bagging them as well.

In addition, body armour is cut away so the Ukrainians can more easily access the documents and other items on each soldier, including military identity cards, dog tags, handwritten notes and photographs.

‘North Koreans only had ammo and chocolate’

One of Puls’s men, who took part in the operation and goes by the codename “Trainer”, said he was surprised that the North Koreans only had ammunition and chocolate as supplies to sustain them in the fight.

“Not a single soldier had a water bottle,” he said.

“They rely on the idea that they will storm through, take positions, and then eat and survive off our supplies.”

Asked what personal belongings he found, Trainer said: “There were letters. Of course, there were notebooks, notes. There were hand-drawn maps… There were photos of children, mothers, letters they tried to send home.”

The military identity cards were Russian – a seemingly clumsy attempt to hide the true ethnicity of the soldiers.

Trainer said some of the notes appeared to be of soldiers’ experiences in battle. He said it seemed as though they were trying to learn from their exposure to modern warfare.

“It’s the experience they are accumulating for their country, for conflicts they might face in the future,” he said.

North Koreans ‘more disciplined’

Puls described how the North Koreans fought differently from the Russians.

“They are far more disciplined, with exceptional morale and determination – completely brainwashed, really,” he said.

Puls said about a fortnight ago he noticed the North Koreans pulling back.

“The Russians are standing, working everywhere along the frontline, but no Koreans,” he said.

“Either they’re analysing their mistakes, or tending to their wounds, or maybe they’re waiting for reinforcements. There’s talk that Kim Jong-Un is sending more North Koreans here. That’s the situation.”

He said intercepted Russian communications appeared to indicate they would be returning.

“They’re still present, training or waiting for reinforcements. Something is happening, they’ll be back soon.”

World

Rebels in Democratic Republic of Congo say they have taken key city of Goma

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2 hours ago

January 27, 2025

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Rebels in Democratic Republic of Congo say they have taken key city of Goma

Congolese rebels say they have “taken” the key city of Goma in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

The leader of a rebel alliance that includes the M23 group reiterated on Sunday that government forces had until 3am to surrender their weapons.

It comes after 13 soldiers serving with peacekeeping forces in the DRC were killed in clashes with the rebels, United Nations officials said.

Congolese rebels and allied Rwandan forces entered the key eastern city of Goma on Sunday and the airport is no longer in use, according to the DRC’s top UN official.

“M23 and Rwandan forces penetrated Munigi quarter in the outskirts of Goma city, causing mass panic and flight amongst the population,” said the UN’s special representative in the DRC, Bintu Keita, to an emergency UN meeting on Sunday.

The strategic city of Goma has a population of about two million people and is a regional hub for security and humanitarian efforts.

Eyewitness: Sky News team in DRC attacked as civilians flee

The M23 is mainly made up of ethnic Tutsis who broke away from the Congolese army more than a decade ago.

It’s one of about 100 armed groups that have been vying for a foothold in the mineral-rich region, where a long-running conflict has created one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises.

In recent weeks, it has made significant territorial gains.

The DRC has accused neighbouring Rwanda of fuelling the M23 rebellion and has now severed diplomatic ties with it.

Rwanda has denied the claims but last year admitted it has troops and missile systems in eastern Congo to safeguard its security, pointing to a build-up of Congolese forces near the border.

“Rwanda is trying to get in by all means, but we are holding firm,” a Congolese military source told the Reuters news agency on Sunday.

“It is war, there are losses everywhere… the population must remain calm, we are fighting,” they added.

The DRC has recalled its diplomats from Rwanda and asked Rwandan authorities to cease diplomatic and consular activities in the Congolese capital, Kinshasa.

A UN Security Council meeting to discuss the escalating violence was scheduled for Monday but was brought forward to Sunday.

During that meeting, France and the UK pressured Rwanda over its role in the conflict.

France called for Rwanda to withdraw its troops from Congo territory, while Britain called for an end to attacks on peacekeepers by M23 rebels receiving support from Rwanda.

It comes after a Congolese military governor was killed while on the frontline during a M23 offensive on Friday.

On Saturday, the Congolese army said it foiled an M23 offensive towards Goma with the help of its allied forces, including UN troops and soldiers from the Southern African Development Community Mission, also known as SAMIDRC.

The burning wreckage of a white armoured fighting vehicle carrying UN markings could be seen on a road between Goma and Sake.

South Africa said nine of its peacekeepers had been killed amid the surge in fighting during the last few days.

Three Malawians and a Uruguayan were also killed, the UN said.

Decades of conflicts in the eastern DRC between rival armed groups over land and resources, and attacks on civilians, have killed hundreds of thousands of people and displaced more than seven million.

Militias also include the Cooperative for the Development of the Congo (CODECO) and the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF).

The UN peacekeeping force entered the DRC more than two decades ago and has around 14,000 soldiers on the ground.

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Displaced civilians in Democratic Republic of Congo face frenzy of fear and uncertainty

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2 hours ago

January 27, 2025

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Displaced civilians in Democratic Republic of Congo face frenzy of fear and uncertainty

Hundreds of displaced Congolese marched down a sloping road in northeast Goma with their lives on their backs.

Mothers with mattresses strapped to them dragged their toddlers alongside and trucks brimmed with bodies and belongings.

Many of them have been displaced more than once, as the violent insurgency waged by Rwanda-backed M23 rebels against the Congolese army spread furiously in 2024.

It reached new heights in recent weeks as they seized control of large swathes of territory in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and now, are advancing on the regional capital Goma.

The humanitarian hub is marked for capture by M23 with dozens of diplomats and non-essential United Nations (UN) staff evacuated by planes, cars and ferries.

As they leave, 250,000 of the most vulnerable Congolese pour into the city for safety.

We watched the movement near Goma’s Kihisi roundabout as hordes of civilians walked in the middle of the road with experience and urgency.

As we stopped to mark their plight, a small crowd stopped to stare at us.

Reports were circling that Rwandan troops had crossed the border into Goma just 5km from where we were standing – an invasion later confirmed by the UN top official in the DRC, Bintu Keita.

As we pressed record, a man with rageful red eyes pointed at me and yelled violently. We were attacked as we tried to escape.

Our colleague translated the intent fuelling the mob once we got to safety – they thought I was Rwandan.

That frenzy gives a small glimpse into the communal-level tribal hostility that has fuelled this 30-year conflict – a hangover from the notoriously violent Rwandan genocide.

The panicked civil unrest in that neighbourhood has not quelled in the hours since news spread of M23 moving in.

UN staff still in Goma have been told to stay indoors and there is increasing concern for civilians here as evidence looms of M23 atrocities in areas of their control.

“We know that M23 has been using the local population to transport their ammunition, like in [recently captured] Minova, and this is not the first time,” one aid worker told us on condition of anonymity.

We spoke to an M23 spokesman Manzi Ngaramble from our hotel in Goma and he confirmed that they are moving in to capture the city to “protect the people”.

“I cannot tell you how soon M23 will capture Goma but I can tell you this: Goma will never be the same again.”

When M23 previously captured Goma in 2012, peace was quickly brokered and the rebels retreated.

Now, Rwandan involvement has made this a regional, diplomatic crisis.

A UN security council meeting due to be held on Monday was expedited to Sunday – echoing calls for de-escalation and protection of civilians as Goma hangs in the balance.

Troops from the United Nations Organisation Stabilisation Mission in the DRC (MONUSCO) – the UN’s biggest peacekeeping mission – have been told to pull into the city and lock in place, after days of fighting on Goma’s outskirts led to at least 13 peacekeepers killed and 50 injured.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres says he is “deeply concerned by the escalation of violence”, calling on the Rwandan Defence Forces to stop supporting M23 and to withdraw from the territory of the DRC.

As diplomats and humanitarians scramble to neutralise an explosion that is decades in the making, Goma’s future looks dark.

The hundreds of thousands of civilians who sought safety here are caught in a rabid frenzy of fear, rage and uncertainty.