Making Bombs for Hitler

The mustached man disappears. The laborers run out of gunpowder and food. Lida is emaciated, her teeth are loose, and she has open sores on her feet. They are starving. Lida waits to die, hoping that Larissa will live. One day, the door to their factory crashes in. An American soldier steps inside. The soldier states that the Nazis are losing and offers them food and medical attention. Despite their infirmity, the enslaved laborers reject stretchers and help each other walk outside.

Lida thankfully realizes that the American soldier does not see her as inferior, like the Nazis. He gives her water and offers her a square of chocolate, or “shokolad” in Ukrainian. Lida cannot chew the sweet but lets a small piece dissolve on her tongue, savoring the taste. The soldier gives her the rest of the chocolate to eat later.

Lida angrily notices the housewife again behind the curtain. The soldier helps Lida to the cottage and kicks in the door. The woman has a black-ribboned photograph of a young man below a black-ribboned picture of Hitler. She has very little food. Seeing this, Lida is no longer angry and does not want to take anything from her. The woman gives her a slice of stale bread that Lida saves. Enslaved laborers take items from other cottages. One prisoner retrieves a looted wooden icon of a Madonna that looks much like the one from Lida’s church. Lida shares her bread with this prisoner. The soldiers take the icon to a refugee camp where a Ukrainian Catholic priest is building a church.

Traumatized by past experiences with the Nazi hospitals and nurses, Lida is terrified of the American hospital. She refuses to shower, fighting Nurse Astrid who carries her inside. Lida eventually relaxes and hugs Nurse Astrid, who gently washes Lida with real soap, shampoos her hair, and cleans her sores. Nurse Astrid insists Lida must heal before going to a refugee camp. Lida knows the painful medical treatment is necessary, and she tries to trust Nurse Astrid, but Lida still feels like a prisoner. Lida regains her strength, and in June, Nurse Astrid gives her a coveted pair of woolen socks and leather boots. Nurse Astrid drives Lida to a refugee camp. The roads are jammed with refugees traveling from camp to camp searching for loved ones. Lida looks futilely for Larissa.

Lida settles in a displaced persons camp that was formerly a convent. It has the makeshift Ukrainian church Lida heard about. Refugees tuck scraps of paper listing their information and the names of the people they are searching for in a stone wall, covering it with messages. Lida thinks of the time her mother left a message in their church wall, entreating God to bring back her husband. Lida knew the note endangered them and she ate the message without telling her mother. Lida and Nurse Astrid read each note, but there are no messages from Larissa, Luka, Zenia, Kataryna, or Natalia.

The refugee camp does not have the same sense of “misery” as the Nazi labor camp. Families make homes in small corners of the convent or construct dwellings from the rubble. Lida visits the church inside a broken-down barn. The altar is made from tin cans and a wooden door. The icon of the Madonna stands amidst candles. Lida prays for the souls of her dead family members, offers thanks that she is alive, and prays that Larissa and her friends are safe. She prays so long, she has trouble standing up, but a familiar voice offers to help her: Luka. Lida is overjoyed. Luka escaped in a truck carrying corpses from the camp hospital. He jumped out once he was away from the camp and hid in the woods with other escapees. They were pursued by the Nazis, and not all survived. Luka felt bad about leaving Lida behind and prayed she would be safe. He has not found anyone else from their work camp.

Lida and Luka are inseparable. They help around the camp, aiding other families constructing homes and overseeing the children. Lida has a corner of her own in an office building, and Luka bunks with a group of other boys. Lida checks the message wall and the Red Cross daily for news about Larissa. She wonders if they could check German records, but the Red Cross woman explains the Germans destroyed records as they retreated. Luka urges Lida to stay hopeful: Larissa is probably looking for Lida. Luka hopes to hear from his mother.

Lida settles into camp routine. She attends school with other 12-year-old children, learning English, math, history, and geography. Learning is “a gift,” and Lida is grateful for the opportunity. It feels strange to be with others her age, since she has been pretending to be older for so long. She is jealous of the “lucky ones,” the children who survived the war with a family member. It makes her feel alone, and more determined to find Larissa.

Lida shares her story with her teacher, Pani Zemluk, who counsels Lida that she did not kill grandmother by accepting candy from the Nazi woman. Pani Zemluk also warns Lida that she cannot go home again and should not tell people where she is from. Chernivets’ka is a part of Soviet Ukraine. The Soviets think that anyone who worked for the Nazis—even as enslaved laborers—are Nazis themselves. The Soviets are punishing all who return. Pani Zemluk declares Lida must stay safe to save Larissa. Lida is “shattered.”

Lida eats lunch with Luka. They are glad to have nourishing food. Luka eats ravenously. He thinks Pani Zemluk is wrong. Red Army soldiers told Luka his father is alive in Kyiv, and they will take Luka to him the next day. Lida is happy for Luka, but devastated he is leaving. Luka suggests she join him. Lida does not know how she will find Larissa if she is in Ukraine and Larissa is in Germany. Lida does not know what to do.