REMEMBRANCE IN TIME - Index of

Florentin OLTEANU: Aspects as Regards the Transylvanian Saxons’ Deportation … 279
finished and applied by the public order organs with the direct and substantial
contribution of the NKVD Russian militaries. The night of 12/13 January 1945 was set as
data for perpetrating this terrible NKVD operation. The news was disseminated, as
lightning, in the afternoon of the morning of the 11 th of January, when in every
Transylvanian Saxon locality, the Security agents, the gendarmes and the NKVD soldiers
entered, provided with machine guns that were firing collective-intimidation shots. They
crossed out the locality exits, keeping under observation the village borders and the
notary public, accompanied by agents and gendarmes, went to the domicile of the
outcasts, putting in consideration that, within a few hours, to prepare for departing in a
long journey, for many of them turning into a road of no return. The hubbub, psychosis
and terror that suddenly took hold of the residents are unimaginable, relating to the not
menaced ones. A fierce manhunt began, with heartbreaking scenes and soldierly
brutalities. The victims were seized by the death drama and did not know what objects to
take in their hand luggage, how many they were afforded to take.
Here are the localities of the county of Făgăraş, with mostly Transylvanian Saxon
population (2/3), fallen prey to deportation: 1. Şercaia. 2. Crihalma. 3. Ticuşu Vechi. 4.
Jibert. 5. Felmer. 6. Şoarş. 7. Bărcut. 8. Seliştat. 9. Merghindeal. 10. Cincu. 11. Cincşor.
12. Toarcla. 13. Gherdeal. 14. Bruiu. 15. Şomărtin. 16. CârŃa Olt 11 .
Everywhere, the soviet organs abusively and menacingly, sometimes even ferociously
behaved. People beyond 50 years old or beneath 18 years old were also confined. Where
they deemed to face adversity, they beat and destroyed. They also lifted sick persons from
bed. In my village, they snatched from bed the son of the rich innkeeper Johann Geltsh,
seriously ill with pneumonia. This one, out of his home and in contact with the frost
outside, deceased in the cart, before reaching Arpaş.
I deem appropriate to illustratively expose in this tragic context the following episode I
lived. I was judge at the Court from Făgăraş. In the day of the 11 th of January 1945, by 14
o’clock, I had left work with other elderly colleagues. The weather was nice, but very
frosty and with a lot of snow. On the point of leaving the gate, we heard from Beclean,
great commotion and gun shooting. In the distance, a horse-cart convoy appears, loaded
with wrapped people, flanked by soldiers that travelled on foot. At their sight, the
magistrate colleagues left home. I stayed in a group in front of the Tribunal gate to see
what was happening. The convoy difficulty advanced through the abundant and frozen
snow. Horses trotted in tired step and, at every cart loaded with people, the horses were
held by bridle by a walking carrier. We all looked in astonishment at this sinister show,
wondering in puzzlement: what is happening?
All of a sudden, the carrier of the first cart passing in front of the Court, discovers me
among the on-lookers, stops the horses at about 5-6 meters and runs towards me shouting
«Mister Remus, mister Remus, look what the Russians are doing to us, they are taking us
11 In 1930, the ratio Romanians/Transylvanian Saxons in the above-mentioned villages was:
Şercaia – 756/730, Crihalma – 802/0, Ticuşu Vechi – 425/1070, Jibert (jud. Târnava Mare) –
684/832, Felmer – 693/524, Şoarş – 369/750, Bărcut – 483/620, Rodbav – 180/343, Seliştat –
324/413, Merghindeal – 449/808, Cincu – 1206/1112, Cincşor – 224/581, Toarcla – 498/271,
Gherdeal – 104/226, Bruiu – 399/493, Şomartin – 325/745, CârŃa – 502/446. Censorship from
1930. Transylvania, Studia Censualia Transsilvanica, coord. Traian Rotariu, Presa Universitară
Clujeană, pp. 190-193, 201, 206-213, 550-553].