Young Eagles Grodno ‘39 (Orlęta Grodno ‘39)

Grodno, an Eastern borderland of pre-war Poland. On September 1, 1939, German planes bombarded the city. One of the bombs hits the school of Leoś, Ewelina, and Tadek. Their world of innocent and carefree childhood, playing, and first loves ends literally and figuratively. Leoś is 12. He is a Jewish boy fascinated with the Polish independence movement tradition. On September 17, 1939, according to the Soviet and German pact, the Red Army invaded Poland and planned to capture Grodno. The city begins a hopeless fight against the occupants. The small troops are supported by civilians, mainly schoolchildren. The children and adolescents are the ones who heroically defend the city and become victims of the exceptional cruelty of the occupants.