The other soldiers were amused at this and told him that he could keep guard and watch them enjoying themselves.

‘Non – nein! Bitte nicht.’ Ella beseeching them was dealt with by her being pulled by her ankles to the edge of the truck.

Without thinking, Flors screamed: ‘No – don’t! Stop!’

‘Engländerin? Raus hier!’

In the moment of terror, she’d given away their nationality. With fear gripping her even deeper now, Flors did as he instructed and got out of the truck. What was said next she didn’t understand, but it was stated with extreme anger and hatred.

The butt of the evil soldier’s gun dug into her ribs. She doubled over in pain, but then called out in agony when her hair felt as though it was coming out at the roots, as he grabbed her by it and excruciating pain seized her.

Rendered helpless, Flors felt herself being dragged into the trees and then flung to the floor in the first clearing. Fearing she was going to be shot, she closed her eyes and prayed fervently. But another blow to the side of her face, and being commanded to remove her trousers and knickers, brought the realization of what was going to happen.

With a gun held at her forehead, she did as she was told. The sound of Ella’s cries, and the grunting noises coming from the direction of the truck, filled her with despair, as she knew that poor Ella was being raped. Feeling consumed with rage, Flors kicked out at the German who held her captive. She missed hitting him in his groin, but landed a heavy kick to his stomach.

She scrambled away as he gasped for breath, but he recovered quickly and caught up with her, cracking her head with the butt of his gun. Her eyes clouded, her head spun and the sounds of the world faded to a muffled pitch, where she couldn’t make out Ella’s cries from the annoyed squawks of the birds and the squeals of forest animals disturbed from their rest.

Though she knew her body was being manoeuvred, she couldn’t stop it happening. She felt the German enter her and tasted his panting breath, which reeked of the many cigarettes he’d smoked on the journey; she felt the despair of her rape, and the violation made her want to vomit. But she couldn’t protest.

On and on it went, until at last he became still. His head was near hers, and his moans and grunts sickened her as she felt him pulsating inside her.

No sooner had he rolled off, and the thought came to Flors that it was over, than she felt the weight of a different kind. This soldier wasn’t so heavy. His movements weren’t so hurried and brutal. He lay a moment, stroking her hair.