In 1939, eleven-year-old Lonek escaped from Nazi-occupied Poland with his parents and young brother, but was then deported to a Soviet gulag. When Germany invaded Poland in June 1941, Lonek was among the 100,000 Poles who were released from the gulags. He made his way to join General Anders, who led led them via Iran to Palestine to join the Allied Forces. This began Lonek's two-year journey over thousands of miles in search of freedom.