SB: - from the edge of the chair, you know.
IV. So we can continue.
So he was the one, the tailor. He was the tailor.
SB: He was my father's tailor, not our.
My father called us, my brother and myself.
He said, I think you're old enough to have your suits made by my tailor.
You come here on wednesday afternoon, he will be here.
He came and measured us but I didn't recognize him. He made our suits.
And he said to me, I'm a Kapo. It's not a good Kommando. We were preparing the roads in the winter.
If you come to work for me, he said, you won't have to work. But, so.
By this time, I had, you know, and after eat, I was stronger.
I didn't get any more food from Finckelstein because at 12 o'clock I was already working.
You see, he was in the camp.
And in the evening I was getting the food from, from my barrack.
So this tailor said to me, I would - you know, "If you come to work for me, but you will have to move to my barrack."
Which I didn't feel, I was already settled there, you know, I had enough food.
So he said to me, every saturday, I bring you a bowl of soup. Which he did.
A Kapo! Unbelievable!
But something he said to me, he said to me "I was your father's tailor, my wife was a Benedikt."
I didn't take much notice, but I will tell you, as we go.
So, in the barrack where I was sleeping there was a, a Stubendienst, a Greek, a young chap.
He was like an Albino. Very strict.
He once slapped my face because I wouldn't listen. He asked me to take out the bucket at night.
You know, when the bucket was full whoever came had to take it out, went out in the winter, you know.
Anyway, he slapped my face.
And once every few months it was an exchange of shoes. We were wearing the wooden clogs.
It was rubbing, you know, it was..
Anyway, when the shoes, I found a leather, one leather shoe.
I looked through. I found the other leather shoe!
I know it was only one you could exchange.
But I tried. I said them, look I found the two leather shoes.
Obviousely no one, because I have a very small foot.
I have a very small foot. Can I please have them?
He said, yes. That saved my live.
So I have these leather boots, you know, my- my feet healed.
And when it came.. you know, the January, when the camp was evacuated on the march, the leather shoes were very good.
And I survived this march, we marched probably about 60km from eh, Bun- from Auschwitz to Gleiwitz.
We marched. Two nights and days, and people were being killed all the time.
As soon as, as you went to have a pee or something, bent down, you were shot, all the time, all the time.
We had only one rest, in the open of course.
It was an old broken factory there.
Anyway, we arrived in Gleiwitz, they took us to town to have a- a shower.
A group. There was a, a concentration camp - first in the- an empty concentration camp.
These people were already gone.
They took us out for the shower and took us to the railway onto waggons. This time open waggons, not closed.
It was full. By the time I got in the waggons, there was no more room to sit. So I had to stand, in the corner I was standing.
We were travelling for two weeks.
They were- they were uncoup- I was near the lokomotive.
It was a very long train.
And they were uncoupeling waggons stopping in different camps. We were going down into Czechoslowakia, Austria.
Like camps Groß-Rosen, you know - all kinds of camps!
They were stopping, uncoupeling. We could hear. And people were dying in the waggon.
No food. Sometimes they threw in some loafs of bread.
I was standing - it fell. People grabbed it.
I didn't have any food. I asked a boy, gave me a piece of bread. I couldn't eat it.
My jaw was frozen.
So I took snow. We had no water.
Snow with that piece of bread and chewing.
Soon after a week or so, probably more than a week, there was plenty (???) - people died, every night we stopped they asked to throw out.
Another thing happened, when we went into Czechoslowakia, we stopped under a bridge.
I don't know the town it was.
But people were going to work in the morning, they were taking the sandwiches and throwing to us.
And soon a woman came with coffee, but the SS wouldn't let them come near.
They were shooting over their heads.
Anyway, we travelled for two weeks when I arrived near Berlin, I can't remember the name of the town.
You know, and we travelled to Sachsenhausen.
Arrived in Sachensenhausen, a few of us, out of the 80 about ten, nine or ten of us alive.
In the waggon.
Because I was in the last waggon near the lokomotive.
So we got out.
The camp Sachsenhausen was full. There was no room.
So the put us up in the Heinkel-Werke, where they were making the aircraft.
It was like a circus for (???). And the floor was full of wood shaving.
And we slept there over night.
In the morning we stayed in Sachsenhausen not very long. I remember, it take- I had to go out to bring potatoes and so on for barrack.
We had to register, they lost all the documentation. So we have to register. So.
While I registered, I've, I met the boy I slept in the same bank with in Buna. So we kept together.
And while I was in the queue to register, he met some boy from his hometown, his father's friend.
And his father's friend said to him, register as under 16.
Give your age under 16.
We were already about 18 or so.
He wouldn't say why. And we said, it makes no difference, can we register around 18, we registered.
Soon after this station, a group of us, I can't remember how many, were destined for Flossenbürg.
We travelled in a closed vehicle. It was closed. With guards.
Again SS men. Sitting there, full armed.
And we were sitting there with a- I can't remember how long it took from Sachsenhausen to Flossenbürg. It is quite a long way.
Near Berlin, you know, to- to Flossenbürg.
When we arrived there, I think we stopped at the bottom. We didn't go up.
Probably the weather wasn't- we had to walk. I came in the morning.
The place was white under snow completely.
And again the- of course the first protocol is you go to bath.
So we went to this place, we had to undress, give up the clothing.
We left, you know, totally- there were stairs to walk down.
At the top of the stairs, we could leave our shoes and the belt. A leather belt was a peace of string, you know.
When we came- we waited there for the bath like usually till the morning, because at night everyone was sleeping.
We had to stand there wait and wait till the morning.
By the time we were all very- it was already midday.
No food.
We didn't have any food for days and days - or water.
Anyway, this was Flossenbürg.
They took people to accomodate them in different barracks.
They didn't have special barracks. I don't know how many there were. There were two of us left.
I didn't know the other chap.
A Kapo came along about midday, he said, come with me, and took us.
On the way he was pointing out, this is the- you know, the brothel, the Frauenhaus, you know.
And this is, you know, the washhouse, you know, he was pointing out, he was taking us along like this.
And then he said, (???) he turned left - I can't say, it might have been right or left - I- Anyway, I said, turn left.
Then we came to a blind alley.
On one side was one barrack the length of two, like two barracks together.
With a door at the back and a door at the front.
At the back there was a fence, behind the fence, I found out there was a washroom and toilets.
On the lefthand side, there were pits on the ground.
And they were burning bodies, I could tell, because I knew the smell from Birkenau.
They were burning bodies.
Anyway, he took us to a barrack, right the last barrack- the last door at the back.
We came in. The Kapo talked to a man was dressed in Russian clothing in Russian military uniform.
And after he spoke to me, he just showed like this.
There was a- a pritsche.
You know. So we were quickly- lay down fell asleep. We didn't sleep all night.
So slept there, in the morning we got coffee and bread, first food, lastly - and: roll call.
So we went to the roll call, you know what roll call is. You know, in the morning we went to the roll call.
And I remember, it was so cold, because Flossenbürg is on the top of a hill.
It was so cold. My teeth were chattering like this, you know all of a sudden.
Anyway. After the roll call we went back.
We are counted up everybody. There was this place where the roll call took place.
We went back and stayed in the barrack till lunchtime. Lunchtime we had to go out of the- everybody out of the barrack, lined up for the soup.
And as you go to the soup, you went into the barrack to eat it. You were not allowed to go out, you know.
So I go, I went up, gave me the soup, took to barrack..
I have never ever before, for four years in concentration camps, I never saw a soup like this.
Solid potatoes and carrots. Solid!
I took the spoon, put it in and watched what was on the spoon.
I, I couldn't believe it. I didn't eat like this for four years.
Before I finished the soup, I saw, from the corners of my eyes, a Russian.
Took, went to the other door, lifted an iron bar, looked out and went out.
So I thought, I know what he's up to.
I licked my, when I finished, I licked my.. my.. you know, dish clean.
And I went up to the door, looked out, couldn't see anyone, I went out and I joined the queue again.
And I had another portion but if I was caught, I would be in the pits.
So, this was the day I really ate well. I never forget it.
Anyway, we were assigned- the two boys left, were then picked up by the Kapo in the afternoon and taken to the children's block, I was told it was block 16.
Children's block, I was given a bank, at the top.
I was sleeping with a Yugoslav chap. He was telling me his story, he was speaking Yugoslav, I was speaking in Polish. We understood each other, both Slavic languages.
And he was telling me, he was a courier for the partisans and he was caught and sent here. And in the evening, before lights out, a Russian boy had a balalaika, was playing the balalaika and singing Russian songs.
I thought, where am I? Am I in heaven or.. am I in a concentration camp.
Anyway, lights out. The food was better.
In the morning, for roll call, we didn't have to move.. eh, where everybody had to move.
We stand in front of the barrack, counted in the ends, others had to wait till "alles stimmt", you know.
Was lovely, didn't have to work but we could volunteer because you were not allowed to be in the barrack during the day.
So you volunteered.
Sometimes, you volunteered to push food to the kitchen, so if you're lucky, you got a carrot or a turnip.
At other time, you could carry clothing from the washroom to a store, up the hill. There was a hill with an narrow path, no wider than this.
You carried the bundle and you were guarded by a guard, an old man from the Volkssturm.
He had a rifle that high, you know.
And he was the last one and he was going "Gänseschritt, Gänseschritt, Gänseschritt".
We carried up, we came up to the top.
He said "Put down the bundles. And look through all the pockets. Any money you find belongs to me."
And turned round his back, put his hands, kept at the back. For the money..
Needless to say, we couldn't find any money.
But as soon as he turned his back, I took off the jacket which was a terrible garment, I got.
And put on the best one from the bundle. So.. So, it was profitable in this way.
After being in this barrack for a while, I can't remember how many weeks, one morning at roll call, the.. barrack Kapo, you know, Stubenälteste, said,
"I've got something to tell you. I've got Jews in my barrack" - because they couldn't tell, before in Auschwitz, you got the triangle, you know.
So, you could tell Jews there but just "KL", nothing in the front.
So somebody must have told him, he said "I've got 30 lousy, scabby Hungarian Jews in my barrack. I won't stand, I won't stand for it. They will cause an epidemic."
First, he said, "Older Jews will have to sleep by the window."
"The windows will be open."
"I will take away all the blankets."
And since there were not enough banks by the window, Jews will have to sleep three to a bank.
It was narrow enough for two and nevermind for three.
I didn't sleep since then because I was the weak one, the smallest one, so they pushing me out. I was sleeping, you know, on the edge.
It was terrible.
And in the morning, he said, the Jews will have to be the first out of the barrack.
And he was standing by the door, with attention, hitting one, two, three, bang, bang, bang, over the head.
It became.. very bad as you can imagine.
But he was not satisfied.
One morning, he said "I have decided to get rid of the Jews from my barrack. Everybody will be told, the barrack they should report to."
I was repor- given a number, I think it was 27, might be wrong.
So, I went to barrack 27, there was allready a group of youngsters, little ones, waiting there.. around.
So I asked somebody, "Do you live in this barrack?" He said, yes. I said, "What's the Kapo like?" He said, "He's terrible, he's a murderer. He's a murderer."
My luck, the Kapo arrived, called us together, he said "Stand around me."
Then he made a speech.
He said "You are now, you are my children."
By then, you already know, they game is over, the war was over.
"You are my children, I will look after you well."
Now, he said "I want you to go to the washroom, have your hair cut, there will be a barber and wash your hands, you come back, I will inspect you."
Which we did.
When I went in the washroom, I saw a body on the floor.
Which looked familiar. I bent down and this was my, a school friend of mine.
I knew.
I met him in the small town that I escaped from the village.
Anyway, we went back.
He inspected us.
And we were assigned banks in his barrack.
And he sat, eh.. at the lunch time, he will be the first to get the soup.
That was no good because the soup from the top was all water but.. still.
You had to do as you were told.
And eh, this thing in this.. barrack, a.. a German Kapo came in, he was carrying a pair of high boots.
Small ones.
"Does anyone want to exchange their boots with me?"
I look and see, high boots, lovely, I will have (???). I put them on, they were a little bit tight, I said "They will stretch."
So I gave him my boots from, from Auschwitz.
And he gave me these boots. Then I found out they were too tight.
That if I had to march, I'm a dead man.
So, in his barrack, a few days later, in the afternoon, he said, he called us into his room, the Kapo.
Little chairs, sit down, he brought in a fiddle to play music for us. I thought, this is absolutely crazy.
It did not take long where he gave an order that we should, Jews should step out. We stepped out.
He said "You are leaving Flossenbürg tomorrow morning. You report, you know, tomorrow morning."
Following morning, we were taken to a, to a station.
Not.. not.. not a station because we travelled from eh.. eh.. from Flossenbürg to eh.. on the way to Dachau.
They were taking us. By train, they put us on a train again.
On this train, we started moving, the train was attacked by Allied. Shot up.
And the guards, SS guards, jumped as soon as they started shooting, the train stopped.
They, they jumped down in the field and we followed.
But we noticed that the guards left the rucksacks behind. I noticed. Right.
The Fliegeralarm stopped, we went back into the train and travelled.
Not far off, again attacked.
This time, they shot up the locomotive.
So we couldn't travel any further.
But some of the chaps went for the rucksack, they took, they took the bread and the cigarettes.
When I got the rucksack, all there was, was a packet of margarine, a small packet of margarine, put it in my pocket.
After the alarm, again back, the guards noticed, it was taken, they said "Give back the bread and the cigarettes."
No one answered. "We will shoot everybody." No one answered.
Of course, they had an option, they said, I'm.. they pushed us all to the back of the train and said "I'm going to search you." I had this packet of margarine, I ate it up.
I went to the back, I ate it up, he didn't do me any harm.
Anyway, so, from.. from there, we couldn't travel any further.
Because the locomotive was shot up.
So, the SS called out anyone who can't travel, is too weak or too ill, should wait, they will come, the vehicles will come and take them away.
I wasn't taken in by it.
I was, I, I chose to march. So we marched.
And the people who stayed behind, were taken to a field and shot.
And we marched. It was a long march. And eh..
A lot of, a lot of people were shot.
And you know, and we were liberated, all of a sudden, marching, we stopped.
Very long column, I could see, you know, in front of me.
And eh.. We stopped on one side was a woodland, the other side were potato field.
And we stopped and waited, why did we stop? I looked in the front, the column is breaking up and people are running away.
That's odd.
So waited and waited and one, one boy said "I will go to the woodland and see what's happening. And I'll tell you."
He went, he didn't come back.
So there were three of us standing together. I knew the boys from this barrack.
We said: "We will all go into the woodlands." It started raining. You know.
We went into the woodlands, we marched to the end, there's a village.
It was a.. a semi-circle, the village. Went into the village, we knocked on the first door.
Someone said, "We are full up."
The second, the second house, "We are full of Hungarians, full of Poles, full of Romanians."
And so we went to the last house, "We are full up." We said, "Look, we can't go anywhere else. We are hungry, we are cold. Please help us."
So the man came out, a tall man, a farmer, he said, "I will tell you what, I will let you stay in my.. stable. Eh.. For the time being, but you have to go."
So we went into the stable and he said, we said, "We are hungry, we didn't eat for days."
"Wait here." He came out with hot milk and little doughs in the milk. And a slice of bread and we ate this, we fell asleep.
So he said to us, "You can't sleep here, you'll get frozen to death, it's so cold at night."
He said, "You can sleep in my cowshed, I have got one cow there. You can sleep there."
So we went to the cowshed, put some fresh straw and we, and we slept and we slept there and eh..
In the morning, he came in with a bucket of hot water, a piece of soap and three shirts.
Linen shirts, like farmers, white linen shirts, witthout collars.
Washed ourselves, you know, outside in the cold, oh, it was lovely, having nice hot water and a clean shirt without holes, you know.
It, it was like born again.
So, later on the day, he said, "The SS are looking for you. You better go and join them." So I said, "No, I'm not going. If they want me, they will come here. I'm not going.."
So we stayed there, till sunday. Sunday, he invited us in to lunch.
It was empty, it was just the three of us.
Gave us lunch, I can't remember what, and we told him that we are leaving.
He was near, near road, near main road and we knew already, American vehicles were travelling, so Americans were already there.
But the SS men were still in the woods, killing people. So on a, on monday morning, we left.
We walked along the road, we saw an American vehicle, standing by the road, a jeep.
So we walked up to the jeep, it was empty, the Americans were in the field, they were heating tins of food.
I remember when we came there, they were heating the fire and the fire they were making, you know, with what? With marks, notes of Marks, high denominations, hundreds, thousands Marks.
They had ammunition cases, full of German money and heating the tins with it.
So I said to myself, "That's odd."
I said, "A fortune, obviously, now, Marks are not worth anything if they are burning them like this."
So we went up to them and they gave us some food and they said, "Look, eh, where are you going to?"
I said, "We don't know where." They suggested, we go to the nearest town, it's Neunburg.
They said, it's not very far. It took us three days to get there, we walked -