Protocol Nr. 1076

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Name: H. M.
Gender: female
Place of birth: Huszt
Date of birth: 1929
Place of residence: Huszt
Occupation: housewife
Ghetto: Huszt
Camps: Auschwitz, Reichenbach, Parschnitz, Kratzau


The person in question has given us the following information: I lived in Huszt with my father, who was a cellar master in a wine cellar. My mother died already three years ago. They jammed us in freight cars in the ghetto of Huszt, 75 people in a car – and deported us to Auschwitz. As soon as we arrived they separated us from each other. I remained with my elder sister and my stepmother. They took us into the baths, where they seized the few belongings we still had, cut our hair off, shaved our bodies, and gave us ragged clothes without any underwear. I was sent into Camp C, block 16. Our provision was grass soup that was made of pebbles, pieces of wood and coal. Roll call started already early in the morning and was repeated several times during the day. We were beaten for all possible and impossible reasons. If a woman called Grese came we had to stay on our knees sometimes even for eight hours. 14-15 of us slept on a bunk. The block had no roof. Rain fell in and we were cold. New transports kept coming and we were not allowed to leave the hut when they arrived. If someone went out all the same the SS would catch her and beat her up so badly that blood would pour from her nose and mouth. We starved a lot since we had no chance to steal. We could not even keep a sack for the bread, and if someone did sew one for herself out of rags they would seize it. One morning the Aufseherin came to select people for a transport. Eighty of us were selected; she let brothers and sisters stay together. We travelled to Reichenbach by a personal car. At the station we got bread, margarine and sausage. We arrived in the camp by night, and we lay down on the berths, which still had no straw mattresses. Roll call was at six o’clock in the morning. We got soup and bread, and everyone got porcelain bowls, cups, plates and also cutlery. We received good rations: each of us got one quarter of a loaf of bread, and there was also some kind of Zulag every day, and twice a day soup. We also got the provisions of civilians in the factory where we worked. Masters were good to us, and did not beat us. There was also a radio in the factory and we could listen to it, too. At 9:30 there was a half an hour break for a mid- morning snack, and lunch break finished at 10:30. The manager always checked whether we got proper food. Things were also clean. We changed dresses every week. We got soap, washing powder, and once a week we could have a warm bath in the factory. In February, heavy air raids started. The factory was bombed to pieces. Casualties were numerous, but only the Germans were hit. Thanks to some miraculous luck, no Jews were hurt at all. The Germans of course watched us with some superstitious awe and envy. They took us to Parschnitz. We walked for five days in February. The snow was deep, and we climbed high mountains. We felt a terrible hunger as we got only some bread for the journey but nothing else. We arrived in a dirty camp where rations were awful: they cooked only potato peels for us and gave us one eighth of a loaf of bread. We dug trenches for 5 weeks. There was a Serbian SS-man who kept encouraging us that it would not last for long, we only had to survive a few more weeks. He kept telling us to work slowly and speed up only when the master was coming. Unfortunately, the Aufsehers were replaced so it was not always him who watched us. Some of the Aufsehers would beat us with their rifle butts if they were in the mood. One day Dr Mengele appeared. When we noticed him we got incredibly scared, and believed we had to die for certain. He did indeed select people but it was quite a light one, only a few of us were selected. We went to Krazau. We travelled in open wagons for three days. Rain and snow fell in. A very nasty Kommandoführer received us, who beat us a lot. We got proper rations, there was soup also in the morning, and one sixth of a loaf of bread. On Sundays, we always had good lunches with peas and potatoes. The manager of the factory made sure also here that they cooked for us in a proper manner. No one stole anything. Many French prisoners of war were kept here, and they were very kind and good to us. They encouraged us that it would not last more than a few days. We received packs from the Red Cross with lump sugar, cheese and anchovy paste. Once, girls returned from the factory with the news that the French had told them that we did not need to work any longer. Hence, when the Kommandoführer ordered “Antreten” for the night shift, the girls of the shift did not want to leave. He beat them with a rubber belt. Nevertheless, the next shift was indeed sent back, and they were told that we did not have to work any more. It was on the 6th of April. The SS came on the 8th in the morning, and wanted to blow up the camp. We did not go to work; the camp was already closed, and only the French guarded it so that no one could approach it. The manager of the factory came to give us a talk. He said he was always pleased with us, and now he asked us to remain disciplined until the last minutes. That was how we were waiting for the liberation, and the Russians in fact arrived on the 9th of April.
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