Eyewitness Testimony Anselmo Roberi

Mr. Anselmo Roberi, born in Bagnasco on 31.03.1913, residing in Garessio, Via Federici 14, recounts the following: On July 27, I was taken prisoner in Bagnasco and deported to Rudolstadt. From there, I was brought to REIMAHG and assigned to construction work. Our foreman was a stately civilian with one arm who usually dealt us a blow with the back of his hand without mercy. Other civilian personnel accompanied us to work, in rows and ranks, and it was even forbidden for us to have our hands in our pockets. They handed us over to the police for internal work. I had to work underground in REIMAHG for a long time, primarily to build new tunnels, but we also had to build a beautiful entrance portal with bricks. I was also assigned to build a barracks camp for Russian prisoners. Lately, we were also affected by bombing raids. In this context, I remember the death of Luigi Ingaria from Bagnasco (14.02.45), who died on the street upon our return from work after having drunk some beer. During one of the improvised night inspections, a man from Alessandria, born in 1907, arrested but in Milan shortly before Christmas 1944, father of four children, was found with a knife in his pocket. The policeman killed him by striking him six times on the head with this knife. I was often sent to Kahla to saw wood at various families’ homes. There I also received an ointment to treat a sick leg, as well as some potatoes. A carpenter approached me gently and kindly told me that the war would soon be over. But I grew weaker and soon lost my eyesight. I was assigned to “Camp 7,” which was indeed an outright death camp for the sick. I was liberated by the Americans while I was staying for a short time in the countryside near Kahla. There I ate only grass. The Americans took me to Rudolstadt. There I received the best treatment and they then allowed me to return to Italy.