Testimony

Philemon Loddewijckx – Walpersberg / Kahla

"The time in Kahla was not a real life, but rather a struggle for survival." "In a warehouse where workbenches were set up, we had to learn welding. We stayed there for about six weeks." "After this period, we were sent into tunnels to lay pipelines for compressed air, electricity, and gas." At Walpersberg, different work shifts ensured the continuity of the work. First, an entire labyrinth of corridors was drilled through and the debris was cleared. The next work shift had to spray mortar on the walls, after which the group in which Philemon worked had to build the pipelines. "I always welded in the tunnel. We started at point 0, then completed 1, 2, and 3." "As soon as the first pipelines were completed, we had to test if there were no holes in them. Especially when these pipelines were intended for gas, these tests were of great importance. Once we conducted a test with soap. If bubbles emerged from the pipelines, we had to patch the holes. It took us many weeks to finish this work." "The hall where the airplanes were built also had to be supplied with pipelines. That was the most terrifying time I have ever experienced: It was due to the hard work and your lack of good and healthy food that we were all already quite weak; and in this extreme condition, we still had to climb high ladders. I always tied myself to the ladders with a rope." For one day, Philemon was assigned to another job. "One day, a Sunday, I worked at the top of Walpersberg. All troops had to help with the construction of the runway. We climbed the mountain using a cog railway and had to transport the cut trees down the mountain. At that time, the construction work was already delayed by several weeks, but the Germans expected the runway to be completed by Christmas. So every single workforce was called upon to help." The food rations that the workers received in Kahla were too small to survive on. "We got water soup and a piece of bread." "The first bowl of water soup I received upon our arrival in Kahla, I did not touch. It was full of potato peels; I only tasted it briefly and then finally gave it to a Russian fellow prisoner. That was the first and last time I gave away part of my food." Philemon Loddewijckx "The time in Kahla was not a real life, but rather a struggle for survival." "Three men received half a loaf of bread; a little less than 200 grams per person. The longer our time in Germany lasted, the less bread we got." "At first, we occasionally got a piece of sausage, some jam or butter; however... that did not last long." "Only once, at Christmas, we got some boiled potatoes and a loaf of white bread, we almost felt like celebrating." "If one were really to survive on the tiny portions allocated by the Germans, one would have been dead before. So I did not hesitate to try to get additional food." "The tunnels in which we worked had passages to others. In one of these passages, there were wooden partitions. At this place, the Germans stored potatoes for their kitchen. Once I stole 20 potatoes: If you removed the sand from the wooden board, you could reach the potatoes. I never dared to steal more than 20 pieces - for fear of being caught." "In a pipe which I had closed on one side, I prepared the potatoes. I heated the pipe with a soldering iron until it glowed and the potatoes were done." "Our group leader was a good person. Several times he took us to the café in the center of Kahla, where the Germans went to eat." In Camp E, it was more of a struggle for survival. "Life in Camp E was hell. The unfortunate ones who became sick had no chance. Only one, among a large number of sick people, recovered. People from the camp selected the sick in barracks. About half of the people who had to live in Camp E died. Over the months, more and more people fell victim to death." "I can consider myself lucky not to have become seriously ill. The only insignificant problem I had to live with was an ulcer on the larynx, which was removed in the Jena hospital." "One was entitled to a sick note, with which one could go to Jena." Fortunately, liberation was near. Philemon Loddewijckx "The time in Kahla was not a real life, but rather a struggle for survival." "Around April 10, the Germans gathered those who could still walk. 'The Volkssturm' would take them away. Together with ten other men, I was able to escape through the fence and we could disappear before the column started moving." Above Kahla ran a high-voltage line. At work, Philemon once asked where this high-voltage cable ran. It seemed to run from Leipzig to Frankfurt. At that time, Philemon still intended to escape from Camp E; this high-voltage line was to serve him as a compass. However, in the meantime, he experienced, like many of his fellow prisoners who were caught during escape attempts, being put into Camp 0, which resembled a bunker. Many of them came out completely changed and did not live very long anymore. This brought Philemon back to reality. But this particular day in April was forever deeply imprinted in his memory. "Behind the camp, we ran through a field of rutabaga seeds, the high-voltage line led us towards Eichenberg, Dienstädt, Gumperda, and Milda, where we aimed for forests. Ultimately, we lay in a fir forest until dawn." "The next day, we moved to the edge of the forest and heard shots from tanks that lasted until midnight." "Shortly after 12 o'clock, we saw some tanks next to a cornfield. Some of us headed towards them. They were Americans. We told them that three of us were still hiding in the forest and asked if we could get them. For whatever reason, we were forbidden. The Americans did not know exactly who we were and did not want to take the risk that we might be traitors." "They took us to the church in Milda, where the entire village was already gathered. Around 11 p.m., I fell asleep at the altar." "That night, I woke up to the cries of a woman who had just given birth to a girl." "In the church, we got some sausages and continued our journey to Weimar, Eisenach, and Eisfeld. At night, we had to leave the road and slept on a farm." "Eventually, we were taken by car to a barracks in Frankfurt. In Wiesbaden, we took the train to Jambers; we were transported in freight containers, in which we suffered from severe cold. In our section, there were many different people: women who worked voluntarily in Germany, but also children..." Philemon Loddewijckx