Testimony

Aneto Caluzzi – Kahla

VIII. Liberation 23. Did the Germans evacuate you from the camp in the last days of the war? If yes, what were the conditions of the march like? The camp was liberated by the Allies and we went in small groups wherever we could. 24. Where were you liberated? What was your physical condition at that time? We were liberated in Kahla in Camp V. IX. Return to the Homeland 25. When did you return to Poland? In May 1945. 26. What questions were important to you? Would you like to say anything else about it? No answer. 1. I was arrested during a raid in our area on August 7, 1944. 2. I was deported in a cattle car. The first stop was Erfurt, where we stayed for two days. It was hot and they did not open the windows. After two days, we were taken to the REIMAHG camp. 3. When we arrived in Kahla, we were housed in several camps. Yes, I was also transferred to "Camp VII." 4. We lived in wooden barracks. We could not wash ourselves and at night we slept naked because the lice almost ate us alive under the blankets. There was one blanket per person and one stove, but they gave us neither wood nor coal. 5. Yes, we each had a poor blanket. No, we could neither wash our clothes nor ourselves because everything was frozen and we had no water of our own. 6. They gave us a piece of bread and a cup of broth to eat, which we Italians called "Sbrudiglia." If we had to work at night, they gave us the same amount of food as always. The next meal was then the following night. So for 24 hours we had only bread, water, and hunger. 7. We worked in day and night shifts. Before we left for work, there was always a roll call. On the way to and from work, we were always accompanied by a German soldier. 8. Yes, we went in a line to work, six km there and six km back, always accompanied by a German soldier. Yes, the guards beat us with sticks if we did not meet the required work quota. 9. No, the only day of rest was Christmas. The food was the usual ration: bread and water. 10. We were constantly monitored. There was no opportunity for short breaks because they hit immediately. The work instructions were often changed, so we changed workplaces about once a week. We carried cement sacks on our shoulders, etc. 11. No, they did not take any safety measures. Personally, nothing ever happened to me (question about work safety). 12. In "Camp VII" there was a Belgian SS overseer. I want to tell you what happened to me. When we came back from work, I briefly escaped to a field where potatoes were grown. I took two armfuls and hid them in my pants. In the barracks, I put them on my bed. The SS man discovered this, and in revenge, he let two dogs bite me. And the harder the dogs bit me, the harder the overseer hit them so they would hurt me even more. After that, they threw me into the yard, where I lay unconscious for a day and a night. 13. No, we were prisoners and constantly locked up, always under observation. Our overseer was a Belgian SS man. 14. Yes, there were also Russians and Italians. They were just as badly off as we were. 15. No, we were all treated the same. 16. No [, there was no pay, editor’s note]. 17. No, we had absolutely nothing! We were only rich in lice. 18. Unfortunately, both happened. [to be checked again by a native speaker, editor’s note] 19. I witnessed many abuses, people who starved to death. People died from their hardships and hunger. The camp commanders were to blame. 20. There were no offenses in that sense. You just had to do what they ordered. And if you had no strength left, they punished you with stick blows. They treated us like animals!!! 21. [The German construction managers and workers behaved] badly [towards the prisoners, editor’s note]. 22. No, I was not lucky [, to meet Germans who treated us prisoners well].