Testimony

Boguslaw Michalski – Bibra

Gestapo detention to Weimar, before the family could get her released there. Danilo came later to Drackendorf; after the war he worked as an interpreter for the Red Army and went hunting several times with officers, before whom the Werthers were somewhat afraid, but according to their statement, no incidents ever occurred. Mrs. Werther no longer knows how many foreigners REIMAHG employed in the village (for their farm, in addition to the two non-REIMAHG people, V. Kibkalo was later assigned in his "free time"). Her mother later hid Mr. Kibkalo and his family (parents and sister) on her farm in the last days of the war. She believes she remembers that V.K.'s mother was very ill and possibly died. The sister, whom they called Schurka, had one or more children, but they were taken out and killed (?) during transport to Germany; therefore, she had psychological problems when she saw children. ( Note: She expressed the suspicion that the father of the child(ren) might have fought for the Germans – but this is only a suspicion; it cannot be ruled out that even the families of collaborators were by no means safe from German terror. These matters, as well as the possible death of his mother, were not addressed by Mr. Kibkalo, so I am uncertain whether they are true, as I consider it unlikely that he would have concealed them (perhaps the possible service of the husband/lover of his sister for the Germans, but the death of her children or his mother?). M.B. According to her description, people lived quite well together after the war as long as the Kibkalos were housed on their farm. An uncle of V.K. lived together with a pastor’s wife. The Americans were present in Dienstädt with a troop; people were afraid of them, but no incidents occurred. After liberation, some former Polish prisoners looted – they searched the houses (they took a camera and her watch from her house, etc.). They partly cut down the cherry trees and ate the fruit. To her knowledge, the local farmers' leader in Dienststädt was arrested, but probably none because of REIMAHG. After the war, she visited the Sauckel house with some other girls, which, according to her memory (and what was told), was very richly furnished. As far as she knows, all of it was looted by the people from Großeutersdorf, who sometimes even drove up to the complex with horse-drawn carts to transport away whatever was there. • Michalski, Bogusław, questionnaire mediated by the Fundacja "Polsko-Niemieckie Pojednanie" [Foundation "Polish-German Reconciliation"]. Bogusław Michalski I. Before the Deportation 1. When were you born and who belonged to your family? I was born on 21.03.1927. My family consisted of my mother, my brother, and my sister. II. Deportation 2. When and under what circumstances did you become a forced laborer? I was arrested by the German railway police in 1943 in Mołodeczno (today Belarus) and handed over to the SD. 3. What was the transport to Kahla like? What conditions prevailed during the transport? We were transported in a cattle wagon first from Mołodeczno to Frankfurt am Main, then to Kassel, Essen, and to Kahla without food or drink. III. Arrival in Kahla and at the REIMAHG labor camp 4. Do you remember which camp you first arrived at? Were you transported further? I was first in Gumperda for half a year. About 250 people slept on straw in an old cinema. Then about 2500 people were transported to the camp in Bibra, where we built a security factory under house arrest. 5. What accommodation was there in the camp? How was the accommodation? There were bunk beds with straw. Water was outside. The barracks were old. 6. Was there enough fuel, blankets, and other things in the barracks? What condition were these in? We collected fuel ourselves. One blanket and one pillow filled with straw. 7. What food was there in the camp? Was the food varied? How and when was the food distributed? 300 grams of bread daily plus malt coffee plus one tablespoon of sugar for the whole week plus one liter of soup at noon. The food was always the same. IV. Forced laborers at REIMAHG 8. When and how did your day start? How long did it take to get to the workplace? What was the morning and evening roll call like? There were no roll calls, only assembly before work. Work was from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. (in two shifts). The way to work took 30 minutes. 9. To which department at REIMAHG did you belong? Did the tasks change during this time? The work was to dig a tunnel in a mountain. It was always the same work until the tunnel was finished. 10. How intense was the stress or pressure related to the work? The stress was very high. My work was always supervised by a foreman and a guard. 11. What impression did the German and foreign foremen make? How did the foreign supervisors treat forced laborers from their own country? The foremen were Germans, about 70 years old, and relatively good to us. 12. What remuneration did you receive? Could you buy anything with it? There was no pay. V. Everyday life in the camp 13. Could forced laborers have personal contact with other prisoners? Could you move freely?