Eyewitness Testimony Mario Cocalotto

Mr. Mario Cocalotto, born on 08.12.1903 in Sant Albano Stura, residing in Garessio, Via Vittorio Emanuele 50, recounts the following: I was arrested early on July 28, 1944, by the Germans at the Lepetit company. I belonged to the group that was not absolutely necessary for the operation and was either to be shot or deported. I begged the command to spare me this fate, as I had two children aged three years and a few months. Fifteen people were scheduled for execution, 14 workers and the butcher Giacomo Odello. This number was reduced to five, and my fear lessened. However, it gripped me again in the San Vittore prison in Milan. From Savona to the German border, we were accompanied by several fascists. One of them worked as an interpreter in the camp. This Italian was from Savona. He behaved absolutely badly. He was unjust and violent. I was immediately sent to work in the tunnels of REIMAHG. They declared me a carpenter, although I had absolutely no knowledge of this work. However, I was doing quite well, thanks to an older German foreman. He came to Kahla by train from a nearby place. He also constantly brought news about the course of the war with a request for utmost secrecy. Often he also brought some food. We had to install the wooden paneling inside the tunnels, but also make bases for the machines. I received a tolerable payment. From this, I bought cigarettes, which I exchanged for bread. We had to work 15 days on the night shift and 15 days on the day shift. Between the two shifts, there was a day of rest. On these days, I went to the countryside to work there so that I could get a few potatoes or beets. There were few guards in the countryside, and the police only came in case of an accident or for control purposes. One day I saw how the dead from the camp were taken away on a cart to the cemetery of German civilians. The people who died during work were buried in certain places outdoors. One day we gathered around an Italian who had died in the previous shift. A man from Milan, who was a sexton in his hometown, said the prayer, but the Germans laughed at our respect for a dead person. The food was little and bad. We could buy some beer or lemonade in the tavern; we also found some support in the houses or in the countryside. For sleeping, we had bunks. Elsewhere it was sometimes even worse; there people slept on the floor at times. Our experiences were by no means pleasant and not to be wished on anyone. Source: Renzo Amedeo: Ogni contrada e Patria di Rebelli, Milan 1964, pages 80 - 83.