Eyewitness Testimony Leopold Turtenwald

Bach’s Foreign Language Specialist Vocational School, Leipzig 2 Correspondents and Interpreters School Founded in 1902 Director Egon Bach Certificate for the English foreign language specialist. Miss Henriette Gerth from Weimar/Thuringia born on November 1, 1920 in Kaltennordheim participated in an English specialist course from early January to end of April 1938 and achieved the following certificate grades: Language proficiency: very good Commercial letter writing: good Interpreting skills: very good English cultural studies: very good Vocabulary and sentence structure: very good Commercial knowledge: very good German shorthand: 120 syllables good transcription English shorthand: 100 syllables good transcription She passed the written and oral examination with the overall result Very good, and is therefore entitled to call herself a certified English specialist foreign language specialist (German-English stenographer, correspondent and interpreter). General assessment: Miss Gerth proved to be very diligent in her studies, conscientious and goal-oriented, orderly, independent, thorough and reliable. She has a quick grasp, clear thinking and a broad general education. Her charming, fresh, natural, friendly and committed character is particularly noteworthy. She will be able to meet high demands and can therefore be recommended for positions of trust. Her conduct at the vocational school was impeccable. Miss Gerth was awarded a prize in recognition of her outstanding interpreting and commercial knowledge achievements. Leipzig, April 30, 1958 Egon Bach Director School stamp Copy JORES SCHOOL Vocational training for interpreters and foreign language correspondents Dresden CERTIFICATE for Miss Henriette Gerth, born November 1, 1920 in Kaltennordheim After attending a foreign language course, the final examination took place from December 4 to December 19, 1942 in the following subjects: -Results- German shorthand 200 syllables English shorthand 200 syllables French shorthand 200 syllables Italian shorthand 200 syllables Dictation on the typewriter Foreign languages (blind, 10-finger system) very good Commercial correspondence and translations English with distinction French with distinction Spanish Italian very good Russian As interpreter (conversation with foreigners) English with distinction French with distinction Spanish Italian with distinction Russian Teachers: School management: Le Pittschmann Prof. Fischer L. Hotta Dr. Reinecke Alexandra Pianos (seal) Arthur Busch Examination observer: Mia Cleton-Lyons signature Leopold Turtenwald Robert-Koch-Str. 1a 07407 Rudolstadt Rudolstadt, January 21, 2013 Heinrich-Jung Publishing Company Ltd. Am Einsiedel 7 98544 Zella-Mehlis Subject: Notes on the book “Jet Fighters over Walpersberg” Dear Sir or Madam, Recently, I happened to see and purchase this book in a bookstore in Rudolstadt. Since I myself (born 1928) was several times conscripted as a senior student of the Rudolstadt high school to work deployment in Großeutersdorf, I would like to share some details from that time. The deployments began around November 1944, lasted until about March 1945, and lasted about 1 to 8 days. For the one-day deployments, we were taken early by the German Reichsbahn to Großeutersdorf and returned in the evening. For the deployments lasting several days, we stayed in Großeutersdorf. We slept in side tunnels on about 40 cm straw bales, with a blanket on top. Heating was provided by aluminum cables about thumb-thick, hung on the walls and electrically heated. The temperatures in the tunnel were a comfortable 22°C. Fresh air was provided. Our work area was mainly clearing vegetation, moss, and plants for the later runway. The cleared forest floor was then concreted to form the runway. What I remember about the assembly halls: The profile of the hall was carved out of natural rock on the mountainside. To be safe from air raids, about 5 meters of reinforced concrete was planned as a ceiling. After the “rock profile” was finished, the 5 meters of concrete ceiling was applied in one operation. After everything had set, excavators cleared out the future assembly hall again. Stones, earth, and roots were still visible on the ceiling of the finished hall. A final remark about possible start dates of the ME 262. There are different statements on this point. Personally, I remember the following: A start was planned for January 31, 1945. This day was a holiday or day of honor in the then Greater German Reich. Some prominent guests were to be present, including the famous fighter pilot Mr. Galland. However, with the low-slung cars of these guests, it was not possible to reach the runway on the existing forest roads. We as Hitler Youth had to laboriously smooth and level these paths. On February 3, 1945, the time came. The guests were gathered at the edge of the runway and we as Hitler Youth were to provide the necessary applause. Everything went well and the ME 262 shot down the runway, crossed the Saale valley, and flew over the opposite hills with the Leuchtenburg into the sky. I also remember that after the reunification I was often in Kahla and Großeutersdorf and became personally acquainted with a high-ranking Belgian officer there. Please feel free to use these notes as a supplement to your book. Kind regards, Turtenwald A copy of this letter is sent to the History and Research Association Walpersberg e.V., Dorfstraße 7, 07768 Großeutersdorf.