European Resistance Archive/European Resistance Archive (ERA)

And we were positioned on a plateau, where the Americans could see and directly shoot us.

We were on a downright kamikaze mission.

If we had shot, we would have been bombarded – we wouldn’t have survived.

So we placed the grenade launcher there, moved along for another 20m and then one said:

“We will build something, so we can protect ourselves from the direct bombardment a little bit.”

We fired one shot and, in return, our grenade launcher was totally destroyed.

It was a kamikaze mission. They wanted to exterminate us.

Later on we went back and then I spoke to some of the others:

“We have to run away now.”

It was the end of April, and on the 10th May, or so, they surrendered. There were some doubts:

“They will inform Germany - He deserted.”

I said: “that is all nonsense. They won’t have any time left to do that.”

But I still stayed with Otto Linke – and went into captivity with him.

That was on the 30th April.

I said: “Otto, from the 1st of May we will stay in the mountains, as free men.”

And on the 2nd May we were arrested by Moroccans.

We were passed on to the French

and after that, we came to the English, and later on to the Americans.

The 999 Bataillon

The political prisoners, who were unworthy for the army, were living in Germany.