European Resistance Archive/European Resistance Archive (ERA)

You had to be really careful if you did not really know the political prisoners.

Any comments or thoughts – it was very easy to get shot.

Some did know each other.

They had been in prison together and now, met again after many years.

Now you didn’t always know how somebody thought in 1940 or 42, who had been imprisoned in 1934/35/36.

You did notice and in time you had contact to the political ones.

We were all political prisoners.

We had made sure of no others joining us.

That was important - even there.

The training: We did not have a pass. Later on, in Belgium, we did.

There was always a corporal walking along with us (with 3 or 5 men)

who had to make sure that no one started to talk to other people.

But, in Belgium – as we were not the first ones there –

they knew that in this punishment battalion 999 there were many political prisoners.

That was known.

After that we went to France and to Italy, as well.

Military service, murder of a bible scholar

I had already been mustered in Aschendorfer Moor.

There we got an army exclusion certificate; we were unworthy for the army.

Convicts and political prisoners were all unworthy for the army.