European Resistance Archive/European Resistance Archive (ERA)

Most of them were Poles. They did not like us very much.

There were Germans as well, so-called Reichsdeutsche. They had mostly been arrested for political reasons.

Deportation to Compiègne and Auschwitz-Birkenau

I had been under observation by the police for some time.

When the Communist Party and leftist organizations were banned and had to go underground,

I was known to the police and was being watched.

On October 21st, 1941, they knocked on my door at four o’clock in the morning and I was arrested bay French and German police.

I was taken to Rouen, along with another 100 resistance fighters from the who had been arrested the same night.

We were interrogated, but not too harshly. We were not obliged to talk about things we didn’t want to.

Then we were taken to the camp of Compiègne and from there to Auschwitz-Birkenau.

In Compiègne we were treated as hostages.

It happened several times that comrades were taken away to be executed for attacks that had happened.

On July 6th, 1942 we were taken to a destination unknown.

We stayed in Compiègne for about 8 months. We were arrested on October 21st, 1941.

Then they took us to Auschwitz-Birkenau. In Compiègne we were already hostages.

That means when an attack had been, they would come and take some of our comrades.

I escaped this fate like another few - but they would come and take some of our comrades to be executed,

as there had been this attack the night or the day before.

The following morning, at four o’clock, we were called up by buildings, as usual.

We were loaded up into the trains and we left to a destination unknown.