European Resistance Archive/European Resistance Archive (ERA)

My sister knew that I was coming to Berlin.

She daily went there and asked: “When will you release my brother?”

And I affirm: if my sister would not have engaged herself so much,

I would not have been released.

I was under police supervision for five years – that was in the verdict.

Any day they could have taken you again, as you could not leave Germany.

A friend, whom I had been illegally working with, got me a job.

He was one of the music group members.

There were tickets for everything.

And when I came out, friends or comrades had collected:

You were directly helped, so the one who was released had a decent welcome.

We could not celebrate his release, but give support like this.

We were woken up around 6 a.m., I think.

Then everything had to be done fast:

make the beds, have a wash, go to the toilet, which was in some sort of shed around the back.

Then the food was given out.

We got half a litre of soup, the daily ration of bread, a little bit of fat and jam.

Brown bread and white bread were mixed.