European Resistance Archive/European Resistance Archive (ERA)

Then we were put on freight trains, around seventy of us in each box car.

They had unloaded cattle before and the straw was still there.

They were told us that we would be going to Germany.

The train had to stop in Codoglio di Piacenza,

in order to let through another train coming in the opposite direction.

Trains at the time were not electric, they were powered with coal.

We stopped for quite a long time.

Since the wagons were full of people, it was hot inside. There wasn’t enough ventilation.

Some passed out, so the Germans opened the sliding doors slightly to let some air in.

At that point there were four Germans, while we were four thousand.

They walked back and forth outside, with big guns slung over their shoulders.

Before we left we had grabbed a small bag of things. I had the mess tin we used to eat in.

I asked the German if I could go to the fountain in the station. We had not drunk any water for two days.

I probably wasn’t thinking about escaping. I was just really thirsty and desperate.

The German said “Ja, ja, ja”. I got off the train and headed towards the fountain.

The German joined another soldier further away and started eating a peace of watermelon with him.

I threw away the tin and started to run as fast as I could. I was skinny then and 23 years old.

The soldier took out his gun and started shooting at me.

But, when I started running, a friend of mine tried to come along.

He was hit in the thigh and fell over the tracks.