European Resistance Archive/European Resistance Archive (ERA)

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.

In 1941/42 we were mustered again,

due to the massive losses at the eastern front.

They needed human material now.

There may have been a decree of the ‘Fuehrer’– so we were called up.

Erwin, a collegue also working in my company,

built climbing irons. He was a toolmaker and able to do things like that.

I organized a rope, and we made this trip.

It was a great experience; many had again and again said:

Erwin, go ahead, do that when the war has ended. I said: What one has, one has.

I wouldn't have had another possibility to make such a mountain trip on the Großglockner mountain.

But I don't want to go on talking of this mountain trip...

We had to report, somewhere here in Kreuzberg.