Liberation and return to Holland, January-June 1945.
But on the 27th of January 1945
suddenly Russian soldiers appeared, their uniforms covered by white clothing so that in
the snow outside it would be difficult to detect them. These were front line troops. They
had no time for us. Apparently they were pursuing Germans and they moved on immediately.
But we were of course extremely excited, now being sure to have survived the camp and
having been saved. People screamed and cried and prayed. I shall never forget this moment
when at long last we could relax, not anymore under constant danger of death, or of being
abused or mistreated without having any rights. Everyone of us could look forward again
somehow to build up ones self and to have a normal existence.
On the next day many more Russian troops
arrived. Soon everything was reorganized. We were supplied by the Red Army. There was now
plenty of food and we got now normal bed covers. We were still wearing our prisoners'
uniform, though eventually we were supplied with normal clothing. Jewish Russian soldiers
came to visit us. Even a Jewish Russian general came and talked with us. Also KGB and
journalists came to interview us, made photos and wanted to know about the camp, what had
been going on.
I myself had still to stay in bed and only
after a few weeks I was allowed to get up. Though I got stronger due to the good and
plentiful food (after the liberation my weight had only been 42 kg and I had been very
thin, a "Muselmann"), there was a great wound on my breast, the inflammation did
not improve and lots of pus came out. I had also much ache in my back, but I thought that
this was Rheumatism. Dr Gordon was further in charge of me. I could not understand why
this wound would not improve, but I did not know that this was Tuberculosis. The doctors
probably suspected this but would not tell me. However I was told not to carry heavy
loads.
We were now allowed to send letters which
all went through Russian censorship. My first letters which I sent to my parents in London
I still have here. For a few months we still stayed at Auschwitz. There was not much to
do. I started to learn Russian. But we were advised to stay in the camp. Here we were
under the protection of the Red Army. But outside it was not safe, especially for those of
us who did not speak Russian or Polish. Outside there were many army patrols and if they
found somebody who did not speak their language, especially somebody who spoke German,
they would arrest him immediately. But we got some identification paper from the Polish
Red Cross, in Polish. It was stated on this paper that I had come from Holland. In March
1945 we were moved to Zakopane. It is in the Tatra-mountains, near the Czech border. In
peace time this was a Polish health resort with many Sanatorioms. Some of these
Sanatorioms were now used as a collection camp for people from western countries. There
were people from many nationalities: British, French, Belgian, who had been prisoners of
war of the Germans. Here we were free to move. I moved much around in the beautiful
mountainous surroundings. However I was under medical supervision all the time. - All of
us followed the war-events, the allied troops moving into Germany.
After the German capitulation in May 1945
small transports were organized by the Russian commander of our camp to bring people to
the west. I was sent with a group of 15 people. A Russian officer came with us and he was
in charge. He had to bring us to Pilsen in Czechoslovalda. Pilsen was on the demarcation-
line, which separated areas occupied by Russian and by American troops. Es task was to
hand us over to the Americans. In our group were a few British, French and Belgians, but
also many Dutch ex-prisoners from Auschwitz, like me. Among them was Otto Frank, the
father of Anne Frank, who wrote the famous diary. Later in Holland he came a few times to
visit me in the hospital. Whenever there was a transport-train or passenger train which
went some distance in the correct direction, we went on this train, went off to wait for
another train, this repeated many times. Some Czech passenger-trains were very crowded. Of
course I never spoke German, always Dutch, English or French and I told everybody that I
was Dutch. However the Dutch people in our group knew that I was really German and because
of this they did not like me. The anti-German feeling of people was of course very strong.
Some people on the train who spoke German to each other were thrown out of the running
train.
After a week traveling through
Czechoslovakia and often waiting and sleeping at small railway stations (the Russian
officer provided us with blankets to sleep on the ground or on some benches) we arrived in
Prague. We stayed there for three days and nights, living and sleeping at the large
railway station. The streets were crowded with people. Many returning to the west, like
us, many others who had been forced to work in Germany were returning to the east, to
Poland or Russia. I walked much round in town and quite often I was stopped for
identification. Thanks to my Polish identity paper on which was stated clearly that I was
returning to Holland there were no problems. This was important as all the time they were
looking and searching for Germans and Nazis or other collaborators.
From the Russians we had got some tobacco.
This I sold to somebody and I got some Czech money. With this money I went to the central
post office in Prague and on the twentieth of June 1945 I sent a telegram to my parents in
London saying: "Returning from Auschwitz to Holland. "This telegram arrived and
of course it was an enormous excitement and relief for my family who had given up hope of
ever seeing me again.
After three days and nights at Prague we
continued our journey by train. Traveling was difficult for me as I had continuous ache in
my back and also otherwise I felt very weak. However in our group was a French doctor who
again and again told me not to carry my luggage myself and who took care that somebody
else was carrying it for me. He also took care of the open wound on my breast by renewing
the bandages from time to time. He probably had some suspicion of the real nature of my
illness.
After traveling for a few hours we arrived
at Pilsen. Again there were huge crowds of people. The Russian officer took us to the
crossing point where we entered the American sector. Papers were checked quickly and those
who had to return to Holland were taken to the airport to be flown there. Before entering
the plane our papers were checked again and some Dutch people in our group told the pilot
that I was not Dutch at all but that I was a German. Therefore the pilot refused to take
me on the plane. I myself was completely exhausted and I told them on the airport that I
felt very badly and that I could not continue my journey. Therefore together with some
other ill people I was taken to a hospital in Pilsen.
Here again I was questioned by an American
officer. First I answered his questions in Dutch, then in French and English. It was
decided that I should rest in this hospital for a few days and then return to Holland. (Of
course I told him that I was Dutch. ) I spent a few very pleasant days in this hospital. A
young Czech nurse took me often down into the garden and altogether I felt very relaxed.
After two days I was told that I must go to the airport immediately as a plane was leaving
for Holland. I boarded the plane. It was a transport plane of the American air force and
it was almost full. Everybody was sitting on his luggage. There were many ex-prisoners
from Theresianstadt. After a few hours we arrived in Holland. This was in June 1945.
The reception was very pleasant. Everyone was received with
a handshake and got a piece of chocolate. Everybody was taken for medical examination.
Soon it was established that I was very ill and I was transferred to a hospital to the
Noodziekenhuis "St. MARTINUS" in Eindhoven. I had tuberculosis in the spine
(Spondilitis), in both lungs, in one kidney and in the prostate. Also the still open wound
on my breast from the operation was infected with Tuberculosis. I had to lie horizontally
in a cast of gypsum for the next three years. In October 1945 I was moved to the Roode
Kruis Sanatorium at Santpoort (near Haarlem). I was in a large ward together with many
young people who were also ill with Tuberculosis. Most of them had been forced to work in
Germany. Some had been in prisons or concentration camps. There were also some Jewish
people who had been in camps or who had been in hiding with Christian families till the
end of the war. There were also some who had been in Dutch East-India during the war and
had been imprisoned there by the Japanese. Those who had been working in Germany mostly
had there relatively good conditions. As they were regarded as "Aryans" many of
them had very friendly relations with German women and they talked much about this. As
most of us were young there was mostly a cheerful atmosphere in spite of being ill. End of
1945 Princess Juliana (who became later Queen Juliana of the Netherlands) came to visit
us. In the summer of 1946 my parents came from London to visit me. It was a very exciting
and emotional meeting which I shall never forget. However there was not much improvement
of my illnesses. Therefore in summer 1947 I was transferred to Switzerland. After a short
time in a Sanatorium at Leysin I came to Davos where for a few months I stayed at
Sanatorium Hoehwald in Davos-Wolfgang. Thereafter I stayed at the Nederlandsch Sanatorium
in Davos-Platz for two and a half years, till 1949. Then for further recuperation I stayed
at the Jewish Sanatorium "Etania" till summer 1950. By that time fortunately, I
had recovered completely and was able to join my parents and family in London and start a
normal life.
