Memories of German prisoners of war of the camp Elsterhorst

Memories by Mr. Hubertus Kindler, pig ford

"approximately to 10.05.1945 I came into Pirna into Russian shank. In the proximity of Dresden we were collected. In an enormous prisoner march one drove us on the roads under strict guard from Dresden to Nardt. Who could not, one shot. Likewise who fled. From the places and from the fields the Bewacher got indiscriminately male civilians from 14 years on, in order to deliver the number of the prisoners in the camp Nardt, transferred to Dresden. After my estimation approx. 8000 -10,000 men were in this sad prisoner worm.

On the second day we reached then the camp Hoyerswerda. It lay outside of the city with the locality Nardt. The barracks were already totally overcrowded. We remained in the open air. From the personal things only that had remained for us, which we had on the body, in addition the bread bag with wash things, the mess kit and the documents of identification.

The prisoners were seized only in terms of figures in groups of one hundred. Lice, fleas and in the barracks the bugs were terrible troubling. In large chambers, which were heated up from down, one tried to entlausen our things. Often such burned a chamber out and 100 men got then any booty things.

, again and again particularly with the Entlausung, one controlled under the arms and the tongue whether one tightened a taetowierung or a suspicious scar. One particularly took all identification in such a way under the magnifying glass. The SS and special troops had eintaetowiert the group of bloods. Except those the Russians' looked for specialists of the v and special weapons. The officers and the specialists came into special, better departments, in which it was many more favorable than in the common camp. That concerned the meal, the clothing and accommodation. The temptation was large, but only few announced themselves.

Soon the first diseases arose. Most men were weakened. The unique water soup on the day promoted the number of deaths within a short time. The dead ones were thrown on cars and driven to the gate outside into the forest and verscharrt there. In one lower the corpses in a row were put next to each other and with soil to its feet covered. On the day after the next row followed. With the excavation for the next days these dead ones were covered.

The first months were not registered the names of the prisoners. Thus also not the names of the dead ones. Thus only the number of deceased of the Russian administration could be held. The evacuations began in the middle of July. At the rear camp exit, toward the east, prisoners were scanned and loaded into railroad cars. Were always ten hundred-crews. Thus 1000 men per course. The observed I until August 1945. A well-known group leader took me a daily to the side and told themselves that workers for a supplying column of the camp are looked for. I can announce myself, then I have a better chance to escape the loading. I announced myself and came to a potato command, which had to ship potatoes for the camp and the transportation. The railroad cars were shipped in Goerlitz and Niesky.

When I came after approximately two weeks into the camp Nardt back, it was nearly empty. Here were only old persons, patient and young people in the camp. We were registered and I came immediately as a young person into their own barrack.

The group leader was still there, he could somewhat Russian and limped on a leg.

Again he came to a few days to me and said that young people and old persons are arranged for the first dismissals. I am to destroy my soldier's small book and to make me younger one year. Since he had advised me already at that time with the command so well, I hesitated not for a long time. A Russian lady doctor examined us, and I came into the barrack to the dismissal. It was 22 August 1945 and I got the number 338. The light was issued by a Russian and we had immediately into another fence. In incomprehensibly short time one took us out, let us before the gate begin, always ten men in a row, after the number set up. Everyone had to hold and present its dismissal light in the hand. A Russian looked in going through on the serial-number. Then the row stepped three steps before and the next came to. At the end one counted again the rows and then 100 men by the gate after outside was always left. At the fourth group participated I then. It went toward Hoyerswerda.

Long queues lined up at the city hall. We asked some dispatches, what happens there above. When we stated that only the name and the goal were written into German beside the Russian, we decided to even act. Many people from Hoyerswerda stood before the houses and asked for members. We requested a penholder and an ink. Our lights finished product fast. The next goal was the station. With an overcrowded course we drove too third on the Putzerbaenkchen in front on the steam locomotive as locomotive figures toward Berlin."