Memories of German refugees from Schlesien of the camp Elsterhorst

 
Source:

Memories of Mr. Horst Haehnel from realm brook at the owl mountains, 50 km von Breslau

 

appeared in "rausgeschmissen: 13 memories of escape and driving "a documentation out hrsg. of the time Geschichte(n) e.V. - association for experienced history. - resounds, to 2002 homepage

 

"... . Our cattle - chickens, geese, ducks and goats - were so slowly away-slaughtered. It meant, we would have soon raus! Granny, Grandpa, aunt and uncles were already evacuated. Each German was allowed to carry 50 kg forward luggage. With aunt, uncle of their children and granny and Grandpa were not noticeable it, if times a few gram over it were. We brothers and sisters accompanied our people to the station. A welfareless disorder prevailed on the platform. It would take, said still another one while my Grandpa, before the course loose-goes. My brother and I marched still times home into the settlement and got a handwagen fully to bed things, because into the cold truck one could not have enough for covering. All of this happened at the beginning of of 1946! We had to pack at the end of of 1946, in October. Three loaded handwagen stood drive off ready on the way from the house to the garden door. Nut/mother had tears in the eyes. Our father held already the pole of the first car in the hand and pushing ELT! "now comes already!" It looked dreadful with its ignited beard lichen. Nut/mother jammerte: "none ate the beautiful noodle soup." To the parting gab's still times noodle soup of the bruehe of our last goose. We pulled loosely! Father pulled to one, sister and brother third a car, a nut/mother and I. In the yard of the orphanage a large hand car meeting took place. We all had in the house - there again our papers were controlled, and then it went to the Entlausung! That was merry! A thing, which looked like a vacuum cleaner, with thin point, one was us into sleeves and necks, and then the machine into course set, out came a white powder. Even with later Entlausungen I had always kichern. It itched so pleasantly, if the powder along-squirted at the skin. On the way to the station we passed a garden door of the orphanage. On the right of and left stood ever poles and examined us thoroughly. I came to the row! Poles reaches into my small backpack, and away were the beautiful cannon and the spielzeugsoldaten. Nut/mother powdered Poland on, as it could take the toy from the children away. Later, than I had children, no war game things came with me. Nowadays it gives such a thing again in all variants. Also we shipped our property in trucks. To go playing the children from our car from parents requested still something. We moved in the area of the station and admired the large heap of empty handwagen and trucks. The reason, why we should absences, I experienced only 10 years later - in the 50's. Our fathers built a hiding place under our luggage - a hiding place for two Poland - for two national Poland. I, the smallest one of us children, got the best place in the truck, completely above, on the heap of luggage broke open I my camp. Today I know, why the easiest one had there highly. The travel was interrupted only by some Entlausungen. All people came with the powder sprayings to. Our parents looked thereby always fearfully toward our car. The Polish guards controlled the course - found however nothing. In the camp Elsterhorst with Hoyerswerda ended the first section of our journey. Under the people masses the two Poland did not continue to be noticeable. I had the feeling, the course held somehow in the middle in the free one. Ring around was flat

Country. The steam locomotive donated warm water to us. Despite the foggy October daily a general washing took place. On field course trucks, which probably stood for us ready, we loaded our property. Men with white armlets, on which apart from Russian and Polish words also - camp line - stood, instructed to always go to us, the feldbahnschienen along. In a alternate place a flat truck waited. On it a coffin stood. Two dry shapes in heruntergekommenen armed forces uniforms stared to us on with empty view. A Russian guard with MP beside it. In the camp were not we alone. Directly beside the barracks a cage of full men stood - German prisoners of war. We furnished ourselves in the barracks. Our family got two double stick beds. Nut/mother hung to the sides covers and sheets, then we were a little for us alone. Equivalent afterwards to our bedding tube into the wash room and into the WC - thunder bar equipment was. In this anheimelnden environment we celebrated 7 October, the birthday of my sister - them became 15 years old. From any coffee company nut/mother had waived a can. In this can was the precious freight of spraying pastry. This pastry and the remainder promised an omitted birthday celebration. Acquaintance and also still used from our settlement celebrated also. 7 October became in the GDR national holiday. It was no matter to my sister, because it had an advantage from it never. We children explored the camp and the environment. The camp had to be appropriate for sand in a desert, everywhere. The autumn sun collected still times its forces, so that the children could run barefoot. The sand heated up immediately. Often schlichen we around the cage. The men therein stood or lay at the lattice or on dirt. The Russian

Guards schaekerten with us children. I had anyway no fear, because Russians were me trust. Our fathers observed our Herumlungern at the cage. My father gave me two turned cigarettes. He said to me, the one would be for the post, the other one for a prisoner. My father must have had celestial forces, because he could foresee the expiration of cigarette delivery. I went to the Russian, gave him a selfturned and showed with the other direction lattice.

The post nodded, was themselves its cigarette into the mouth, ignited it and handed the fire by the lattice, where the German prisoner of war pulled strongly on it. My Grandpa told us to children once, in the 1. World war would have given it also to situations, with which Germans and Russians smoked together, celebrated, even. Grandpa lay at that time in a contactor ditch in Litauen. It was Weihnachtszeit! The fight rested! One some 100 meters over there saw the bayonets on and starting from going posts. The same sight had the enemy - which Russians - on German side to also have. One cried a "hello" over there; it returned a "hello". A hand signed - a hand signed back. A head left itself seh'n - a head looked on the opposite side raus. A soldier crept on the edge of the contactor ditch - on the other side the same procedure. Two enemies met between the fronts. One smoked and exchanged edible and drink-cash. One shot days later as moved one on the other. Our further transport was approaching, all was again entlaust. Because of the end the medical building was to the barrack road. In an area all female one met and into another all male one. Infants up to two years were allowed to remain with their mothers. We had to undress naked, then the things were put into a furnace. One called a disinfecting! The area made an uncanny impression on me. The walls white gefliest, and everywhere showers at the cover. It shot sudden from the shower nozzles. Father put to brother and me protecting its arms over mine. The Reinigungsbruehe applauded on our naked bodies. One did not dry. The liquid had to evaporate in such a way at us. When we had to some extent dripped off, a door opened, and all employed themselves in sequence. In the Indian file it went into a room with white furniture - a physician room. With critical views examined one us. Father whispered: "if that times well can be done!?" Its beard lichen healed slowly - very slowly. At my right index finger a beautiful nail bed inflammation flowered. In addition I had fading away Kraetze on the handruecken. My brother the dirty time of transport had constituted nothing. The man with the round nickel eyeglasses looked at us searchingly. "Mhm... Mhm?" it hummed. We were knocked off and - a flip on the back and through were heard we. A pleasant sunshine received us, when we left the dark building. The travel continued - to the west. This time we could drive in the correct passenger train car. Were the cars with the long footboards at the sides and the many doors. We five occupied a compartment. We stowed the things away at the soil and in the baggage nets, so that we could long-make ourselves so correct in the banks times. On the travel must have further happened nothing, because my memory sets only again with the stop in a large station

. We will step out and strained our members. An enormous station hall curved over our heads. Determined the station belongs to a large city. I did not know vintages yet correctly. Nut/mother said: "we are in Leipzig!" - does not belong ever! At some army kitchens people with red cross armlets stood. There was a mehlige soup. After feeding the people masses it was called again a "entering!". Was thus far... "