Gertrúda Drozdová

“My father was taken into Bergen-Belsen. He was unable to hide or so. He got to Bergen-Belsen and I remember that when he returned, he carried a loaf of bread under his arms. He guarded his food, because he didn’t know what the situation was like back home.” “Please, tell me – did you say he went to the camp as a well-built man?” “Yes, he had around 90 kg and he lost almost a half of his weight. He experienced so much. Once he also mentioned that when the Americans came to liberate Bergen-Belsen, the Germans wanted to liquidate the camp. The people were forced to walk to other places. My father said they were driven into the freight cars, locked and left without food or anything for six days. They stayed at the railway line and by that time the Germans ran away. Simply, he told us it was awful. That when the cars were opened, there were dead people falling out, since some were so terribly weak…”

“When the Germans began to chase people at night, we used to call it a raid. There were usually two guards, two SS members in uniforms with rifles. They used to go from house to house, ring the bell at housekeeper’s and ask, where the Jews lived. And the housekeeper then said: ‘You know, what was I supposed to do? They had rifles!’ So she told them the truth. They took us that night to Kozia Street and centralized us in one house. I think it was number 21. Here they brought us, took notes and divided people into transports: ‘You will go here, you there!’ And then they took some people to the station. Luckily, we had papers there, since everyone tried to hunt for something, what could cover his identity. Those were dreadful times.”