by Griff Hosker
I stopped by the Kubelwagen and used it to rest my machine gun. The Germans had not seen us. I fired a short burst and three fell. As soon as I fired they stopped and began to fire at me. My men had taken cover and they began to open fire. These Germans had had an easy war. They had not had to fight. They had been cruelly treating slaves and that showed now. They outnumbered us but they were fighting skilled Commandos. Davis’ rifle picked off those who hid and we slew those who tried to rush us. Pál’s testimony had hardened us. We would not take prisoners. I fired short steady bursts. Germans broke cover and were shot. We were relentless. I changed my magazine and waved my hand.
When the ones before us had been killed I rose and led my men forward. I could hear Lieutenant Poulson and my other men. They were still firing. Not all the Germans had been killed. As we rounded the corner of the barracks I saw the last of the Germans fall. When I reached the trench, I saw that there were the bodies of five prisoners at the bottom. We had been too late to save them.
“Hewitt, Emerson, Fletcher, go and fetch the jeeps.”
“Sir, that leaves just you and Sergeant Hay.”
“Don’t worry.” I pointed, Lieutenant Poulson and Gordy were cutting through the wire. “We won’t be alone for long.”
They ran off and Bill and I went around the Germans to make sure they weren’t playing dead. Sergeant Hay said, as he turned over a dead guard with his toe, “You know sir ten minutes later and they would all be dead.”
“I know Bill. It is a sobering thought. If we had driven in then they would have opened fire. Thank God for Davis and his sharp eyes and steady hand.”
“These bastards look well fed. I couldn’t eat while others were starving.”
“You can’t compare us with them, Bill.” I turned and shouted, in German, “We are British soldiers. You are safe! Come out! Pál Radnóti is with us.”
Gradually, in ones and twos they came out. Lieutenant Poulson and the rest of my men joined me. “We fired as soon as we could but we were still too late for some of them. Are there any left alive?”
“The guards are all dead. Betts and Foster go and search the dead Germans. Take any papers you can find. Fetch their greatcoats and distribute them amongst the prisoners. Bill go into the office and bring anything you find.”
“Anything?”
“Evidence of these atrocities.”
“I think you just need to show the prisoners sir. That is ample evidence.”
“Just search eh?”
“Yes sir.”
A knot of prisoners approached me. One said, in English, “Pál is alive, sir?”
“Yes he is.” I waved my arm, “We thought there were two hundred and fifty of you.”
He nodded, “There were and then three days ago they began to execute us. They made us dig the graves and then they shot seventy men at a time.”
“Why didn’t you all try to escape or overpower them?”
He shook his head, “You do not understand, sir, we have lived as slaves for so long that all we know is how to obey orders and we are weak. Two men died while digging the graves.”
“Then we will feed you now.” I turned, “Lieutenant, Sergeant Major, go and see if there is food. We need to feed these chaps up or they may not last the day.”
“We are tougher than we look, sir.” The man stood as straight as he could. I saw the effort etched on his face.
Davis walked into the camp. I saw his face as he saw the prisoners close up. He shook his head. It was hard to take in the horror of it. Bill returned. He shook his head, “Nothing sir. They have burned everything.”
I looked east. What about the main camp? My plan had been to wait for the Americans. Now I saw that we did not have the luxury of time. The rats were not only leaving the sinking ship they were making sure it sank quickly!
My men gave out the coats from the Germans. I said to the English speaker, “You can tell the others that we are getting food for them. Perhaps if they sat down.” I was out of my depth. I needed Hewitt.
Just then I heard the sound of the four jeeps as they approached. When they stopped Pál jumped out and was mobbed by the others. Sam said, “Where are the others sir?”
I pointed to the graves, “We were too late.”
He looked crestfallen, “I thought…”
“I know. It makes it imperative that we get to Mittelbau-Dora.”
Chapter 18
With all of my men in the camp we soon got things organised. The guards had rations and we cooked them to make a watery stew. Hewitt told us that plenty of liquids, porridge and bouillon were what they needed. While it was being prepared he tended to those who needed his skills. It was noon by the time we had the food ready and they were being fed. My men acted as waiters. Davis and Foster stood guard in the watch towers but I did not expect visitors. The lorries had been there for a quick getaway. Bill found explosives wired to detonate. They were going to destroy the camp.
As they ate I sat with my men. I had run through all the options open to us and I could see only one answer. “We can’t afford to wait. We have to get to Mittelbau-Dora. I intend to go tonight. If we recce it in the dark then we can try to stop them executing their prisoners too.”
“What about the Americans?”
“I am going to send Emerson and you Lieutenant Poulson, to find them.”
“But sir we should be here with you. You can’t afford to lose two men. You only have a handful anyway.”
“Two men will not make a world of difference Lieutenant but if you and Emerson can bring the 3rd Armour then that will make a real difference. I need an officer to be there. It can’t be you, you know that. Hopefully you will find us alive and the camp intact, if not…”
“And these prisoners sir? What about them?”
“Good point Hewitt. In a perfect world I would leave you and someone else to care for them but as we all know this world is far from perfect. The Lieutenant is right we need as many men as we can to stop this atrocity happening again. We leave them all the food and hope that Lieutenant Poulson and Emerson can find the tanks. If not then all of this will have been in vain.”
I made Emerson and Lieutenant Poulson leave immediately. The sooner they left the sooner they could bring help. One jeep might just be able to sneak around the back roads. We used our spare fuel so that they had enough to search for the elusive American column. Then we sat with the prisoners’ leaders, Pál and the English speaker, who we discovered was called Döme, and explained what we were going to do. “I am sorry that we will have to leave you to fend for yourselves.”
Döme shook his head, “You have given us the chance of life and this morning we had no such prospect. There will be others like us. Even now they may be suffering the same kind of summary executions. You are brave to try but there are so few of you.”
“If we did not try then how could we live with ourselves after this war is over? We will leave after dark. We are leaving the German weapons for you. I do not think that the Germans will come but if they do at least you can defend yourselves.”
Döme said, “You are a good man. You are all good men.”
We knew where the camp was. There were aerial photographs. We had but a few miles to travel. However that night, as we studied the maps for the last time before setting off we heard the sound of Lancaster engines. It was at least a squadron. We left the barracks and went out to see them and confirm that they were Lancasters. The German anti-aircraft lit them up. When they dropped their bombs I thought, at first, that it was Mittelbau-Dora that they were bombing but then I realised, as the explosions lit up the south eastern sky, that it was Nordhausen. Did this mean the Americans were close? I hoped so. Perhaps my men were already with them! It did not change our plans. We had been too late for at least five of the prisoners here. I would not risk more slaves dying unnecessarily. We would go in. The raid by the bombers delayed our start. There would be vehicles on the roads. Although we were travelling the smallest of country lanes we could
not afford to be spotted. It was after midnight when we eventually left.
We shook hands with Döme and Pál. We said nothing. They had been dead men walking and they knew, better than any, that we might not be coming back. There were nine of us in three jeeps. We had left our Bergens at the camp. Our guns, grenades and ammunition, we carried.
We stopped the cars where a forester’s track entered the trees. From the aerial photograph the camp was half a mile through the forest. I had my MP 40 slung over my back and I carried my silenced Colt. Davis was with me. There were animals in the forest. The war had been good for them. There were less hunters. Men hunted men and not game. It was, however, unnerving to have a fox dart out in front of you as you walked along the overgrown forest path. As we neared the camp I heard the hum of its generators. There were no lights shining. They might have used them to watch the compound but the air raid had deterred them. The electricity would be needed for the interior lights and the radio. We crawled the last thirty feet to the edge of the forest.
It was when we reached it that I saw another German deterrent. The area between the wire and the forest was mined. I used my glasses to check out the wire. This camp was six times bigger than the one at Woffleben. They had towers at the corners and this time they were manned. They had similar accommodation blocks for the prisoners and a barracks for the guards. Significantly there were vehicles parked close to the gate. It was hard to see in the dark, but I thought I saw the distinctive pile of earth which indicated a fresh, mass grave. I took out my dagger and pointed to the mine field. Gordy and Bill were next to Davis and me. We slithered forward and used the tip of the dagger to probe for mines.
They must have been buried some time ago for there was no helpful soil spill to show where they were and scrubby grass had hidden the deadly prong on the top. I was four feet in before my dagger touched the metal side of the mine. I slid the dagger around the side and then pulled it back. I carefully peeled back the sod so that the ones behind would see it. I crawled around it and sought another. I found four before we reached the wire. I don’t know how many the others found. I turned and waved the rest of my men forward. White crawled carefully over the same ground I had cleared and was followed by Foster.
I had reached the wire first. I was grateful for the black of night. The towers were too far away for them to see us without the aid of lights. The next problem was the wire. Was it electrified? I picked up some grass and threw it at the wire. Nothing happened. I took out my wire cutters. I doubted that the charge, if the wire was electrified, would kill me. They did not have enough power and the wire was extensive but I would get a nasty shock. I braced myself as I snipped the first wire. Nothing happened. Fletcher joined me in cutting a hole large enough for us to pass through. Gordy and Bill did the same lower down. Davis kept his gun aimed at the tower. If he saw movement then he would stop the alarm being given.
I was sweating. The minefield and the thought of electrocution had done that. I glanced at my watch. It would be dawn in an hour. We had taken too long. Finally we snipped the last piece and there was a tunnel through the fence. If they had dogs then it would all be up but we had neither seen nor heard any. Once I was through I stood and levelled my gun at the towers. We had emerged just behind the barracks block. That had been deliberate. The sentries would be more concerned with the inmates. When Fletcher followed me through, I pointed to the barracks. He darted across. No alarm was given and I sent White and Foster to run across in quick succession.
Leaving Davis to follow me I ran to the nearest barracks. There appeared to be two such buildings. There were two doors on our side of the barracks. I pointed to them. Bill and Gordy took out grenades and parachute cord and booby trapped them. I was about to lead my men around to the front when I heard the sound of a whistle. Was it the alarm? Had they heard us? I heard the sound of men rising. I looked around for shelter. There was none. I pointed to the far side and gestured for Gordy to lead his men there. I took Fletcher, White, Davis and Foster with me. We crawled around to the side and took shelter underneath the building. I could hear voices from above. The Germans were awake.
The floor above us vibrated as the Germans left the barracks. They must have been about to rise. They ran in groups to the slave quarters. I heard them shouting and emaciated skeletons were herded out. My plans had failed. I had hoped to destroy the barracks with their occupants inside. That way the slave labourers would be safe. That would not now happen. The labourers were in the open. I counted at least fifty guards. The only good news was that we remained hidden. I wondered what was going to happen. There were more footsteps above us and six more men stamped down the stairs. As they walked away I saw that they were officers. The prisoners were lined up. If they were handed shovels then we would strike. I wondered if they were simply moving the prisoners. I ruled the idea out as soon as the thought entered my head. They did not have enough lorries. There were over three hundred and fifty prisoners.
The Germans had their backs to us. Suddenly I heard an officer shout, “Open fire!”
Even as the Germans began to fire I had started shooting my Colt. The range was over a hundred and fifty yards but I could not just lie there and watch prisoners being executed. I saw the three officers all fall as Davis and I fired. My men opened fire. As soon as their officers started to fall the guards turned to see where the danger lay. I let rip with the German submachine gun. I knew that there was a risk of hitting the slaves but we had to stop the Germans. They began to run towards us.
At the same time I heard feet in the barracks above us. Suddenly the air was torn by the sound of grenades as the men who were still in the hut tried to outflank us by using the rear doors which we had booby trapped. The explosion sent shrapnel out of the front of the barracks. We were protected by the building. I heard Foster cry out. He had been hit. We could do nothing about that for we were fighting for our lives. The Germans had realised that they outnumbered us and I saw some run towards the other barracks.
I shouted, “Gordy, watch your flank!”
Davis, having shot the sentries in the towers, was now picking off the officers and the sergeants. I saw two of the officers run to the prisoners and dragged five of them to their feet. They walked towards us with human shields. I knew from my conversation with Döme that the prisoners would not try to escape. They had lost their free will.
“Peter!”
“Sir!”
The light was much better now and my sniper fired. One of the officers fell with a third eye. The other ducked behind the five prisoners and they kept advancing towards us. Four of the guards jumped up to take advantage of the human shield. I shot one and Fletcher shot another but now there were three men advancing towards us.
I shouted, “Cover me!”
My men opened fire at the other Germans and I leapt to my feet and ran obliquely across their front. I had taken them by surprise. Bullets zipped around me but I bore a charmed life. I dived to the ground. Dropping my empty MP 40 I drew my Luger. I could see one of the men behind the prisoners. I took aim and squeezed the trigger. My bullet spun him around. His hand held on to one of the prisoners and, as he fell, he dragged the prisoner with him. Davis must have seen a target for he fired and a second German fell. Before the last one could recover I fired three bullets into him. As the others fired at me I rolled , clutching my MP 40. I had, inadvertently flanked the Germans and they were forced to turn to face me. I reloaded while bullets flew above me. White and Fletcher were emptying their guns at the Germans. We were hurting them more than they were hurting us.
Suddenly one of the Germans shot the five prisoners who had been human shields. They were just standing there. For some reason that made me see red. I leapt to my feet and ran towards the Germans who were just forty feet from me. I fired the MP 40 from the hip using short, controlled bursts. I saw one S.S. guard’s head explode as two bullets hit him at less than twenty feet distance. My men came to my rescue. They rose from beneath the barracks and charged the
Germans. It took the guards by surprise. Even so it did not all go our way. I saw Betts tumble to the ground with a surprised expression on his face. Bill Hay fell, clutching his left arm.
Gordy Barker roared. It was a primeval sound and, after emptying his gun he pulled a grenade and hurled it high in the air. My men all dropped to the ground and the grenade exploded in the air. I stood and took one of my grenades. I also threw it high into the air, shouting, Grenade!” As I did so I fell to the ground as the air was filled with pieces of flying metal. Then I stood and began shooting the Germans who had not recovered as quickly as I had. When my gun clicked empty I drew my Luger and, as the guards tried to rise, shot them until that was empty. Finally I took out my Colt. It still had the silencer attached and I silently fired it until it, too, was empty.
One of the Germans shouted, “Surrender! We surrender!” He shouted in English.
“Watch for tricks! Hewitt see to Foster, Hay and Betts.” I began to reload. I put a fresh magazine in my Colt. I had only one left.
Scouse shouted, “Betts is dead sir. Poor bugger stood no chance.”
I reloaded my MP 40. It was my last magazine. I shouted in German to the prisoners. “You are safe now! We are English and the Americans are coming.” I saw nods but no one moved. They had truly been damaged by their guards.
“Gordy, Scouse, search the prisoners and make sure that the other Jerries are dead.”
“Sir.”
I went over to Hewitt who was strapping Foster’s leg. “How is he John?”
“Lucky, the bullet went through the fleshy part of his thigh. He will know he has a wound when it rains.”
“And Bill?” I saw that Hay had his left arm held up to his shoulder.
“The bullet creased his collar bone. He will be fine.”
I nodded, “Then we were lucky, Lance Sergeant. Poor Betts wasn’t but I expected us all to die today.”
He shook his head and smiled, “Not today sir.”
With my gun reloaded I went over to the prisoners. There were ten of them. Others were wounded. Hewitt would get to them when he could. We had been too late for eighty or so prisoners but we had saved almost two hundred and fifty. I was proud of my men. No one else could have done what they had done. I examined the faces of the guards. They had cruel faces and there was anger on each one of them. We should have shot them there and then but we were British and we didn’t do that. Hopefully they would stand trial for what they had done and then they would be shot legally.