Trains to Treblinka

  “Why not a zoo?” mocked Franz with a grin.

  “A zoo! Now there’s a remarkable idea. And you will be just the man to coordinate getting the animals. It can be set up next to the park. We have the space, let’s use it. Corporal Horn, I know there is a master builder in Camp 2, though I cannot remember his name. Please have him pick out a dozen men to assist him, then have him report to me tomorrow morning so I can explain to him what to do. We have some building supplies stored so he can get started right away, and I will also order more. What is the man’s name?”

  “Jankiel Wiernik,” answered Horn.

  “That’s right. A delightful fellow. Send him over tomorrow and I will speak to him. Please don’t fret about the lack of trains. It will take some time but we will get our construction finished and then be a solid camp for new shipments.”

  It was Kuttner who spoke up next. “What about the workers here in Camp 1? The piles are getting low. What do you suggest doing with them when there is no more work?”

  “Well, we will have to cross that bridge when we come to it. Some of them will work with Wiernik to help with the construction, perhaps several dozens of them. I am told that eventually trains will begin coming again as they did last summer, perhaps more trains from the west. If the Allies ever land on the continent, the Fuhrer will probably move those in the western concentration camps to the east.”

  “What about the Russians?” asked Franz Suchomel.

  Another moment of uneasiness.

  The possibility of actually losing the war in the east was a dreaded thought upon which most of the men cared not to ever ponder.

  Stangl chose his words thoughtfully and tried to sound confident. “It will take them at least a couple of years to recuperate before they try to regain their ground. We have hit them hard. Not hard enough, apparently, but hard. I still have hope. Stalingrad is a setback, not a failure. Be assured, we will prevail.”

  Zelo Bloch held a meeting with his fellow conspirators. He had stationed guards at every window and two men near the door. Earlier in the day he met with Jankiel Wiernik. Being from Camp 2, Jankiel would be helpful relaying information back to those men committed to the revolt. The revolt became known as plan H. All the men understood the uprising would take the lives of many men and women, but for the chance to burn Treblinka to the ground and for hundreds of prisoners to escape, it was absolutely worth the risk for them to continue planning.

  While the men listened to Zelo, it seemed he had conceptualized every single detail of the revolt day. “At the H hour we will have three men posted at each of the barracks’ entrances,” Zelo explained. “People can come in, but only messengers will leave. If any of the SS guards or Ukrainians enter they will quickly be put to death.”

  “How?” asked Hans.

  “Once a guard enters, a coat will be placed over his head and then a cord will be used to strangle him. We do not want any loud noises like a gunshot—no blood, no struggle—because they will most likely keep coming in, one right after the other. We need them to wonder what’s going on enough to enter, but not suspect any foul play yet.”

  “Where will we put them so they’re not noticed?” Hans asked, again the curious one.

  “That’s easy,” answered Robert. “We have the large piles against the back wall. We can put them in the hollow place where we hide workers who are sick with Treblinka. If the guard doesn’t die right away, we can drag him to those piles and finish him off.”

  “That’s right,” continued Zelo. “If more than one guard comes in at the same time, we’ll first attack the higher rank, then the second higher rank. The important thing is that once someone comes in, they do not leave under any circumstances. We will need plenty of men at each entrance ready to pounce and to guarantee there is no escape.

  “After we kill the guards, we will use their weapons to commandeer the ammunitions stockpile, then set fire to the buildings. Several of us will have to storm the arms room together in case one of us is shot. It would also be good to have someone on the roof providing cover fire. Rudi, that would probably be a good job for you.”

  Rudi grinned. “I would like nothing better than to be on the roof with a machine gun. My only prayer will be that the Doll actually comes out into the open.”

  “There is a rumor that Stangl receives a call every hour from headquarters; that is a concern. We will have to somehow mitigate this threat by cutting the phone lines, or perhaps taking out Stangl so he doesn’t answer the phone. Camp elder Galewski said he would have men to deal with the phone wires. However, we need more information about what happens in the SS office.”

  Zelo continued, saying, “I will speak to both Kapo Rakowski and Dr. Chorazycki tomorrow to ensure they are ready to move forward and to see how the stockpile of money is coming. Another young Polish man, Samuel Willenberg, said he could be used to smuggle gold and banknotes from the gold team to the doctor.”

  Robert continued. “I spoke to the doctor today and he showed me a duffel bag practically bursting with gold. Thankfully the SS trust him and even ask him for medical advice regarding sick family members. If anyone has no need to worry about being dragged to the Lazarette by Miete, it is the doctor.”

  “What about those poor souls in Camp 2?” asked one of the non-Czech men in the meeting.

  “Good point,” replied Zelo. “They will know the date and hour ahead of time through Jankiel. However, they will only know when to start taking action when they hear the explosions. As soon as we have set fire to the buildings in Camp 1 we will go to Camp 2 to help them, and then hopefully all escape together. My remaining concern is about the guard towers.”

  “I have a plan for that,” continued Robert. “I spoke to Jankiel and some of the other carpenters coming over to work on Stangl’s station. They all agree that on the day of the revolt they will need to have a predetermined number of men to either climb the tower to take out the guard or somehow kill the guard while he is in the tower.”

  “Perhaps the Ukrainians there can be bribed,” suggested Rudi. “Or if we get one of the watchtower guards to think a worker is bringing him gold, then the worker can climb up and kill him to subdue the machine gun—that would be a good way to do it. However, if there are already explosions at Camp 1, then the guards will all be on alert.”

  “Good idea, Rudi. Next, we have the chief mechanic, Standa Lichtblau, with us at the garage,” continued Zelo. “Thankfully Standa said he could provide us with at least one hundred liters of gasoline, disbursed into several five-gallon cans, on the day of the revolt. This is what we will use to burn the buildings. He also said there is two to three times that amount in the main storage tank by the pump, and said that on the day of the revolt he could blow up the gasoline pump and storage container. This would be a massive explosion if accomplished. He will also disable all the vehicles the night before.”

  “The most important question,” stated Robert, “is timing. We need to pick a day to get this done. I suggest two weeks from tonight.”

  “It’s too soon,” said Zelo. “We need more coordination with the men from Camp 2 and we have been given a great opportunity over the next few weeks to have the carpenters here working on the train station. Let’s try for thirty days, give or take. In a week we will have more information and be able to set a date. I still need to understand the inner workings of the routine at headquarters, and we need to solidify our plans on disbursing arms from the arsenal. If we can accomplish those two things then we can set a date, a date with enough time to ensure Camp 2 people are on board and able to participate effectively.”

  Richard, Karel, and Hans listened attentively while Zelo, Rudi, and Robert explained all the details. It was obvious to all that Zelo was the catalyst and force behind all the planning, Robert was the scientist and the brains behind it, and Rudi had the military mind and brute strength to take bold action. Richard, Karel, and Hans recognized they, too, would have central roles to play on the big day, and that many of the prisoners w
ere looking to the six Czechs for hope and guidance. The men knew that this would be their one great chance to escape—escape death, escape slaving every day for the Nazis in their pillaging of the passengers’ valuables, and most importantly escape the death camp with their lives. The time of feigning obedience and loyalty to their tormentors was almost at an end.

  Days after the meeting concluded, men began dropping like flies with the fever of typhus. Twelve men reported to sick call in one day. The next day sixteen men awoke with a fever. The small Jewish sick bay remained overcrowded with deathly ill patients. Zelo became the first in the Czech contingent to get sick with a strong fever.

  It was during his time in the sick bay that exercise drills were established in the barracks. There was not as much work to do so the guards believed the prisoners needed to participate in exercises. With whips, they would run the workers around the courtyard, telling the men to keep up or else malingerers would be shot on the spot. Everyone worked hard to keep together; the men in the front would intentionally slow down so their poor brothers in the back did not appear to fall behind. Sometimes the Doll would show up and have the men do an extra round of exercises just for fun. Some of the men who had started to get the fever began to foam at the mouth, and this drove the Nazi guards to speed them up even more, diligently searching for weak prey to take out of the pack.

  The sick bay was not exempt from wolves seeking to thin the herds. The worst part of the day for the sick was when Miete made his rounds, looking for those struggling to make it. His daily consults with the doctor were the most feared discussions in the camp. Sometimes Miete resorted to the smallest infraction in order to yank someone out of the infirmary. If they looked too ill or if the sick hadn’t shaved that day, they were grounds for Miete to take the prisoner to the Lazarette—no discussion and no debate. Miete acted as judge, jury, and executioner—a very efficient process.

  Chapter 15

  While the sickness raged inside the male barracks, Tchechia and Bronka were hard at work, trying to maintain their own sanity. Bronka and Rudi worked together under SS guard Franz Suchomel, who was—in comparison—not as criminal and crazy as Miete or Kiewe. However, he was still a Nazi, a committed National Socialist and had participated in Hitler’s Action T4 euthanasia program before Treblinka. In fact, Rudi heard that the T4 connection was why Suchomel, Stangl, and the Doll were chosen to work at Treblinka—they were known as good Nazis who could keep secrets.

  Rudi liked Suchomel because of his origins; both were Bohemian and had served in the Czech army. Bronka felt Suchomel was just as evil as the other men because he was complicit in all their actions. One day she argued with Rudi about this.

  “If he is actually tenderhearted, then why doesn’t he leave this place since he knows what is happening in Camp 2?” Bronka asked.

  Rudi continued mending a jacket where he had just removed a Star of David while he answered, “I don’t think he is allowed to leave. Once Globocnik assigns you somewhere you have to stay there. It is a police state now and everything that Hitler and Himmler say is the law.”

  “That is not true,” Bronka countered. “Remember the one guard who left because he said he could not take this anymore?”

  “Yes, but he was headed from here to the front lines. That is suicide.”

  “But in war he has a chance at being a decent man, in dying a decent death. Here, there is no option. By working here Suchomel does not have a chance at being a decent man. It does not matter whether the Germans win or lose, he will not have an honorable record. I think his chances in war would be better. If he becomes a casualty here there is no hope for him.”

  Rudi looked at Bronka somewhat seriously with her remark about dying at Treblinka. Any inference to the revolt was strictly forbidden outside of Zelo’s planning meetings, or speaking directly with Zelo. Rudi was conscious that sometimes others were secretly listening in on conversations. He was not sure that this was what Bronka meant, but it could easily be taken the wrong way.

  Bronka acknowledged Rudi’s look of concern, then continued. “Please, Rudi, tell me you see my point. Say you understand what I mean about his life choices.”

  “I agree with you…in the central part. However, compared to Miete or Kiewe, Suchomel is a saint. He does not strive to murder people every day, nor weed out the undesirables. The Doll could walk into this room at any minute and send us to the Lazarette. I do not fear that with Suchomel,” explained Rudi. “He is complicit in the evil, no doubt, but not a murderer.”

  “He may not be a sadist like the devils you just named but he is evil, and he does kill people.”

  “I have not seen him deliberately kill someone. Besides, isn’t Suchomel the guard who chose you to be a seamstress? Didn’t he save your life?”

  Though Suchomel had saved Bronka from going into the tube, and he had been pleasant on the outside, her heart grew cold just being around him. He would attempt to get personal and discuss items with Bronka as if they were on the outside and did not have a prisoner-guard relationship. But it never satisfied Bronka. To her he was overly pleasant, or trying too hard, and she knew the ugly truth about his life that he could never camouflage. She knew what he was capable of doing, so it did not matter how nice he was to her. Bronka could see through him, and his smile that masqueraded the truth.

  “Rudi, two weeks ago in the sorting barn I watched a little girl in her mother’s arms while they were waiting for the barbers. Suchomel walked up to the girl and tried to take a doll out of the girl’s hand, but the little girl refused and held tighter. Suchomel pulled out his pistol and shot the mother, right there, while she was holding her child. Then he grabbed the doll out of the distraught girl’s arm and walked out of the building. And you say to me he is not evil? How can you say this thing to me? I have also seen him move women toward the barbers, telling them to hurry up because the water is getting cold. He is a liar, and he is evil. The fact that he can remain here, knowing what is going on and participating in these crimes, tells me this, and I do not need your agreement. I know what I know, and I saw what I saw.”

  Bronka had gotten herself worked up. It was not like her to express her feelings to anyone at the camp besides Tchechia. But she believed she could confide in Rudi with her inner feelings. He was not like the others. He had a soft face and warm heart, and she knew that with men like him planning the revolt, it might truly work. She felt she could trust him, and she shared one last detail. “Shortly after the shooting, Suchomel brought me the doll so I could sew a new dress for it.”

  Rudi looked at Bronka who had moist eyes while she spoke of the mother and the daughter. He admired her. She knew what she believed and she would not back down. Rudi thought about the doll dress and the shooting of the girl’s mother. Bronka was rightfully upset in the midst of such horror, but with people dying all around them, he had not personally been alarmed about Suchomel. But now he saw her point.

  Rudi responded tenderly, “Bronka, you are right. Please forgive my words. I should not have tried to give a defense for Suchomel’s behavior. I agree with everything you have told me. I guess in my thankfulness to be alive and not worry about death during the hours I am working in this shop, I have overvalued the man’s decency. And I do think it would be more honorable for him to outright quit, or desert, or transfer, than to be party to what Stangl and his henchmen are doing here.”

  “Or even suicide,” she added.

  Bronka deeply appreciated Rudi’s words to her because she could tell that he was being sincere. This conversation helped her. Now Rudi understood how she felt. Now Rudi would know what Bronka was thinking and feeling whenever he might speak to Suchomel in her presence. It felt good to know that at least one other person in the camp knew how she felt about the Nazis and being at Treblinka. She did not know what the future held for her. She occasionally heard rumors about the revolt from Tchechia, and she frequently fantasized about how she might escape the camp, but a deeper thought always seemed to haunt her as she
tossed and turned on her hard bunk at night—that she would probably die there. Swatting the lice on her legs, she contemplated that one day she might end up in the Lazarette with all the other poor souls.

  “Thank you, Rudi. I liked your words.” Bronka flashed a slight smile to show her appreciation. Then she went back to work.

  Tchechia stood by the much taller Kapo Rakowski in the darkness just after receiving their rations for the nightly chow. They knew they only had a moment to speak. Rakowski took a biscuit out of his pocket and handed it to Tchechia.

  “Benjamin, it is too dangerous for you to do these things for me,” said Tchechia, trying to sound mad but overjoyed at the small yet appreciated gift. “Someone could be watching us.”

  “I couldn’t help myself,” said the smiling Kapo. “I asked Frau Blau for it and she gave it to me.”

  “You shouldn’t have! What if she tells her husband? You know the man is friends with Kommandant Stangl?”

  “She won’t tell him. She likes me. Anyway, just enjoy it.”

  “They are husband and wife! She probably tells him everything. We better part,” declared Tchechia.

  “Just half a minute more!”

  “Why?”

  “Because who knows what tomorrow might bring?”

  “And what do you mean by that?”

  “Well, I spoke to camp elder Galewski today.”

  “And?”

  “And he was searching for information to help Zelo with plan H.”

  “When is it going to be?”

  “I don’t know, but I think it will be soon. Just stay safe until then.”

  “I’ll try. Goodbye, Kapo Rakowski.”

  “Goodbye, Tchechia.”