Ian Moore
Chapter 3
Rain is pouring through the holes in the roof of the train as it pulls into Auschwitz. All the prisoners were trying to get a peak through the gaps in the walls of the wagon train. German soldiers were lined along the railway platform waiting for their arrival. The train doors were rolled open and the frightened prisoners flooded out onto the platform. They stood huddled together, shivering and miserable, with the cold steam rising from their bodies, illuminated by the massive spotlights. An Alsatian guard dog with gnarling fangs, was barking and pulling at the leather leash, wrapped around the fist of an SS colonel who Max recognised as the Nazi who had taken his father from their Paris home. You can smell death, hear death and see death. The prisoners were marched into a courtyard. They formed lines in front of admin clerks wearing white cloaks who wrote each prisoners name on a registration sheet. Those deemed fit for work were sent to one side of the courtyard and the rest, mostly the old and the ill, were separated and taken directly to the gas chambers and killed. Max and Harvey were deemed fit to work and were sent to the appropriate line. Anna was put into the line of women and put to work in the camp laundry. Those prisoners selected for work were sent to a separate building for registration. Everyone was ordered to undress and place their clothes on a hook together with their shoes. Every prisoner was then tattooed with a registration number, and shaved of all body hair, disinfected and forced through showers that were either ice cold or extremely hot. When they had showered, prisoners were given striped pyjamas, a pair of wooden shoes and a hat. Each prisoner was allocated a block were they was going to sleep and what job they were expected to do. Max and Harvey are sent to work in the SS farm, picking vegetables for use in the soldiers kitchens and the leftover scraps would be used for the prisoner rations. Those prisoners selected for work faced appalling conditions and severe treatment. After being woken at dawn, they would have to stand in line for the roll call and then endure many hours of hard labour. Roll calls were often used as a punishment to prisoners. This was especially the case with evening roll call, which often took much longer than the morning one. At the end of the working day, they returned to the camp completely exhausted, were they would once again, have to stand in line, for hours on end, in all weathers. The block kapo would count the number of prisoners before reporting to the SS officer. Anyone unable to stand was taken away to his or her death. If a prisoner had not worked hard enough, attempted some form of resistance or tried to escape, he or she would be punished. Punishment usually meant death. This treatment was used to teach the other prisoners that it was pointless to resist.
Max says. “This looks like this place is going to be a worse place than Drancy.” Harvey nods in agreement. “And winter is approaching so its going to be hell.” The next morning at Max’s first roll call, he sees Benjamin the Rabbi, standing in a line of workers, across the other side of the courtyard. When roll call is finished, he goes over to greet him. The two prisoners hug each other and arrange to meet later, after work duties. Max asks Benjamin. “What is the name of that soldier.” Pointing at the colonel. “Don’t point.” Benjamin says, “That’s Colonel Becker. He is in charge of labor at the camp. He picks who is fit to work and the ones that are to be killed.” Max had been at Auschwitz for one month. He and a group of other workers are marching along a road between the laundry and the officers mess when he hears his name being shouted from the mess window. He looks across and sees a hand waving from the window. He attempts to walk over to the waving hand but the Nazi guard screams at him to stay in line. The hand disappears from view and he is moved forward with the force of the other marching prisoners and carries on walking away from the window. That night in bed, Max couldn’t get the image out of his mind. He was sure it was Anna’s voice shouting his name. He vowed that tomorrow he would find a way to look for his sister. When the morning came, Max was visited by Benjamin, who had a note. The note was from Anna and he read it out loud. “Hello Max, I am fine and working in the laundry. I was very happy when I saw you. I couldn’t stop crying when they separated us. “I will try and arrange to meet with you soon so be careful. The guards don’t like it if they find us communicating. Max asked Benjamin if he could find for a way for him to meet his sister. Benjamin says he “will arrange a meeting.” Benjamin eventually speaks with Anna, and passes word that “Max is fine.” This is the first time that Max had been happy since arriving at Auschwitz. Benjamin sat Max and Harvey down and told them some honest things about life in Auschwitz. “This is the way our life is. ”Either until the war is over or the camp is liberated, whenever that may be, or something miraculous happens to the Nazis attitude to us Jews!” Max and Harvey left the Rabbi’s block and hurried across the courtyard. They turned the corner towards their own block and come across six SS guards aiming rifles at a line of six Jews, standing upright along a wall. Colonel Becker was standing behind the soldiers. “Fire” he ordered. Harvey flinched as the sound of the guns made his ears hurt. Max wanted to cry but couldn’t. The prisoners fell to the ground lifeless. The six guards all reloaded then fired again to be certain they were dead. Two Kapos appeared and lifted the bodies on to a trolley and pushed it towards the direction of a big smoking chimney to be cremated. Max tugs on Harvey’s arm and pulls him around the corner. “We will take a different way back to our block, they might want to kill us also.”
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