The_Holokaust_-_origins,_implementation,_aftermath

ERNST KLEE, WILLI DRESSEN, VOLKER RIEES
stopped and tried to see who was in charge of the Kommando. ‘Nobody.’
Someone had let the Jews go. They were just being hit out of rage and hatred.
Nothing against that – only they should not let the Jews walk about in
such a state. Finally we learned from the soldiers standing there that they had
just visited some comrades of theirs, airmen in fact, in hospital here in Lemberg
who had been brutally injured. They’d had their fingernails torn out, ears cut
off and also their eyes gouged out. This explained their actions: perfectly
understandable.
Our work is over for today. Camaraderie is still good for the time being.
Crazy, beautiful, sensuous music playing on the radio again and my longing
for you, the person who has hurt me so much, is growing and growing. Our
only hope is to get away from here – most would prefer to be back in Radom.
I for one – like many of the other men – have been disillusioned with this
Einsatz. Too little combat in my view, hence this lousy atmosphere.
Lemberg, 6 July 1941
I had a terrible night last night. How true to life and intense a dream can be!
The whole Warsaw affair, the reason why I am here, passed before my eyes so
clearly there was nothing more I could wish for.
Once again I am psychologically shattered, just as I was then. I feel as if I
won’t be able to do it – to see beyond it and forget what I have gone through.
If I don’t meet T. again very soon I will go and do what I planned to do. No
one will stop me. My mood is ghastly. I must get to Radom come what may.
Today I managed to send another letter to my Trude. It wasn’t a very lovely
letter, it expressed my despair to the full. I couldn’t help it. I am now more
hopeful that we will see each other again. This afternoon we learned that the
Kommando will be going to Radom on Monday, 8 July 1941, after it has been
to Drohobycz, an industrial town. We all breathed a sigh of relief. If we’d had
to go on indefinitely it would have become impossible for us to continue
working together. Four lorries have been taken from our EK. We have found
some new telephones and gas masks of Russian origin which we took with us.
Things should start moving at our new post, thank God. Today I am
reporting for a dangerous special mission [Sonderaufträge]. If we do have to
stay there I will arrange things so that Trude can come.
The reveillé came at 8 o’clock. We sleep a long time so that the days are
shorter. Once again work to do. Today I went into town for the nth time to
look for a stationery shop. I actually managed to find one. Stationery shops
have become my great passion. Naturally I rummaged through everything there
and even found something usable. Writing paper, as we know it at home, does
not exist here. But I finally have envelopes and now don’t have to go round
scrounging anymore. I also bought myself a lovely big travelling-bag for 32
roubles/3.80 RM.
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