Sylvia Feld - July 28, 1982
Bombing of German Factories
NF: They started to bomb the factory. [whispering]
SF: They start to, to uh, one morning they start to bomb the factory. And uh, we looked out then all kinds of airplanes was running in the air. And, and here, here they knew then this was a factory for ammunition they want to get the factory. Then they told us to leave the factory and they gave us uh, like everybody a, a sheet and to go through the basement tunnel ground. And we went there and hold the sheets in the meantime the factory was uh, was uh, on fire already and when we were holding the sheets over our heads the sheets start burning on our bodies. And we ran and left underneath the ground and came out on the...
NF: On the streets. [whispering]
SF: On the streets we came out to, to, to, and we felt like we now like free people and everybody was uh, was running away from the, from the Germans.
Sylvia what happened after the bombing and you went out from the building? It's recording.
SF: After the bombing then uh, we, we ran out from the buildings and we were running in the streets holding the sheets over our heads because the city and the trees and everything looked like it, it's on fire. And we were very frightened and scared and the, the people that worked in the factory we wanted stick together we want to be together because we already uh, became like a family there. We were worried just for surviving. So after that we uh, hide ourself together like a next house to this building and uh, our in, in uh, we were looking all over in the basements all we can find some food for uh, for uh, for feeding ourself then we found like burnt potatoes and some kinds of vegetable and we ate it and, and uh, wild animals was running in the streets. It was just a disaster not to forget. And after vastly we'll get it together again, and one Oberscharführer start to be strict on us again like being again in concentration camp. So we didn't have the food any more like we had in the factory--for looking for food she, she tries to punish us and shaved our head again. Because it was already like a year since my hair was shaved then finally I tried to look at myself like being again a human being. Then she shaved our heads. And the crying was horrible and for punishment she tried to, to uh, to uh, to take just with strings to string us with a, with a tree with our back, and hold our hands in the back and not to let us go. So finally after a few days there were a command to leave the city and we went towards Czechoslovakia.
Wa...wait, wait uh, let me ask you a question. After the bombing and you were running were the uh, guards with you?
SF: Uh, right, right the day after it was nobody with us I could really run away and be free. But uh, we weren't anymore human beings. We were frightened and afraid for everything then we want to hold together and when we hold together to each other then uh, our, our Oberscharführer approached us and she again was our leader.
At the time that you were together with all these other people, did anybody ever discuss running away?
SF: No.
Okay.
SF: No.
Alright. Now you were...
SF: No.
Going to Czechos...
SF: Now we went to uh, uh, towards Czechoslovakia. But this...
Went where?
SF: Czechoslovakia.
Oh you were.
SF: This was...
NF: [whispering]
Is there a city there?
SF: This is, this a country.
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