Helen Lang - February 23, 1982
Being a Maid for an SS Officer
Did men and women ever get together? Did they...
Never.
They could never meet with each other.
Never. We had never. Mm-mm no. So when Macha went away--is it on?
Mm-hm.
So when Macha went away, they replaced her--oh, I'm doing it wrong. Before Macha came, there was a guy. When I--you see, I am mixed up, I'm sorry.
That's all right, as long as the stories come out.
Before Macha came there was a German guy. I was pumping and he was the one who needed a girl to take care of him, and he choosed me. And he took me into his room. I mean, the doors were open--the rest of the guys lived there. Here a room, here a room, here a room, you know. I mean, it wasn't that he was a, you know, he had--he was alone like all together.
Was he, was he an officer?
An officer. What, I don't know...
All right, but not a prisoner.
...and--not a prisoner, no, a German. He was the most ugliest man. I cannot even compare what an ugly looking man he was. I had to clean up the room for him, sweep up the room, take care of his bed. You know, they had those blankets just cover up the blanket. And that was my things to do. In the meantime he, he, he didn't--he sat. He had a table and two chairs, he was sitting there, he didn't even look at me. He put aside--there was like a bank--a, a, a some chair or something. He put a piece of bread and margarine. He says, "You take this for you, but watch out," he said. So I somehow obviously snuck it in and gave it for my sister. That was beginning when she was going to work yet. So at least I had more bread to give her too. Plus she had a, you know, plate of soup. So health-wise she was all right. But that sun, you know. So that man--and I was doing that--but in the meantime all day long I had nothing else to do. So I went in back to pump the water. I was afraid if I have nothing to do they going to send me out to work, and I just didn't want to do that. So I kept on just pushing the water, you know. He was with us, what can I say, two weeks. And then I went--so I went in, or I helped in the kitchen to wash the dishes, just get busy, you know. And when he, he was, he called me--he didn't call me by name--he said to the girl, "Just tell the Kleiner Block ältester I want her." "The Kleiner Block ältester--why did he want me?" He was preparing a piece of bread he shared with me. He says, "Here I want you to take this here, but be careful." One day after two weeks, I heard they calling me again. ??? what was calls me. So I go into his room. He says to me, "I am replaced, I have to go away." He said--and when the Germans, they go away they give 'em for so many days food, you know, the rations, salami, margarine, everything. He says, "I--that's all yours," he says, "and you be careful. You watch out for yourself." And that was it.
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