Cyla Wiener - July 13, 1992
Transport to Auschwitz
How old were the children?
The son was ten years old. He's still alive, thank God. He survived by a...really a miracle in Auschwitz. I will tell you why. I will tell you why. Somebody who was in Auschwitz with him in 1942, 1942 to Auschwitz, he was from Kraków, you know, too. And he, when they liquidated Auschwitz, you know, they ran us out from Auschwitz, he said to the children, "Don't go out", you know, this was 18th of January. I remember, this date I remember, he, hid all the children under the...break out a few of the, the, under the...
Floorboards.
That's right, and he hid all the children. Next day the Russians came, so I was allowed to do the same day and the same week. They, it was the 18th of January, the 19th of January, the Russian were already in Auschwitz.
But you marched.
No, no, I would kill myself, I wouldn't go through what I got later through, Bergen-Belsen. This was even worse like Auschwitz.
When they took you to Auschwitz, in box cars?
Ya. No, No.
By train?
By train. Like, like, for, you know, the train, what they, for animals, you know.
Cattle cars. What was it like in the train?
It was terrible, just terrible. We put us like animals, you know. You couldn't move, you couldn't breathe, it was just unbelievable. Like animals, no, I wouldn't say they treat animals like us. We were worst, you know, we couldn't move, we couldn't...it was just unbelievable, just terrible, couldn't breathe, we take out our, you know, undress ourselves, it was so hot, you know. It was August, you know, and we, we came to Auschwitz.
Were people crying on the train? Do you remember the sounds?
Terrible. But for me, I didn't cry, but I feel I am at Auschwitz. I find my baby, my son here, you know. In me, it was not terrible, but I was hoping to come to Auschwitz, would you believe?
Did you arrive there at night?
Yeah, at night. No, it was afternoon. We were the whole night riding. It was afternoon.
Did people die in the car?
In the car, some people, sure, two people.
You knew these people?
And finally, we came to Auschwitz, they took us to the saunas, you know, crematorium.
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