The Beginning of the Following Sorrowful Story
Sunday, January 21^ST, 1945
by John Knodel
Lehigh Acres, Florida - 1979
39 pages translation by his granddaughter Gerti Soderquist
Published at DVHH.org 16 Aug 2005 by Jody McKim Pharr

The Knodel Family 1942

The following story is being transcribed from Hungarian to German from a daybook that I had kept during my 33 month, 1000 day, imprisonment in Russia.  (In 2002, his granddaughter, Gerti, translated it into English).

It is a sorrowful story full of indescribable pain and human suffering that only a person who himself went through similar suffering, could fully understand. 

My story is not fiction, it is rather a true story of what happened to me while a forced laborer in Russia.  We were captured and forced into slave labor in order to re-build what had been destroyed in Russia during the war (World War II).  The Russians enslaved millions of people.   

I was imprisoned in the south Ukraine, between Donetz and the river Don, about four kilometers from the city of Lisicsansk, in the Donbass industrial region.  (Approximately at 48 degree latitude and between 38/40 degree longitude, in the Donets coal basin, Ukraine)  Everywhere around us were coal mines.  In our vicinity, there were over a hundred thousand slaves, most of which had to work in the coal mines.  Others also worked as slave laborers in the building trades and worked on trains. 

Along with others from my hometown, I was forced to work at a coal mine. We had to walk 4 kilometers to start a new coal mine.  Andreas Vejtei, Heinrich Schneider and five more neighbors from Hungary, and myself, were together.   

The Russians made me a carpenter (in Hungary, he owned a building supply store).  There was a good old Russian, Ingenhor, who tried to help us as he could.  

I made the measurements for the wooden frames that were made to fit inside the mine shaft.  The first coal mine was 60 meters deep, the second coal mine was 110 meters deep.  The work was very hard and exhausting.  The work was split up into three shifts. 

In our camp, there were 900 young women from Romania, who were of German descent, 1,600 people, most men, from Hungary, and over 2,000 men from Ober-Schlesien.  In the beginning, most of the people from Romania and Schlesien died, then us Hungarians.  They died cruel deaths from starvation and cold, freezing conditions.  It was the hardest on the coal miners, as they didn’t have any way of working/trading their skills to earn additional food to keep them alive.  By October of 1945, they were replacing the dead with young Russians.

(December, 1945 – the Russians entered Hungary and took control of the country.  As part of war reparations, the Russians raped the country, stripping it of it’s machinery, raw materials and it’s citizens.  Over 600,000 Hungarian citizens were abducted by the Russians and made slave laborers.  Everything went to Stalin’s Russia.)

It was a Sunday, January 21st, 1945.  The Russians came into our village, Harta (100 miles south of Budapest, Hungary, on the Danube river) and took another group of people away with them, 22 men and 3 women, myself included.  In six horse-driven sleighs we were driven 30 kilometers to Soltwatkert – and overnighted there at a farm.  During the night, two men took off and the Russians let one woman go free.  The next day, January 22nd, we were driven to Kiskunhalas (still Hungary), underway, the Russians found the men who took off and returned them to our group.  On January 23rd, we were quartered in a barrack – eight of us men were put together in one room and heavily guarded.  The only food we ate was whatever food we had brought with us from home, otherwise, you went hungry.  We weren’t allowed to sleep.  Bathroom trips were only arranged with five men at a time watched by two armed Russians.

So did the days go by until the 28^th of January, a Sunday – the Russians brought five more men from Harta.  On Monday, the 29^th of January, the Russians brought four hundred more people to the barracks.  The next day, January 30^th, they brought three hundred women from the Baja (Hungary) area, now there were 1,600 prisoners in the barrack.  We were in the barrack for two more days before our march to paradise. 

On February 1^st, (Thursday) the entire barrack prisoners were escorted to the train station by heavily armed Russians.  On the way to the train station, two men who tried to escape were shot to death by the Russians.  The train car separated us just like in cages, 54 people were caged in the top portion of the car, and 54 people caged in the bottom portion.  Not only did we prisoners shed many tears but tears were shed by our loved ones back home, but it also rained “tears from heaven” on us for two days. 

February 2^nd, 1945 (Friday) Kelebia (Hungary), the Russians rounded us prisoners up and stole anything and everything we have of value – knives, shaving equipment, wallets, mirrors and other personal items all stolen from us! 

February 3^rd, 1945 (Saturday) We’re still on the train, waiting in Szabadka. (Subotica, Yugoslavia)

February 4^th, 1945 (Sunday)  As the train began pulling out, three men from our wagon ripped the wire grates from a window and jumped out.  The third man had a small box – he threw it out of the window and then jumped himself.  It was then that the shooting started.  The first two men escaped, but they shot the third man dead and kept his body for two days in our wagon.  While we were still in Szeged, the Russians warned everyone that if anyone tries to escape, their entire wagon car would also be punished.  So, we were punished.  For two long days, we were denied a drop of water.  We were very thirsty.  They buried the third man in a shallow grave beside the railroad tracks. 

February 5^th, 1945 (Monday)  The train stood still in Temesvar (Timosoara, Romania) while we watched hoards of Russian soldiers with heavy weaponry travel past us, towards Hungary. 

February 6^th, 1945 (Tuesday)  In Karasebes.   

February 7^th, 1945 (Wednesday)  In Orsova (Romania) 

February 8^th, 1945 (Thursday)  In Simian, Romania.  Here, a great deal of weaponry was being stored.  

February 9^th, 1945 (Friday)  We traveled further east to Cerena-Bals. 

February 10^th, 1945 (Saturday) In the city of Piatre-Olt (Piatra-Neamt, Romania).  Here they sent back half of the guards back to battle in the slaughter fields of Slatina-Potcova. 

February 11^th, 1945 (Sunday)  Baranyes, Chitila. After two days, we were again given water.  Being thirsty is worse than being hungry.  In the morning, we arrived in Bucharest (Romania).  For the first time, the train took on food and coals.  Our spirits were pretty much broken by now. 

February 12^th, 1945 (Monday)  In Braila (Romania), from here, we traveled over the Szeret River in a northerly direction. 

February 13^th, 1945 (Tuesday)  It is Fat Tuesday (Shrove Tuesday) but no Paprikash and Doughnuts that we always had to celebrate back home.  Today everyone on the train only spoke about their homes – about how good the Paprikash would taste at home and about how good a glass of wine would go with it. 

February 14^th, 1945 (Ash Wednesday)  In Jassi (Iasi, Romania).  Here, for the first time, we received a little sugar and salami.  Then we were transferred into Russian wagons. The Russians hacked a small hole in the corner, this was our toilet for 80 people.

February 15^th, 1945 (Thursday)  In Kisinev (Kishinev), Besarabien (Bessarabia). 

February 16^th, 1945 (Friday)  We arrived in the Russian Ukraine.  It still had snow. I ate the last piece of bread from home that I had so long spared.  At two o’clock, we traveled over the river Nyester in Szlobotka. 

February 17^th, 1945 (Saturday)  It snowed a great deal.  Today they removed Wendel Endrodi from our wagon, as he was sick. 

February 18^th, 1945 (Sunday)  We continue to travel east in the Ukraine.  The landscape is wide open here. 

February 19^th, 1945 (Monday)  More towards the East over the Nyepfer (Dnepr River) by Nyeppropetrosk (Dnepropetrovsk, Ukraine).  Here it is very cold with snow.  Today, we will not receive anything to eat. 

February 20^th, 1945 (Tuesday)  More traveling. 

February 21^st, 1945 (Wednesday)  We arrived in the town of Lisicsansk (possibly Lugansk, Ukraine).  Today is exactly one month since we were made captive. 

February 22^nd, 1945 (Thursday)  As of today, it’s been three weeks of being on a train, from Kiskunhalas to Lisicsansk, on the river Donetz (Donats River, Ukraine).  Here we were made to depart the train and walk eight kilometers to a broken down building with no doors or windows.  We were all made to bathe in cold, stinking water – from our heads down to our toes.  We almost froze from the cold.  Then we received no food all day – finally a little food at midnight.  We were all finished from exhaustion and no food.  Then we had to march three kilometers to a camp.  The camp consisted of six large brick buildings, each three stories high.  The insides were not finished; there was only a wood frame, but it had no doors or windows. 

February 23^rd, 1945 (Friday)  After a 22 day train ride, we finally arrived in our paradise.  It had three rows of barbwire fending, three meters high – to keep us in captivity.  There were armed watchtowers all around, so that no one could escape.  Since January, they had already 450 prisoners here.  They had already started to use the wood to make doors and windows – and in the rooms – to make bunk beds.  The wood was green.  The beds were frozen and covered with ice.  We had nothing, no straw to make mattresses, nor blankets, nor pillows to keep us warm.   We were always freezing, we always had colds and many of us had bad skin rashes.  The cuisine was watery cucumber soup and two tablespoonfuls of cornmeal. 

February 24^th, 1945 (Saturday)  Received a small piece of Barley bread. 

February 25^th, 1945 (Sunday)  Today we were given some type of vaccination in our backside. Andreas Vejtei, Heinrich Schneider and I – along with nine others are put in one room.  In the room is an old stove that doesn’t work.  We fixed it – and with the wood we gathered, it provided a little heat to keep us from freezing. 

February 26^th, 1945 (Monday)  Today was the first roundup in the camp by the Russians.  They stole all our Hungarian money, pocket mirrors, wallets and anything else they took a fancy to. 

February 27^th, 1945 (Tuesday)  We are continuing to settle in.  We dug a fifty-meter long ditch for a toilet. 

February 28^th, 1945 (Wednesday)  We made our room orderly, cleaning it with lime.  We received glass for one window. 

March 1^st, 1945 (Thursday)  We spent the entire day repairing and fixing up the camp, bombs and fire damage had ruined it.  The roof has many holes and the rain pours onto the third floor.  The weather is sunny today.  Many people already have head and body lice.  The Russians all have lice. 

March 2^nd, 1945 (Friday)  Always more of the same – fixing and repairing. 

March 3^rd, 1945 (Saturday)  Bathing, shaving, clothing and room cleaning.  We gathered material to heat our stove with. 

March 4^th, 1945 (Sunday)  Received orders for who will do what jobs in the coal mine.  Today we received our second vaccination. 

March 5^th, 1945 (Monday)  A strong snowstorm.  We’re preparing for the next mornings work in the coal mine.

March 6^th, 1945 (Tuesday)  Today, it was very cold.  We were assigned to the Woroschilofka coal mine. 

March 7^th, 1945 (Wednesday)  Still working in the camp.  Lots of snow and very cold. 

March 8^th, 1945 (Thursday)  Today they burned the clothes of 24 women.  They had to stay in the freezing cold camp for three days with no clothes until the Russians got them clothing. 

March 9^th, 1945 (Friday)  Still cold.  Today the Russians made us move from the room we’ve spent so much time fixing up into an awful, dirty room.  We had to sleep on the dirty floor for two days before they gave us bunk beds. 

March 10^th, 1945 (Saturday)  More stormy, cold weather.  Today, no bread – only twice, Cabbage Soup. 

March 11^th, 1945 (Sunday)  Today we received bread to eat and instead of Cabbage Soup, Barley Soup. 

March 12^th, 1945 (Monday)  We had to retrieve our food from a snow mound – they threw it there, instead of bringing it to our camp.  They feed us minimal food, it makes us so weak, and we are as hungry as wolves.  We think only of eating. 

March 13^th, 1945 (Tuesday)  This morning at 7 a.m., 71 men and 30 women walked 4 kilometers in deep snow to the coal mine.  They divided us up into three shifts, I received the third shift.  Everyone received 100 Rubles (Russian currency).  As of today, we just pay for our food. 

March 14^th, 1945 (Wednesday)  Again, they stuck us in another dirty room on the second floor.  It looked miserable.  We made the mistake of cleaning and fixing up our two previous rooms, so now they expect more.  We buried three Romanians today; they only lasted two months from the malnutrition of only cabbage and cucumber soup. 

March 15^th, 1945 (Thursday)  Today is Hungary’s Independence Day.  It was our first day of forced labor in the coalmine.  At 5 a.m., we received a small portion of cabbage soup (no bread), and were forced to walk 4 kilometers to the coalmine.  After working 8 hours without any food, we were forced to march back to the camp.  We received more cabbage soup and three tablespoonfuls of cornmeal as supper.  Twice a day, everything the same. 

March 16^th, 1945 (Friday)  The weather is warming up a bit.  Today we had 14 men drive 2 kilometers with a sled to bring wood to the coalmine; it was very hard work.  Andreas Vejtei and I bought 2 deci grams of cornmeal and we cooked it that night. With only the camp food, most people get weak and dizzy from hunger.  Today Ingenohr (Russian Guard) told me that Andreas Vejtei and myself would be doing woodworking from now on, instead of mining. 

March 17^th, 1945 (Saturday)  Me and 20 men brought heavy Oak tree stumps 1 kilometer from the train station to the coalmine on sleds. 

March 18^th, 1945 (Sunday)  Worked with the circular saw.  They gave me an extra food coupon for my good work.  I ate a double meal in the evening, but it didn’t fill me up, I’m still very hungry. 

March 19^th, 1945 (Monday)  Today, again 19 men pulled heavy lumber to the coal mine.  We were like oxen, pulling wood the entire day. 

March 20^th, 1945 (Tuesday)  Today I sold a piece of soap for 40 Rubles – I bought some food with it, but I’m still always hungry. 

March 21^st, 1945 (Wednesday)  It’s been two months today that we were taken from our homes.  We received our third immunization today, probably so that we won’t feel our hunger. The cucumber and cabbage soup is too thin to be nourishing.  As of today, I am the carpenter and foreman of the circular saw.  We are now making the frames for the new coalmine.  I have asked that A. Vejtei, H. Schneider, a man from Vaskut, a man from Csaszartoltes and a man from Soltvadkert work with me. 

March 22^nd, 1945 (Thursday)  Our group has started to dig two coalmines.  We are now making oak frames 3 ½ meters long and 2 ½ meters wide.  An old Russian, Ingenohr is too bossy and tells us how we should make the frames.  As of today, we received a card for upgraded food, which means we get two tablespoonfuls more water in our soup. 

March 23^rd, 1945 (Friday)  The snow is starting to melt a little.  You receive pay according to your job.  If you work in the coal mine, you receive 300 rubles a month.  We receive 200 rubles monthly; the other works receive 150 rubles.  The twice day soup costs 5 rubles a day (5 rubles daily times 30 days = 150 rubles a month in food costs) 

March 24^th, 1945 (Saturday)  The weather is cloudy.  I worked on the circular saw today; it’s about 100 meters from the pit.  There is no roof or any type of protection from the weather.  Today, another man died.  In the evening, A. Vejtei and I cooked cornmeal, we are always hungry.  The cabbage soap has no sustenance; it’s mostly water. 

March 25^th, 1945 (Sunday)  Sawed heavy pieces of wood today.  I bought from the bazaar 2 deci liters of Beans and 2 of cornmeal.  My hunger is intense. 

March 26^th, 1945 (Monday)  Today, I assembled heavy oak frames for the coal mine shaft.  In exchange for wood scraps, I received some cornmeal from a Russian, which I cooked that night.  The cabbage soup is too thin; it will not satisfy my hunger. 

March 27^th, 1945 (Tuesday)  Today, 2,100 men for OberSchlesien (Was part of Prussia, Germany, now part of Poland)  were brought to our forced labor camp.  They are already weak from hunger, but have good clothing and underwear.  They traded their clothes for food. 

March 28^th, 1945 (Wednesday)  In exchange for wood scraps, I received potatoes from a Russian.  We cooked the potatoes in the evening and we able to sleep better because of the food. 

March 29^th, 1945 (Thursday)  Today again 3 are dead, one from Scepel and two from Romania.  In exchange for tobacco, I received bread and ate it right away. 

March 30^th, 1945 (Friday)  Today is Good Friday; it’s very cold and windy.  We are still working out in the cold.  Our thoughts were on what was going on with our families at home – what they were eating and even if they were all still safe and sound at home. 

March 31^st, 1945 (Saturday)  Cloudy, windy weather.  More people are dying.  Hundreds are sick, I have diarrhea from the cabbage soup.  The dead are being stored in a chamber full of lime.  Every night, they are buried 200 meters from the camp, their clothes are removed and then their bodies are thrown into a mass shallow grave, without the dignity of a casket.  Ingenohr gave me tomorrow, East Sunday, off.  In exchange for wood scraps, I received beans and cornmeal and will add it to my cabbage soup. 

April 1^st, 1945 (Easter Sunday)  It is now ten weeks since the Russians took us captive.  I have a free day today.  To celebrate Easter, I cooked potatoes without any meat and ate it with my cabbage soup.  My thoughts were only on home today, I hope they are okay.  Here, it gets worse day by day.  More and more people are getting sick and dying.  The Russians have told us that we must work here until we all die.  It looks that way! 

April 2^nd, 1945 (Monday)  Now the hardest work goes on at the coalmine. Above the mine shaft are two huge cogwheels, which 18 – 20 women must pull, as each cogwheel goes into the shaft, they are filled with dirt by the men inside, then the women must pull the filled containers back to the ground again.  Just like you’ve seen in pictures of China, where they still operate like in the middle Ages, it’s the same way here.  The yelling goes on endlessly, the Russians screaming “Davaj” (Hurry) and “Bistra!” (Faster).  It is still very cold here.  When the ground thaws out a bit during the day, the women get their shoes stuck in the mud.  They have to bind wire around their shoes in order to work.  Every day, more people are getting sick and can’t go to work.  Every day, people die.  I am only writing about the people in our coalmine.  In this whole camp, 4,600 people are imprisoned and have to work in eight different coalmines. 

April 3^rd, 1945 (Tuesday)  A cold icy wind continues to blow all spring, it is still bringing snow from the east. 

April 4^th, 1945 (Wednesday)  I traded tobacco for a shirt, which I promptly sold for 170 rubles. I bought food with the money; 1 kilo of bread cost 25 rubles, 1 liter of milk cost 20, 5 eggs cost 25, 2 deci-gram sugar for 35 rubles, 2 deci-gram salt for 16 rubles, 4 deci-gram beans for 10 rubles and 4 deci-gram of cornmeal for 8 rubles, which altogether cost me 139 rubles.  This will help keep me with nightly dinners for 1 – 2 weeks, to help satisfy my hunger. 

April 5^th, 1945 (Thursday)  The Russians gave us all a green jacket and pants Most of us, including myself, sold them at the bazaar in order to get food – we are so hungry. 

April 6^th, 1945 (Friday)  We continue to work hard making the frames.  The shaft keeps on getting deeper; soon the entire mountain will be excavated.  It is still very cold. 

April 7^th, 1945 (Saturday)  We were made to march to the mines by armed women today!  They are like amazons; they hit people who walk too slowly, due to lack of proper nourishment. 

April 8^th, 1945 (Sunday)  Today I asked Ingenohr for my Godfather to work with me.  Janos Kaszt is so weak that he can barely walk. 

April 9^th, 1945 (Monday)  The prisoners from OberSchlesia were all assigned to the older coalmine, they are dying daily.  They were already weak and malnourished before they even came here. 

April 10^th, 1945 (Tuesday)  It will never get warm here.  The Russians tells us to work faster – then we won’t freeze. 

April 11^th, 1945 (Wednesday)  We continue to sleep on the bare planks of the bunk beds, with only our clothes to keep us warm.  Many people have skin rashes all over their bodies.  There is only one nurse here; she only has a thermometer – no medicine – no bandages – nothing to help the sick.  Those with 41-Celsius (105.8 degrees Fahrenheit) fever don’t have to go to work. 

April 12^th, 1945 (Thursday)  The snow is slowly melting.  I wish it would finally get warmer, so that we won’t have to keep suffering from the cold – we have enough suffering already. 

April 13^th, 1945 (Friday)  I sold a pair of pants so that I could buy some food at the bazaar.  With only the food at the camp, no one can survive.  Every day, people die. 

April 14^th, 1945 (Saturday)  They are constantly pushing us to work harder, it is crazy.  We continue to build frames, which go deeper and deeper into the mine. 

April 15^th, 1945 (Sunday)  Snow again today!  I had a 41-degree fever (105.8 Fahrenheit), so I stayed in the camp today.  I lay in my bed all day.  By the evening, my fever had gone down to 39 (102.2 Fahrenheit), so I’ll have to return to the mine and work tomorrow.

April 16^th, 1945 (Monday)  When Ingenohr returned from lunch at home today, he brought me a piece of cornbread and two potatoes – to help me get better. 

April 17^th, 1945 (Tuesday)  The only help for a fever here is a cold compress.  If that doesn’t help, then they’ll put you in the lye chamber and then bury you in the grave, where many are already resting.  A man’s life here is only worth that of a fly.  They are determined to let us starve to death – that’s what they always say! 

April 18^th, 1945 (Wednesday)  Today is my daughter, Christine’s birthday.  She is 8 years old.  I thought of home the entire day.  I had a free day today, so I washed and repaired my pants.  A roommate, from Hajos (Hungary), died today.  In the evening, they buried four men. 

April 19^th, 1945 (Thursday)  They won’t even let you rest at the end of the workday in the camp, there is always something that has to be fixed.  We walked 1 – 2 kilometers to retrieve re-usable building materials from destroyed buildings for the camp. 

April 20^th, 1945 (Friday)  My hunger is so strong.  There is only saltwater in the cucumber soup.  The bread they give us is half full of inedible weeds.  Three men died today. 

April 21^st, 1945 (Saturday)  Some days, it’s not so cold.  In exchange for excess wood scraps, the Russians give me food – it helps a little bit.  The people who work in the mines can’t do anything on the side, so they end up dying sooner. 

April 22^nd, 1945 (Sunday)  We were sent to another building in the camp today, it even has a different kitchen.  Now we have to fix up this place on our only day off.  What a Sunday! 

April 23^rd, 1945 (Monday)  For the second time, I stayed in the camp sick, but was not allowed to rest, I had to nail together tables and chairs.  For my efforts, I received a bowl of saltwater cucumber soup. 

April 24^th, 1945 (Tuesday)  Still sick in the camp.  I washed my clothes and repaired my pants. 

April 25^th, 1945 (Wednesday)  My day off.  Had to work again in the kitchen, I made tables and benches out of old wood. 

April 26^th, 1945 (Thursday)  Back to the coal mine.  They were waiting on me to return, as they are desperate for more frames.  Today we finally received our pay; it was high time, as we had all run out of money to pay for our meals.  They want us all to starve. 

April 27^th, 1945 (Friday)  Ingenohr gave us all 6 meal cards for the kitchen – since we had to work so hard to make the frames they are in desperate need of. 

April 28^th, 1945 (Saturday)  The Russians are just crazy, they keep on pushing us even though we are so weak from hunger.  Every day people die while working or marching to the mines. 

April 29^th, 1945 (Sunday) “Razzia” (roundup) again!  The Russians took whatever they wanted from us. 

April 30^th, 1945 (Monday) The Russians are acting crazy – as they are excited that tomorrow is May 1^st! 

May 1^st, 1945 (Tuesday) The Russians got drunk today on vodka and rode around in trucks and sang songs like crazy men.  But we prisoners had to work today.  The Russians said the coal is for the Red Army, that’s why they received the vodka. 

May 2^nd, 1945 (Wednesday) The Russians were all sick today from drinking too much yesterday.  We only received cucumber soup today.  Every day, 2 – 3 people die here. 

May 3^rd, 1945 (Thursday) The Russian residents here are beginning to plant their gardens.  The ground is as black as the night and very fertile. 

May 4^th, 1945 (Friday) We ate some oily cakes from the bazaar, even though they’re bad for your stomach, we are so hungry. 

May 5^th, 1945 (Saturday)  The weather is slowly getting nicer, but my hunger is getting worse.  Not a day goes by that 2 – 3 people die here. 

May 6^th, 1945 (Sunday)  In exchange for scrap wood, the Russians usually give me food or sometimes even money so that I can buy whatever food I want at the bazaar.  My only thoughts are on food, then on dying. 

May 7^th, 1945 (Monday)  I sold my pillow from home for 200 rubles and bought some food.  My hunger never leaves me day or night.  Our monthly pay is only 180 – 220 rubles, which is not enough to even pay for our lousy camp meals of watery soup. 

May 8^th, 1945 (Tuesday)  We don’t know what the matter is, but the Russians are pushing us harder and harder to work. 

May 9^th, 1945 (Wednesday) My day off.  Around afternoon, everything went crazy, the Russians told us that the war had ended, Berlin fell and Hitler is dead!  I cooked a few potatoes and ate them with my cucumber soup.  Many of us prisoners are saying that we’ll soon be going home.  (Hitler committed suicide on April 30^th, the Germans officially surrendered on May 7^th) 

May 10^th, 1945 (Thursday)  There will be no more days off, as the Russians said that in the short time we’d be here, we’ll have to work hard.  Some people believe them, but others say to only wait – as they’ve lied to us often. 

May 11^th, 1945 (Friday)  It only took two days for them to change their story.  Now we have to wait until everything is built up again in Russia before we can go home.  Now everyone here realizes the hopelessness of our situation. 

May 12^th, 1945 (Saturday)  I sold a blanket that I had brought from home for 350 rubles.  I bought some food at the bazaar.  Many people lie in their beds sick and can’t ever return to work.  Every day, these sick hungry people end their suffering by dying.  Eternal peace. 

May 13^th, 1945 (Sunday)  I bought 1 liter of milk for 20 rubles and promptly drank all of it.  I also bought 20 potatoes for 20 rubles and cooked them in the evening.  We have headaches and are very dizzy from the lack of food. 

May 14^th, 1945 (Monday)  We are pushed to work harder to make the oak frames for the mine.  In the camp, there are so many people who lie in their beds; they will never be able to return to work. 

May 15^th, 1945 (Tuesday)  The Russians sent many sick and injured people, who can’t work anymore to Kolchoss, where there is easier work. 

May 16^th, 1945 (Wednesday)  Even though it was my free day; I still had to work in the camp making doors and windows.  I just want to scream at how badly they treat us. 

May 17^th, 1945 (Thursday)  One of our countrymen from Csepel/Budapest, died today.  Just about everyone has severe body rashes and open wounds.  There is no medicine to treat us, what doesn’t heal on it’s own will cause our deaths.  Many people’s teeth are falling out. 

May 18^th, 1945 (Friday)  No more talk about going home.  The work goes on even though we are all very weak.  The food I get in exchange for wood scraps helps me a great deal.  Andreas Vejtei and I work together and cook together, when we have extra food.  We are trying to hold on as long as we can.  Perhaps one day, we’ll be freed from this paradise. 

May 19^th, 1945 (Saturday)  “Razzia” (roundup) again!  They stole our mirrors, scissors, etc.  We cannot defend ourselves. 

May 20^th, 1945 (Sunday)  Pentecost – we received 4 pieces of a honey cake in the camp today; we had to pay 2 rubles extra for it.  It tasted good, as we only have cabbage or cucumber soup.  Even though today is a holiday, we had to work.  Even the sick were made to work today.  They make us work twice as hard on holidays. 

May 21^st, 1945 (Monday)  Pentecost Monday – we talked only of the special cake that’s served on this day at home.  It’s been four months since we’ve been imprisoned.  They are driving us crazy with work.  Every day, they yell “bistra” (faster). 

May 22^nd, 1945 (Tuesday)  I sold a hand towel and a wool jacket for 80 rubles. I bought cornmeal, sugar and four eggs at the bazaar for the money.  I cooked half of everything and ate it right away.  Every day, more people are dying, most from Romania and the Schlesier. 

May 23^rd, 1945 (Wednesday)  With the camp food alone, you can only starve.  So many people are sick in the camp; they can’t go back to work. 

May 24^th, 1945 (Thursday)  A strong wind and rain all day today – we still had to work in the heavy rain, with no covering to protect us.  My wet clothes kept on tugging at my body rash; it hurts and makes the rash worse by opening up raw sores. 

May 25^th, 1945 (Friday)  The outlook is bleak.  If they don’t start feeding us more and give us better food, we’ll all die. 

May 26^th, 1945 (Saturday)  In the four months of our imprisonment, we received our first ever noodle soup today.  I was sick the whole day with stomach pains, but I still had to work.  So many of the others are too sick and weak to work. 

May 27^th, 1945 (Sunday)  Another rumor went around today about going home, if it continues the same way it has, then our only hope of going home will be to the hole they bury the dead in.  No day goes by that people don’t die here. 

May 28^th, 1945 (Monday)  After two days of heavy stomach pains, I begged a Russian to bring me tea and 6 pieces of bread from home.  I had to pay him 35 rubles.  After two days of not eating the cabbage soup, I was better. 

May 29^th, 1945 (Tuesday)  A lot of people are dying from diarrhea and stomach cramps. 

May 30^th, 1945 (Wednesday)  My day off.  I went to the nurse and asked for medicine for my stomach cramps, she told me there was no medicine; that I should eat dry bread.  I told her they only feed us cucumber and cabbage soup, no bread. She told me that it wasn’t her problem. 

May 31^st, 1945 (Thursday)  I was sick and stayed in the camp today, as my fever was over 41 degrees (105.8 Fahrenheit).  Andreas Vejtei bought me bread and tea from the bazaar for 40 rubles.  I didn’t eat their soup.   

June 1^st, 1945 (Friday)  They made me go to work today even though I am still sick.  At noon, Ingehohr wrote me a pass so I could go back to the camp.  On the way back, I bought 6 eggs and cornmeal from the bazaar.  I’m cooking it now.  I’m not eating their soup, only dry food for a few days.  They work us all until we’re dead. 

June 2^nd, 1945 (Saturday)  Only heaven knows our suffering here.  So many people are sick and can’t work. 

June 3^rd, 1945 (Sunday)   I’m still sick.  They’re making me work tomorrow, but I’m so sick and weak that I can barely walk.  I’ve got more sores/abscess on my body now, they hurt like crazy.  The sore under my arm broke and it’s very painful.  We’re all going to end up dying here.  It will be a miracle if anyone ever sees home again. 

June 4^th, 1945 (Monday)  I had to work today even though I’m in great pain and very weak. 

June 5^th, 1945 (Tuesday)  I sold a Russian jacket and bought potatoes at the bazaar.  With only the camp food, you’ll starve.  Sometimes Ingehohr brings me a little food from his home after his lunch. 

June 6^th, 1945 (Wednesday)  We’ve been here over four months and we still haven’t gotten any mattresses or blankets.  The bugs won’t let you sleep at night. 

June 7^th, 1945 (Thursday)  I sold my pants at the bazaar for 150 rubles in order to buy food.  Those that can’t get money for food are merely shadows of their old selves.  Every day, people are going into eternity. 

June 8^th, 1945 (Friday)  The people who work in the coal mine every day can’t even wash themselves; as there is no bathing facility here.  Now they are finally building a cleaning facility so that clothing can be washed.   

June 9^th, 1945 (Saturday) The food is always terrible and so meager, you could go crazy from hunger. From the original 4,600 prisoners, many have already died.  They are replacing them with Russians.  Everything is hopeless; more and more of us are dying. 

June 10^th, 1945 (Sunday)  The weather is warm.  The work goes on here like crazy; the shaft keeps getting dug deeper and deeper.  It is now 60 meters deep, but they still haven’t gotten any coal yet. 

June 11th, 1945 (Monday)   At the mine, Russian women are selling eggs and milk; I bought both for 25 rubles to help ease my insatiable hunger.  It is a crime what they are doing to us. 

June 12^th, 1945 (Tuesday)  Today, a man from Hajos injured himself in the mine and ended up dead.  Another prisoner committed suicide by jumping from the third floor of the camp.  He also had three children at home. (John Knodel himself had three children) 

June 13^th, 1945 (Wednesday)  Sold a shirt and a towel for 250 rubles today in order to buy beans and cornmeal at the bazaar.  Selling my clothing has helped me survive. 

June 14^th, 1945 (Thursday) For the first time in five months of captivity, we were allowed to bathe today.  The facility is much too small for all 4,000 of us captives; there is a line of people waiting day and night in order to bathe. In our camp section, four more people died. A woman from Romania, a man from the Bacska and two from OberSchlesien. 

June 15^th, 1945 (Friday)  I traded a pair of socks for potatoes and cornmeal today; my hunger is so great. I suffer from constant headaches and stomach cramps. 

June 16^th, 1945 (Saturday)  Two more men died from our section; one from Csepel and one from Vaskut. (both in Hungary) 

June 17^th, 1945 (Sunday)  There will be no more days off, we all have to work every days, seven days a week now.  They say we are working too slowly.  We are going to have to work until we die.  A man hung himself in the camp today.  Another man in our section died.  I am only writing about the people around me who work in the same coalmine.  Now instead of 2 – 3 deaths daily, there are 5 – 6 deaths daily. 

June 18^th, 1945 (Monday)  The Amazonian women armed guards continue to hit and stomp on the people who are too sick and weak to walk on the way to and from the coal mine.   

June 19^th, 1945 (Tuesday)  The work continues to go on like crazy; even though so many lie in the camp, too weak to work.  We can barely maneuver the big oak trees to make the frames anymore.  We got two more men to work with us today.  

June 20^th, 1945 (Wednesday) We’re still building frames.  No coal yet from the mine. 

June 21^st, 1945 (Thursday)  It’s been five months today since the Russians captured us and took us from our homes.  It feels like an eternity already.  My hunger and the sores on my body are driving me crazy.  The sores are so itchy and hurt; I don’t sleep at night. 

June 22^nd, 1945 (Friday)  I still can’t sleep from the sores on my back and legs.  For the first time ever, we received some antiseptic cream, but it’s only enough to cover half the sores. 

June 23^rd, 1945 (Saturday)  We’re still making frames for the shaft, still no coals. 

June 24^th, 1945 (Sunday)  Another rumor about going home.  With 6 – 7 people dying daily, even if they released us, who would be left to go home? 

June 25^th, 1945 (Monday)  I dreamt about home last night and saw my father-in-law Grob and my brother-in-law Heinrich (Heinrich was missing in action, presumed dead during World War II, was never heard from).  I bought ½ liter milk, 4 eggs and 2 pieces of cornbread for 38 rubles at the bazaar.  I promptly ate everything. 

June 26^th, 1945 (Tuesday)  Those that are too sick and weak to work anymore have been written up and supposedly, they will be returned to their homes. 

June 27^th, 1945 (Wednesday)  Had to work in the camp today to repair doors, windows, tables and benches.

June 28^th, 1945 (Thursday)  Today they wrote up the names of the very sick and also took the names of their parents and children.  It’s only a bluff.  Every evening those who are buried are the one who went home. 

June 29^th, 1945 (Friday)  Today is Peter and Paul day (Saints Day).  At home, the harvest will have started.  Everything is still green here.  In honor or the day, we received two honey cakes with our soup. 

June 30^th, 1945 (Saturday)  It was so cold and rainy today that we worked in our winter clothes.  The sores on my back and legs are so bad, they drive me crazy.  During the day, my pants rub the sores raw, at the night, the sores hurt so much that I can’t sleep.  I also can’t sleep because I’m hungry and have my doubts about whether I’ll ever see my homeland and my family again.  The future is doubtful. 

July 1^st, 1945 (Monday)  The camp food quality continues to worsen.  The soup they now cook stinks and is bitter tasting.  Every day, more people get sick from it and die. 

July 2^nd, 1945 (Tuesday)  The food has never been as bad as it is now.  People are falling from starvation on the way to the mine, at the coal mine and some on the way back to the camp. 

July 3^rd, 1945 (Wednesday)  A man from Vaskut died today, he had one daughter and 200 acres of farmland at home.  Who will take care of his fields and his daughter? 

July 4^th, 1945 (Thursday)  A day off.  Today they brought back Lajos Nagy to the camp; he had escaped and was gone for three weeks.  The Russians beat him severely and locked him in a basement room for three weeks with only a small piece of bread and 3 dezi-gram of water. 

July 5^th, 1945 (Friday)  Three men and a woman were buried today from our section.  Every day, 5 – 6 people go into eternity. 

July 6^th, 1945 (Saturday)  After four months of digging, coals were produced at 63 meters deep.  The Russians were very happy. 

July 7^th, 1945 (Sunday)  The coals are only one meter thick.  Now they have to excavate 20 centimeter of stones so that the men can enter the shaft on their hands and knees. 

July 8^th, 1945 (Monday)  The coals are now coming. They are bringing evergreen trees from the forest, which we cut into 10-centimeter thick, 2-meter long lumber, with ten large posts for support. 

July 9^th, 1945 (Tuesday)  Today was a solar eclipse, it got very dark for a short time.  They are needing even more lumber for the mine. 

July 10^th, 1945 (Wednesday)  Cloudy weather.  I’ve got a big sore/abscess on my right knee that hurts so much.  It’s hard to work. 

July 11^th, 1945 (Thursday)  My day off.  I put a warm compress on my sore knee; the pain is driving me crazy.  There are still many sick in the camp, they lay in the sun and some go to sleep into eternity. 

July 12^th, 1945 (Friday)  I dreamt about home again and saw my wife Kati and my daughter Christine in my dream.  I hope that I can see them while I’m still living, but it doesn’t seem that that will happen. 

July 13^th, 1945 (Saturday)  They gave us 20 pieces of sugar cubes.  Now we have to work 12 hours a day.  They need a lot of lumber for the mine.  Two others died today by us. 

July 14^th, 1945 (Sunday)  I am 38 years old today.  They made us work very hard today.  The old engineer often brings me food from his mid-day meal.  At night, I had a piece of bread with sugar. 

July 15^th, 1945 (Monday)  Bought a liter of milk and ½ kilo of sour cherries for 20 rubles and ate everything right away.  My hunger is so great that if I get food, I have to eat it right away. 

July 16^th, 1945 (Tuesday)  We worked 12 hours today; they need the lumber so much.  For our efforts, we get a bowl of cabbage soup with a small piece of bread in the morning.  In the evening, we get the same thing.  What they feed us is not enough to survive on. 

July 17^th, 1945 (Wednesday)  We protested today, we are weak and dizzy from hunger.  They gave us 6 small pieces of cornbread. 

July 18^th, 1945 (Thursday) My day off.  They made me work repairing doors and windows again until the evening.  I didn’t even have time to wash my clothes. 

July 19^th, 1945 (Friday)  Three men and a woman went to eternity today.  Now there is no talk about going home.  My sores are slowly healing, the greatest pains have lessened. 

July 20^th, 1945 (Saturday)  A huge thunderstorm soaked us to the skin all day while working.  They keep on pushing us for more wood for the mine. 

July 21^st, 1945 (Sunday)  Today marks 6 months, a half-year since we’ve been imprisoned.  It feels like it’s been a year.  Always hungry, a person could go crazy. 

July 22^nd, 1945 (Monday)  It’s Heinrich (his son) and Kato (his daughter) birthdays today.  Are they still living and still at home?  I haven’t heard from home. 

July 23^rd, 1945 (Tuesday)  We unloaded dynamite from the train station today, they need it for the coalmine.  In exchange for wood scraps, I receive sometimes bread or potatoes from the Russians at noontime.  It helps. 

July 24^th, 1945 (Wednesday)  Again two more dead, one on the way to the mine and one died in the camp.  We’ll all die from the beet/turnip leaf soup. 

July 25^th, 1945 (Thursday)  It was supposed to be my day off, but they made me work today making lumber for the mine.  It rained all day and soaked us through to the skin.  We are weak and dizzy and have constant headaches.  It makes you crazy. 

July 26^th, 1945 (Friday)  They are pushing us like crazy at the mine.  The people who work in the mine come out so dark and dirty, you can barely see them.  The bathing opportunities are so slim here that these people are constantly filthy.  They will die in their filth. 

July 27^th, 1945 (Saturday)  Another dead today.  Many more are sick.  If this keeps up, then we will all slowly stay here for eternity. 

July 28^th, 1945 (Sunday)  I sold a pair of shoes for 300 rubles and bought cornmeal.  Andreas Vejtei and I cooked it that night in the camp.   

July 29^th, 1945 (Monday)  Two more people died today, our numbers are dwindling. The Romanians/Germans and Schlesier have the most dead.  Also, the Hungarians from Hajos, who drank a lot of wine at home and some from the Budapest area are all mostly in their final resting places. 

July 30^th, 1945 (Tuesday)  They pushed us extra hard today, they needed a lot of wood for the mine.  The whole day they yelled, “Davaja” and “Bistra” (faster, hurry up!). 

July 31^st, 1945 (Wednesday)  Now there is no more talk about going home.  By the time Russia’s rebuilt, we’ll be dead.  Every day, people die here. 

August 1^st, 1945 (Thursday)  My day off.  I washed and mended my clothes.  Everything is turning into rags. 

August 2^nd, 1945 (Friday)  I sold my boots today at the bazaar for 450 rubles and bought some food.  You starve with only the camp food. 

August 3^rd, 1945 (Saturday)  The second mine is now also 110 meters deep, so we must also provide wood for the second mine.  We work in three shifts; the mines require an enormous amount of wood.  Good black coals are the result of our labor. 

August 4^th, 1945 (Sunday) It rained on us the entire day, but we weren’t allowed to stop working.  My sores returned, my entire back and legs are covered with open sores that hurt so much.  The sores hurt me day and night. 

August 5^th, 1945 (Monday)  I cooked cornmeal tonight to help alleviate my hunger pains.  On top of my sores, bugs at night won’t let me sleep. 

August 6^th, 1945 (Tuesday)  The Russians are saving the Oak trees for use in making streets, so we have to use fir trees for the mines now. 

August 7^th, 1945 (Wednesday)  So many captives are lying sick in their beds.  The beet and cucumber soup gives everyone diarrhea. Most people can’t even walk anymore. 

August 8^th, 1945 (Thursday)  My open sores hurt me so much that I’ll soon go crazy.  During the day, the open sores rub against my clothing, at night, they won’t let me sleep.  Today was to be my day off, but they made me work at the mine. 

August 9^th, 1945 (Friday)  In the area, rye and wheat are beginning to ripen, the harvest will soon begin.  We hope that after the harvest, we’ll be getting better food than beet leaves and cucumber soups. 

August 10^th, 1945 (Saturday)  Ears are growing on the corn.  We’re eating whatever we can find raw from the fields – corn, cabbage, carrots and cucumbers.   

August 11^th, 1945 (Sunday)  If you have money, you can buy food at the bazaar.  If you don’t have money, you’ll starve from only the camp food. 

August 12^th, 1945 (Monday)  I’ve been sick for a few days already, but I still have to go to work. 

August 13^th, 1945 (Tuesday)  I was sick in the camp today with a 41-degree (105.8 Fahrenheit) fever.  To my further misfortune, I have severe stomach cramps and diarrhea.  I am very weak. Kathi (his wife) has her birthday today. 

August 14^th, 1945 (Wednesday)  Still sick with a 41-degree fever.  A. Vejtei brought me potatoes from the bazaar and cooked them for me.  I will only eat dry foods, no more soup from the camp. 

August 15^th, 1945 (Thursday)  I’m still sick in the camp with a high fever and am very weak.  When you see all the sick people here who can’t even walk, then you lose your hope of ever going home. 

August 16^th, 1945 (Friday)  My condition worsens.  I can barely walk, and am getting weaker.  They brought me eggs and sugar from the bazaar to give me strength and help my stomach improve. 

August 17^th, 1945 (Saturday)  I sold a pair of pants for 200 rubles and bought eggs and bread. I will only eat dry foods, no camp soup. 

August 18^th, 1945 (Sunday)  My fever will not go away.  They brought me black tea from the bazaar to drink instead of water.  The sick here who drink the camp water and eat the camp soup never get better. 

August 19^th, 1945 (Monday)  A Vejtei brought me eggs and a ½ liter vodka from the bazaar.  Maybe this will help me. 

August 20^th, 1945 (Tuesday)  The Russians celebrated and danced today, as the war with Japan is now also over.  Back home in Hungary it’s St. Stephan’s day, it was always a national holiday.  (Japan officially surrendered on September 2^nd) 

August 21^st, 1945 (Wednesday)  It’s been seven months today since the Russians have sent us to hell.  Will any of us return home?  I am still very sick. 

August 22^nd, 1945 (Thursday)  I didn’t get my full pay from the mine because I was so sick. 

August 23^rd, 1945 (Friday)  So many people are sick here.  They will slowly die of starvation and malnutrition. 

August 24^th, 1945 (Saturday)  My fever has lessened and I feel a little better. 

August 25^th, 1945 (Sunday)  The Russians gave us underwear.  I sold them right away for 150 rubles.  I bought eggs, sugar and bread with the money.  I’m as hungry as a wolf. 

August 26^th, 1945 (Monday)  I had only a 39-degree (102.2 Fahrenheit) fever last night.  I had to work at the mine today.  I could barely function from my weakness and barely made the march back to the camp at night. 

August 27^th, 1945 (Tuesday)  My fever went back up to 41-degrees (105.8 Fahrenheit), so I stayed in the camp.  A roommate, Josef Knipl died today, he had also been sick for a long time. 

August 28^th, 1945 (Wednesday)  I sold everything I could today to get money to buy me food.  Maybe the food will help me hang on and get better. 

August 29^th, 1945 (Thursday) My sores are giving me great pain today.  Everyone in the camp is sick of the cabbage and cucumber soups. 

August 30^th, 1945 (Friday)  The weather is already changing.  A chilly east wind is bringing winter soon.  Not many of us will be able to survive; we all sold our winter clothing in order to buy food to sustain us. 

August 31^st, 1945 (Saturday)  We are already afraid of the coming harsh winter here.  The war has ended; maybe they’ll let those left living, go home. 

September 1^st, 1945 (Sunday)  I worked at the mine today, my fever was 39-degrees. The weather was nice today.  Every day, more people die on the way to the mine, at the mine, or on the way back to camp. 

September 2^nd, 1945 (Monday)  I am still very dizzy and weak, but have to work hard. The mine is producing a lot of coal. 

September 3^rd, 1945 (Tuesday)  a Romanian and myself had to work repairing two houses near here that were damaged in the war. 

September 4^th, 1945 (Wednesday)  A Russian working on the roof said that young Russians who fought against Hitler would be coming here to work in the mine. 

September 5^th, 1945 (Thursday)  I am feeling a little better.  I am still as hungry as a wolf.  Every day, 3 –4 people die. 

September 6^th, 1945 (Friday)  I bought a plateful of cooked potatoes and two eggs from a Russian today and ate it right away.  

September 7^th, 1945 (Saturday)  A person from Csepel/Budapest and a 19 year-old Romanian died today.  I received potatoes and plums in exchange for scrap wood today.  I cooked the potatoes with cornmeal in the evening. 

September 8^th, 1945 (Sunday)  The camp food alone is not enough to sustain anyone. 

September 9^th, 1945 (Monday)  We have to make 300 bunk beds. The Russians put triple-thick wire around the houses we fixed up.  On top of the fence, they put barbed wire. 

September 10^th, 1945 (Tuesday)  The open sores have multiplied and gotten worse.  Now my hands are also covered.  There is no medicine.  When my clothes rub against the open sores, the pain is so great – Ill go crazy. 

September 11^th, 1945 (Wednesday)  It was cold, cloudy and windy today.  What will happen to us if we’re still here this winter? 

September 12^th, 1945 (Thursday)  I finally got a day off today.  I washed my clothes and mended them as best as I could.  This evening, I had to help bury three people. 

September 13^th, 1945 (Friday)  More and more are dying.  It is hopeless that anyone will ever get to return home. 

September 14^th, 1945 (Saturday)  Even though the war is over and their harvest was good, we are still only receiving watered down, salty, terrible tasting soup.  They still give us only cabbage or cucumber soup.

September 15^th, 1945 (Sunday)  Most of the bread they give us is half-full of inedible unchaffed grain – it sticks like burrs in your stomach and intestines. 

September 16^th, 1945 (Monday)  Today we built a huge rack at the mine 21 meters high.  It’s motorized and it pulls up the wagons full of coal and then returns the wagons to the mine for more coal.   

September 17^th, 1945 (Tuesday)  We see a lot of new things that they’ve stolen from Germany here.  Our workforce has dwindled due to malnutrition and starvation.  The Russians have also sent some to other slave labor places. 

September 18^th, 1945 (Wednesday)  Even though we were soaked from working in a cold, heavy rain all day today, they still pushed us, crying “Davaj! Bistra!” (hurry, faster!).  Most of us can barely stand by ourselves. 

September 19^th, 1945 (Thursday)  Now we have malaria here!  A lot of people have a very high fever and the shivers.  They are very sick.  The Russians said that for malaria, they’ll try and get medicine – we’ll see if any comes before everyone dies. 

September 20^th, 1945 (Friday)  Malaria got me!  I have a 40-degree fever (105.8 Fahrenheit) and am shaking.  I am some times so hot that I feel I’m burning up, and then get so cold that my whole body and even my teeth are shaking.  A third of our camp is sick with Malaria and can’t work. 

September 21^st, 1945 (Saturday)  It’s been eight months today that we’ve been here.  Two Hungarian girls, 17 – 18 year olds died today.  They are replacing the captives who’ve died with Russians. 

September 22^nd, 1945 (Sunday) Relief!  The pills came today.  We have to take 3 yellow pills and 3 blue pills daily.  The pills taste so awful, some people won’t take them.  I’ve been taking the ones other people won’t take; perhaps I’ll need them again. 

September 23, 1945 (Monday)  I’m still very sick with malaria.  Three more roommates died today.  It is hopeless. 

September 24^th, 1945 (Tuesday)  My fever will not subside.  I’m taking the pills as prescribed every day.  I’m amazed that I still live to see another day. 

September 25^th, 1945 (Wednesday)  My roommates told me that I was talking in my sleep all night.  I said that I couldn’t stay here anymore, that I must return home.

September 26^th, 1945 (Thursday)  I’m feeling a little better today, the cold shivers aren’t as bad.  A. Vejtei brought me cooked eggs and potatoes from the bazaar.  It was the first time I was able to eat in days. 

September 27^th, 1945 (Friday)  I’m still sick today.  Three more people died.  Only heaven knows the suffering we’ve had to endure. 

September 28^th, 1945 (Saturday)  I had to work today, my fever was 39 degrees (102.2 Fahrenheit).  I could hardly make the march to the mine.  Two more Schlesier died today.  About half of our original group is already dead and buried in the pit. 

September 29^th, 1945 (Sunday)  There was a frost today.  It is getting colder.  I’m still taking the malaria pills that I bought from others.  My fever is gradually lessening, but my hunger is still very great. 

September 30^th, 1945 (Monday)  Three more people died today, two from Hungary and one from Schlesien.  We are all so weak, we can barely stand alone, but they continue to make us work – always faster! 

October 1^st, 1945 (Tuesday)  No more days off, everyone must now work every day of the week.  More of the same hard work, more of the same people collapsing and then dying. 

October 2^nd, 1945 (Wednesday)  They replaced the crazy Amazonian women guards with handicapped men wounded in the war.  Good riddance to the women!  They were s quick to kick and hit the weak captives who didn’t march fast enough for them. 

October 3^rd, 1945 (Thursday)  They wrote up those over fifty years old and those that are sick and can’t work anymore. 

October 4^th, 1945 (Friday)  It was cold working outside today.  I have a strong hunger and my stomach aches.  I’m still supposed to work faster and faster. 

October 5^th, 1945 (Saturday)  I sold a pair of shoes for 300 ruble and bought food at the bazaar.  My hunger is so great! 

October 6^th, 1945 (Sunday)  They sent back the old and sick today.  They said they were being sent home.  I hope so.  Who knows?  They also sent back J. Kast, from my home town, Harta, Hungary. 

October 7^th, 1945 (Monday)  The cucumber soup is giving me severe stomach cramps again.  The sores on my back and legs are getting worse again.  They keep on pushing us closer to death.  They only sent back thirty persons, over a thousand of us have already died here.  They were buried without any clothes in a mass grave, with no headstone to mark their passing. 

October 8^th, 1945 (Tuesday)  I bought five eggs and some honey at the bazaar to ease my hunger.  I bought a pair of shoe from a Schlesier for 120 ruble and was able to sell the same pair at the bazaar for 300. 

October 9^th, 1945 (Wednesday) I was sick again and stayed in the camp today with a 41 degree (105.8 F) fever.  Three more roommates died today.  I have a huge open sore on my left leg, which I am putting hot compresses on.  Now my hunger is worse than the pain. 

October 10^th, 1945 (Thursday) Sick again with a high fever.

October 11^th, 1945 (Friday)  Still Sick. 

October 12^th, 1945 (Saturday)  Still sick.  I have stomach cramps and diarrhea.  Many young Russians arrived here today to work in the mine.  They were captured by the Nazi’s to work in Germany, now the Russians are making them work here one year before they are allowed to return home.  They are quartered in the buildings we recently repaired. 

October 13^th, 1945 (Sunday)  A. Vejtei bought a ½ kilo of beef, which we cooked in the evening, along with potatoes.  I’m feeling a little better today.  My fever is lessening, I hope I’m getting better. 

October 14^th, 1945 (Monday)  I had to go to work today.  My fever was 40 degrees (104 F).  I was so hungry and weak that I could barely stand up.  I was cold.  In the afternoon, Ingenohr sent me back. 

October 15^th, 1945 (Tuesday)  My fever went up to 41 degrees, so I was allowed to stay in the camp today.  People are dropping like flies this fall. 

October 16^th, 1945 (Wednesday)  Still sick today.  Stayed in the camp.  You can’t imagine how many sick people are here who can’t walk or stand up straight. 

October 17^th, 1945 (Thursday)  I still have a high fever.  Sometimes I’m boiling hot, sometimes freezing cold.  I’m hungry and have pain.  Winter is knocking at the door.  Many will not survive the winter. 

October 18^th, 1945 (Friday)  My thoughts were only on food and at home in Harta today.  It was a sad day. 

October 19^th, 1945 (Saturday)  I’m still very sick, even though I’m only drinking boiled water.  I’m only eating dry food – potatoes which I cook myself on the stove.

October 20^th, 1945 (Sunday)  I’m still sick and stayed in the camp.  My hopes are deflated after seeing all the sick people here who did daily. 

October 21^st, 1945 (Monday)  I was made to work today in the ice and snow.  The Russians gave us all green jackets and pants, which I promptly sold at the bazaar for 184 ruble in order to buy food. 

October 22^nd, 1945 (Tuesday)  I was sent to the infirmary today, as my fever is still very high.  The infirmary is the second to the last place you go to here, from here, most people go into the burial ditch.  There are twenty people in this room.  There are no beds, so we all lie on the dirty floor.  They give us bitter-tasting black tea and a small piece of bread to eat. 

October 23^rd, 1945 (Wednesday)  Two people died this morning in our sick room.  They brought in two more people to replace their spots on the floor.  I am so afraid that I’ll die, but I can’t give up hope. 

October 24^th, 1945 (Thursday)  Three people were dead this morning.  If this keeps up, it will be my turn soon.  We still only receive tea and bread.

October 25^th, 1945 (Friday)  Today only one person was dead.  They didn’t replace him.

October 26^th, 1945 (Saturday)  Today three people died in the sick room.  They don’t even cry out, they just die like they’re falling asleep. 

October 27th, 1945 (Sunday)  No one died in the room today.  I am feeling a little better.  I’m only praying for food, I have such strong hunger pains. 

October 28^th, 1945 (Monday)  Still in the sick room with a high fever.  I am still very weak.  They paid me for two weeks work and didn’t take money for camp food, as I didn’t eat any. 

October 29^th, 1945 (Tuesday)  I was sent from the infirmary to my own room today to my roommates A. Vejtei and A. Schneider.  I made it out from the death room!  I am still very sick. 

October 30^th, 1945 (Wednesday)  Andreas Vejtei bought me eggs and cornmeal from the bazaar for 80 ruble.  Now I can cook four meals with it. 

October 31^st, 1945 (Thursday)  I survived two very hard weeks with sickness.  I always kept the thought in my mind that I can’t die here, that I have to be able to return home to my family before it’s my turn to die. 

November 1^st, 1945 (Friday)  I’m still sick in the camp.  Josef Imgrundt from Bacsalmas, Hungary, died today, along with three others.  He was 21 years old.  No day goes by that people don’t die here. 

November 2^nd, 1945 (Saturday)  I helped bury Joseph today.  I’m feeling a little better and was able to work in the camp kitchen repairing tables and benches.  They gave me a big bowl of cornmeal.   

November 3^rd, 1945 (Sunday)  I was made to work at the mine today even though I’m very weak.  I was freezing cold all day.  Two more people died today from our mine. 

November 4^th, 1945 (Monday)  Worked on the saw all day today out in the open.  The snow was flying and it was bitter cold.  Still so weak. 

November 5^th, 1945 (Tuesday)  Worked with wet, unseasoned green wood that was frozen.  The saw barely could cut into it.  It has to be used, as they need the wood for the mine frames. 

November 6^th, 1945 (Wednesday)  My first saw injury.  A co-worker wanted to help me, he fell holding the wood and the saw cut my right hand.  We made a bandage from the back of my shirt.  No medicine for the pain. 

November 7^th, 1945 (Thursday)  It’s my eighteenth wedding anniversary today.  My thoughts were at home even though my pains were driving my crazy.  My wound is already beet red with infection, even my entire arm is swollen. 

November 8^th, 1945 (Friday)  A. Fussenecker from Csaszartoltes, Hungary, died today. 

November 9^th, 1945 (Saturday)  My hand wound is worse, all infected and swollen.  Since there is no medicine, I am prescribing my own.  Even time I urinate, I pour some of the water I passed over the wound.  It seems to be helping. 

November 10^th, 1945 (Sunday)  The nurse wrote me up as sick today.  It’s very cold and windy today. 

November 11^th, 1945 (Monday)  As my injury was job related, I don’t have to pay for my food.  When it gets better, then I’ll have to repair tables and benches in the kitchen in exchange for free food. 

November 12^th, 1945 (Tuesday)  My medicine must be working, as the infection is going away.  It’s still very sore and painful. 

November 13^th, 1945 (Wednesday)  We buried Jakob Onhaus today, he was fifty six years old.  We also buried three other people from our mine. 

November 14^th, 1945 (Thursday)  They are still making me work repairing tables in the kitchen even though my hand is swollen and bandaged.  The Russians gave me a pair of leather gloves lined with sheep’s wool so that I can work. 

November 15^th, 1945 (Friday)  They wrote up those that are very sick and old today.  They are still pushing me to fix things in the kitchen. 

November 16^th, 1945 (Saturday)  It’s very cold, windy and snowy today.  An east wind is blowing the snow like crazy.  I’m glad that I’m inside the warm camp kitchen, still repairing things. 

November 17^th, 1945 (Sunday)  It’s 19 degrees (2 F) outside today.  There’s 40 centimeter of snow on the ground already.  I don’t have to pay for the cabbage soup, but I do have to pay for the bread. 

November 18^th, 1945 (Monday)  I still have some money, so A. Vejtei bought me some eggs and cornmeal at the bazaar for 40 ruble.  I can make four meals with it.

November 19^th, 1945 (Tuesday)  My hand wound is slowly getting better, my medicine has helped.  Many others have died from similar wounds.  Those people died from high fevers and had severe pain, they didn’t die peacefully in their sleep. 

November 20^th, 1945 (Wednesday)  My thumb is still stiff and rigid, I hope it will also heal.  I’m now working in the basement, putting together a small kitchen where we can cook.  We’re not supposed to cook in our rooms anymore. 

November 21^st, 1945 (Thursday)  It’s been now ten months since we’ve been imprisoned.  It feels like ten years already. 

November 22^nd, 1945 (Friday)  They brought in tables and benches that were factory made and put them in our basement kitchen. 

November 23^rd, 1945 (Saturday)  It snowed the entire night.  The first shirt lost it’s way in the snow and arrived late at the mine. 

November 24^th, 1945 (Sunday)  I got another bad case of sores/abscess on my legs and back.  Most everyone is full of them, too. 

November 25^th, 1945 (Monday)  Today is my wife’s names day, Katharina day.  Will we ever celebrate it together again?  (It was the custom then to celebrate Names Days, not actual birthdays) 

November 26^th, 1945 (Tuesday)  I’m still sick in the camp today.  The weather is very cold and it’s snowing. 

November 27^th, 1945 (Wednesday)  I sold two pieces of soap for 40 ruble today to buy bread. 

November 28^th, 1945 (Thursday)  Today was pay day at the mine.  I didn’t receive anything, because I couldn’t work with my hand injury.  If you don’t have money, then you can’t eat the camp food and then have to die of starvation like so many already have done.   

November 29^th, 1945 (Friday)  I am still sick in the camp.  Since I’m repairing tables and benches, they’ve been giving me free soup, so I’m still among the living. 

November 30^th, 1945 (Saturday)  The winter is approaching.  I am feeling a little better.  Today was Andreas Names Day, so Andreas Vejtei and I celebrated by cooking four potatoes and some cornmeal. 

December 1^st, 1945 (Sunday)  After twenty-four days out sick with my hand wound, I returned to the mine today.  It was hard working in the cold, snow and wind. 

December 2^nd, 1945 (Monday)  I am hungry and very tired. I sold my summer clothes for 550 ruble and bought bread, cornmeal and eggs at the bazaar. 

December 3^rd, 1945 (Tuesday)  More and more Russians are filling the places of those of us who’ve died.

December 4^th, 1945 (Wednesday)  I sold my shoes and paid 150 ruble extra for a better pair of shoes, as my feet were always wet and cold working at the mine. 

December 5^th, 1945 (Thursday)   Had to work out in the open all day, it was very cold.  We’ll soon go to the ground. 

December 6^th, 1945 (Friday) Very cold again working at the mine today.  It’s even cold in our camp room at night, as we have no bedding to keep us warm and have to wear our wet clothes when we sleep. 

December 7^th, 1945 (Saturday)  Hunger and cold day and night.  No wonder so many die. 

December 8^th, 1945 (Sunday)  We marched to the mine in –25 degree (-25 F) cold and snow.  It was dark marching.  We worked eight hours without any food and then marched back the four kilometers to the camp at night.  It’s no wonder that over 1,000 people have died from our original 4,600. 

December 9^th, 1945 (Monday)  We went by truck to the forest today to harvest wood.  It was – 30 degrees (-30 F), very cold. 

December 10^th, 1945 (Tuesday)  They kept pushing us and pushing us to produce more wood for the mine.  We can hardly stand up, how do they expect us to work? 

December 11^th, 1945 (Wednesday)  Our lives are even more miserable with the cold weather.  The snow is already 50 – 60 centi-meter thick.  You can only think about food. 

December 12^th, 1945 (Thursday)  I bought beans and cornmeal at the bazaar today for 60 ruble.  I cooked it tonight.  

December 13^th, 1945 (Friday)  Jacob Grieks from Vaskut, Hungary, died in our room today.  My stomach aches are getting worse. 

December 14^th, 1945 (Saturday)  Cold, hungry and in pain all day while at work. 

December 15^th, 1945 (Sunday)  Four more people died from our mine today.  I am feeling terrible. 

December 16^th, 1945 (Monday)  I stayed in the camp today, as I had a 40 degree (105.8 F) fever.  There are many who are severely sick and must suffer from starvation and die. 

December 17^th, 1945 (Tuesday)  Sick in the camp today.  A monstrous snowstorm raged the whole day, I thought the world was going to end.  Many people got lost marching to and from the mine. 

December 18^th, 1945 (Wednesday)  My fever went down, so I had to work at the mine today in –31 degree cold weather, I almost froze. 

December 19^th, 1945 (Thursday)  My hand injury finally healed, but my hands are always cold.  It took six weeks and I endured lots of pain before it healed. 

December 20^th, 1945 (Friday)  It was –35 degrees today and cold.  We had to pay 6 ruble for a teaspoonful of sugar and lard. 

December 21^st, 1945 (Saturday)  It’s been eleven months since they’ve imprisoned us.  Over one third of us have already died. 

December 22^nd, 1945 (Sunday)  The cold weather has lessened a bit, but the 4 kilometer march to the mine is still tough and hard to maneuver in this weather. 

December 23^rd, 1945 (Monday)  Fog this morning, we could barely find the way to the mine.  The fog was very damp and made my clothes cold and wet. 

December 24^th, 1945 (Tuesday)  Even though we worked as hard as we could, they still yelled at us all day today.  It was icy in the morning, when it melted a bit in the afternoon, our gloves and clothes got wet. 

December 25^th, 1945 (Wednesday)  The first Christmas day!  We had a very meager feast, only our usual cabbage soup and a small piece of bread.  Had to work all day at the saw.  At night, A. Vejtei and I boiled potatoes for our Christmas meal. 

December 26^th, 1945 (Thursday)  My Names Day today.  I cooked beans.  It was the most sorrowful Christmas in my life!  No one can understand the tragedy that has befallen us.  I only thought about home, hope they’re all alive and safe at home.

December 27^th, 1945 (Friday) I stayed in the camp today, sick.  I think it was from the beans I cooked the night before, they were too heavy for my weak stomach.  Three more people died today. 

December 28^th, 1945 (Saturday)  I’m still sick in the camp today.  I had to repair doors and windows.  They gave me a bowl of soup and a piece of bread.  More young Russians are coming to replace those of us who’ve died. 

December 29^th, 1945 (Sunday)  We received our pay and a piece of soap from the mine.  I bought some potatoes and cornmeal and cooked them tonight. 

December 30^th, 1945 (Monday) Now the second mine that we’ve had to make wooden frames for is producing coals.  The first mine produced coals at 60 meters, the second mine produced coals at 110 meters. 

December 31^st, 1945 (Tuesday) The last day of the year.  I was very sick more than a few times this year, when I thought I might not live to see another day.  It is a crime what they are doing to us unlucky, innocents.  The food is miserable and not enough to survive on, but they make us work eight hours a day and then stick us back in this camp.  Many people have already fallen on the way, at work and on the way back, and die.  They remove their clothing and throw them in a shallow ditch as a grave.  They let us write postcards home monthly, but they are never sent.  We haven’t heard any news from our homes.  No one knows if their relatives are still alive.  My thoughts are of home.  With a heavy heart, I close the year of 1945. 

In August and September, typhoid fever claimed many lives.  How much longer do we have to suffer here?  No one knows. 

January 1^st, 1946 (Tuesday)  A new year and we still don’t know if our families are safe back home.  Still no word from them.  In twenty days, it will be a full year since they captured us. 

January 2^nd, 1946 (Wednesday)  For New Years Day, A. Vejtei and I bought two corncakes, two small sausages and one dezi-gram of vodka for 90 ruble. 

January 3^rd, 1946 (Thursday)  Our roommate Franz Arnold from Hajos, Hungary, died today. 

January 4^th, 1946 (Friday)  We received an inoculation today.  They are bringing more and more Russians to fill the spots of those who’ve died.  We cut a lot of wood today. 

January 5^th, 1946 (Saturday)  The young Russians here were originally captured by the Nazi’s and forced to work in Germany.  Now they must work one year here in the mine before the Russians will let them return to their homes. 

January 6^th, 1946 (Sunday)  It was very cold working today on the saw.  Many of us can’t work anymore and are lying in the camp, waiting for death to free them. 

January 7^th, 1946 (Monday)  Today is the Russian Christmas, work goes on as usual here. 

January 8^th, 1946 (Tuesday)  The beds in the camp are gradually emptying, we are dwindling in numbers. 

January 9^th, 1946 (Wednesday)  My day off, but I have to work in the camp, sawing off the bunk beds into two separate beds.  Everyone in our room now has his own bed, but still no covers, blankets, pillows, etc. 

January 10^th, 1946 (Thursday)  The cabbage soup they feed us is too weak to sustain us, many cannot work anymore due to weakness and starvation. 

January 11^th, 1946 (Friday)  A soft snow makes it very hard for us to walk to the mine today.  Our shoes are soaked, then when we reached the mine, our shoes were frozen. 

January 12^th, 1946 (Saturday)  In exchange for wood scraps, a woman gave me potato soup and two eggs.  I bought cornmeal for 20 ruble at the bazaar. You’ll starve with only the camp food to eat. 

January 13^th, 1946 (Sunday)  They brought more timber from the forest to the mine today.  We can’t cut the wood fast enough for use in the mine. 

January 14^th, 1946 (Monday)  Today is the Russian New Year.  They drink vodka, but the work continues even faster. 

January 15^th, 1946 (Tuesday)  We assembled a small hut from 4 x 6 boards.  Tarpaper was used for the roof – so now after a whole year, we have a little protection from the weather to saw the wood. 

January 16^th, 1946 (Wednesday)  My day off, but they made me working the camp, repairing doors and windows.  After one whole year, they actually gave us a glass pane for one window. 

January 17^th, 1946 (Thursday)  There is always a cold strong wind blowing around here.  They will not let us use any coals to make a fire, the coals are only for Stalin and his red army. 

January 18^th, 1946 (Friday)  Snow and very cold.  There was no bread again this morning, we had to work eight hours with only a few spoonfuls of a thin cabbage soup for sustenance.  It’s not enough to survive! 

January 19^th, 1946 (Saturday)  There is no salvation.  Every day, people are dying. 

January 20^th, 1946 (Sunday)  I sold a pair of knitted gloves today and bought cornmeal at the bazaar.  Still many sick and starving at the camp. 

January 21^st, 1946 (Monday)  It’s been exactly one year, or 365 days, since they enslaved us and brought us to their hell hole.  There’s been no government or agency to see what’s been going on here.  How much longer do we have to put up with this? 

January 22^nd, 1946 (Tuesday)  Bitter cold today.  The wood was so frozen, the saw just spurted fire sparks.  In exchange for wood scraps, I received a piece of bread and cornmeal, which I cooked. 

January 23^rd, 1946 (Wednesday) I bought a sheep fur vest for 50 ruble to help keep me warm. 

January 24^th, 1946 (Thursday)  I bought some corncakes and two spoonfuls of sugar for 6 ruble.  The cucumber soup is not enough. 

January 25^th, 1946 (Friday) Two more people from our section died today.  We are all so weak and dizzy, we are only shadows of our former selves. 

January 26^th, 1946 (Saturday)  We buried five people last night.  They don’t have to suffer from starvation and extreme cold anymore.  We are living in inhumane conditions here. 

January 27^th, 1946 (Sunday)  It’s always the same here, our hunger is all we can think about.  People keep on dying, that’s probably their plan for the rest of us. 

January 28^th, 1946 (Monday)  The snow is so thick, you can barely see in front of you.  We had to saw out in the open. 

January 29^th, 1946 (Tuesday)  Icy and windy today.  We had to work the entire day out in the open. 

January 30^th, 1946 (Wednesday)  My day off.  I washed and mended my clothes.  In the afternoon, I had to repair tables.  They gave me a bowl of soup and a piece of bread in exchange. 

January 31^st, 1946 (Thursday)  Very cold.  They continually cry for more wood, it’s harder to cut now that the wood is frozen. 

February 1^st, 1946 (Friday)  It’s been one year since we left Hungary by train and made to starve here. 

February 2^nd, 1946 (Saturday)  Not so bitter cold today.  Three more men died today, two from Schleisen and one a German/Romanian. 

February 3^rd, 1946 (Sunday)  We cut down trees from the forest, loaded them into trucks and delivered them to the coal mine today.  The weather was cooperative. 

February 4^th, 1946 (Monday)  We cut down trees in the forest again today.  We are stocking up on lumber, in case it thaws, the roads will be too muddy to drive. 

February 5^th, 1946 (Tuesday)  The sheep’s wool vest that I bought for 50 ruble – I sold it for 160 ruble.  I bought cornmeal and beans with the money. 

February 6^th, 1946 (Wednesday)  My day off.  Even though there was nothing to repair in the kitchen, they gave me a free bowl of soup.  I washed my clothes.  In the evening, I had to help bury two people. 

February 7^th, 1946 (Thursday)  Worked like crazy on the saw all day – they are still pushing us for more wood, it’s never enough. 

February 8^th, 1946 (Friday)  It snowed all day, a cold wind made it miserable to be outside.  A. Vejtei and I cook almost every night for ourselves. 

February 9^th, 1946 (Saturday)  I found out about a house that needs a wooden floor in their kitchen.  The daughter works in the mine and carries the wood from the saw to the mine shaft. 

February 10^th, 1946 (Sunday)  The daughter was also enslaved by the Nazi’s and made to work in Germany.  She speaks very good German, but only when the guards are not around to overhear.  Her father is an employee at the mine.  Their house is not far from the mine. 

February 11^th, 1946 (Monday)  I delivered wood to their house this morning.  They told me that I should stop in on my way back tonight, they’ll give me food.  They gave me a bowl of rich, thick soup with potatoes, noodles and even meat.  Oh, it was so good.  I haven’t eaten like that since I left home! 

February 12^th, 1946 (Tuesday)  A strong wind with a mix of rain and snow today.  I hid some wooden flooring planks in the snow. 

February 13^th, 1946 (Wednesday)  My day off.  I was at my leisure today until this evening, when I had to help bury three people.  About 100 meters from camp is the final resting place of over 1,000 people.  They don’t have any more suffering nor hunger pains. 

February 14^th, 1946 (Thursday)  More Russians are coming to the mine to re-place the slaves who’ve died.  I delivered some wooden planks to the house again.  Their daughter brought me cornbread and potatoes. 

February 15^th, 1946 (Friday)  Pay day and a piece of soap.  I sold the soap for 20 ruble and bought beans and cornmeal at the bazaar to cook with. 

February 16^th, 1946 (Saturday)  In exchange for wood scraps, a Russians gave me a bowl of beef soup.  It helps. 

February 17^th, 1946 (Sunday)  I made a footstool for a Russian.  He brought me a plate of roasted potatoes.  It tasted very good. 

February 18^th, 1946 (Monday)  A windy snowstorm today.  I made a few more wooden planks for their kitchen floor today. 

February 19^th, 1946 (Tuesday)  We had to work in a snowstorm all day.  We almost froze.  We are all so weak, the wind just pushes you around. 

February 20^th, 1946 (Wednesday)  Wasn’t allowed to take my day off today.  We had to work in a blinding snowstorm, thought that the world was going to end. 

February 21^st, 1946 (Thursday)  Still no word from home, even though we’ve been here thirteen months now.  We write a postcard every month, if it ever gets mailed, no one knows.  We certainly have never received a reply. 

February 22^nd, 1946 (Friday)  It’s our one year anniversary since we were delivered here to the coal mine.  The entire area is a coal basin.  The terrain is hilly and the dirt is black. 

February 23^rd, 1946 (Saturday)  The snow is starting to melt.  I sold a piece of soap for 20 ruble and bought two meat cakes at the bazaar.  After eating them, I felt a little better. 

February 24^th, 1946 (Sunday)  Now that the snow is melting, everything is turning to mud.  It’s very difficult to walk the four kilometers to the mine in mud, you get stuck in it.  A lot of people lost their shoes in the mud, they had to walk the rest of the way to the mine in their socks. 

February 25^th, 1946 (Monday)  More of the same misery. 

February 26^th, 1946 (Tuesday)  When we asked our guards if we’ll soon be going home, their reply was, you’ll be going home soon – into the hole where your comrades are buried.  It’s utterly hopeless. 

February 27^th, 1946 (Wednesday)  My day off.  They made me work in the camp today, repairing the floors.  I also washed and mended my clothes. 

February 28^th, 1946 (Thursday)  The truck with trees from the forest got stuck in the mud.  We had to hand carry the trees to the saw. 

February 29^th, 1946 (Friday)  It’s hard to walk, some places are still frozen solid with snow, in other places, you fall right through.  No one can understand the misery and suffering we have to endure. 

March 1^st, 1946 (Saturday)  Everything’s still frozen around the sawmill, but around it is slime and mud. 

March 2^nd, 1946 (Sunday)  There was a frost and a cold wind today.  Everything froze again, including us. 

March 3^rd, 1946 (Monday)  The Russians stole my green jacket, knife, mirror, comb and other personal items of mine.  We reported it, but nothing was done. 

March 4^th, 1946 (Tuesday)  Instead of sleeping, we all had to clean our rooms.  They said they are awaiting a commission to visit. 

March 5^th, 1946 (Wednesday)  The weather changes daily, on day rain, the next, snow.  When will it ever get better?  Nicer weather makes our work a little easier. 

March 6^th, 1946 (Thursday)  My day off.  They made me make clothing hooks to hang on walls, some day off. 

March 7^th, 1946 (Friday)  A terrible snowstorm and cold wind the entire day.  Two people died while at the mine, one died on the way back.  Our numbers continue to dwindle. 

March 8^th, 1946 (Saturday)  They took everyone’s names today, they also asked our father’s name, if we had a family, where we were born and if you had been a German soldier.  What will become of this information? 

March 9^th, 1946 (Sunday)  The household I made a wooden kitchen floor for gave me bread, potatoes and a good soup.  I can cook 2 – 3 meals with it.  More dead today. 

March 10^th, 1946 (Monday) A little warmer today.  They brought in more Russians to replace our dead. 

March 11th, 1946 (Tuesday) Had to walk four kilometers to the mine in mud and dirt.  The truck got stuck in the mud again, so men had to hand-deliver the wood to my saw. 

March 12^th, 1946 (Wednesday)  No one can image what goes on here.  Every day, men fall dead while working. 

March 13^th, 1946 (Thursday)  We started a third coal mine today, it is named “Vorosilofka”.  The second mine is producing a good supply of coal, but it requires a lot of wood for the shaft. 

March 14^th, 1946 (Friday)  It’s still very cold in the morning, but the afternoon sun helps warm us.  It’s also still muddy and slimy. 

March 15^th, 1946 (Saturday)  Today is Hungary’s national independence day.  It’s a holiday back home.  We have no holidays here, only if we’re dead. 

March 16^th, 1946 (Sunday)  Still cold.  There are hundreds of sick people stuck in the camp who can’t work anymore.  They are dying of starvation. 

March 17^th, 1946 (Monday)  More Russians were brought in to replace the sick and dead. 

March 18^th, 1946 (Tuesday)  In exchange for more floor boards, the Russian family gave me a rich, thick soup, cornbread and potatoes.  This will provide me with 3 evening meals. 

March 19^th, 1946 (Wednesday)  A windy snow all day.  In the evening, I cooked sugar beets with potatoes. 

March 20^th, 1946 (Thursday)  I bought a pair of quilted pants for 55 ruble and underwear for 37 ruble from the camp today.   

March 21^st, 1946 (Friday)  More rainy weather.  The way to the mine is so muddy, it reaches up to your ankles.  A lot of people got stuck in it and died. 

March 22^nd, 1946 (Saturday)  It was fourteen months yesterday since they took us from our homes.  About one-half of us are already dead in the hole. 

March 23^rd, 1946 (Sunday)  I sold my winter pants for 250 ruble and bought summer pants for 100 ruble.  The leftover money will be used to buy food at the bazaar, to be able to cook something at night. 

March 24^th, 1946 (Monday)  Rain mixed with snow today.  Received food in exchange for wood scraps.  I sawed some boards today and at night, mailed a small chest together for my own use. 

March 25^th, 1946 (Tuesday)  The camp gave us a 600 gram soap, which I sold right away for 55 ruble to buy food.  I’m always hungry. 

March 26^th, 1946 (Wednesday)  I made a chest for A. Vejtei.  The trucks got stuck in the mud again, men had to drag the heavy timbers 150 meters to the sawing area. 

March 27^th, 1946 (Thursday)  My day off, but they made me repair windows and doors.  The crazy Oberschleisien camp leader doesn’t leave me alone. 

March 28^th, 1946 (Friday)  Sawed wood the entire day.  I made myself another chest to sell for 25 ruble, that will pay for one meal. 

March 29^th, 1946 (Saturday)  Received a 200 gram bar of soap, I traded it with a Russian for a piece of bread.  Every day, 2- 3 people die. 

March 30^th, 1946 (Sunday)  It snowed again today.  All the people who work with wood had to go to the train station at Lisicsansk to unload timber.  The trucks can’t make it in the mud. 

March 31^st, 1946 (Monday)  A cold eastern wind all day.  The food they feed us is hopeless, the soup is only water with a few pieces of cabbage or cucumber, no potatoes, no fat.  Since half of us have died already, the mine replaced them with Russians.  It looks like we’ll all break down and die here. 

April 1^st, 1946 (Tuesday)  A huge snowstorm with a very cold wind.  Andreas Vejtei and I cook together a lot. 

April 2^nd, 1946 (Wednesday)  Snow and cold.  We can’t think of anything else except wanting to eat.  We have constant headaches and are dizzy.  Everyone walks around like they are deaf and dumb. 

April 3^rd, 1946 (Thursday)  My day off.  I washed and mended my clothes, they need constant repairing.  Two more dead in our quarters. 

April 4^th, 1946 (Friday)  The sun shone today.  It wasn’t too windy.  The weather’s improving, but our hunger is still immense. 

April 5^th, 1946 (Saturday)  The muddy way to the mine is slowly drying up, so we don’t get stuck in the mud anymore.  Hopefully, spring will come soon so that it won’t be so cold.  This was the longest, coldest winter in my entire life. 

April 6^th, 1946 (Sunday)  It’s been six months since they took away some of the old and sick.  No one knows what happened to them.  Janos Kastz from Harta, Hungary was also with them. 

April 7^th, 1946 (Monday)  Many people lie here in the camp, unable to work.  They are slowly starving to death.  Every day, some of them die. 

April 8^th, 1946 (Tuesday)  Every day the same, a four kilometer walk to and from the mine, twice a day watery soup and a piece of bread.  Not enough to sustain us. 

April 9^th, 1946 (Wednesday)  They threw out all of our stoves, so that we can’t heat our rooms anymore.  We rescued our stove and fixed it back up in the middle of the night. 

April 10^th, 1946 (Thursday)  My day off.  I had to work anyway in the camp, fixing tables and benches. 

April 11^th, 1946 (Friday)  Cloudy, cold weather. It’s always windy here.  I made some more wooden boards to make chests with.  They are popular, many people want one. 

April 12^th, 1946 (Saturday)  They put in a bath and a toilet in the basement, one half separated for the women, the other for the men. 

April 13^th, 1946 (Sunday)  It snowed the entire day today.  I bought beans and cornmeal at the bazaar to cook tonight. 

April 14^th, 1946 (Monday)  More and more Russians are coming to work at the mine.  Some of them are sympathetic to our plight and sometimes bring us bread or potatoes. The others would rather shove us under the earth. 

April 15^th, 1946 (Tuesday)  We sawed a lot of wood for the mine.  It’s amazing how much coal is produced. 

April 16^th, 1946 (Wednesday)  A strong, cold wind the whole day.  It was pay day, I received 83 ruble, which wasn’t enough to cover the cost of the camp food.    

April 17^th, 1946 (Thursday)  My day off.  Had to work in some Russians’ garden, digging it up.  I ate twice until I was full and received 25 ruble. 

April 18^th, 1946 (Friday)  Andreas Vejtei and I both worked in the camp commander’s garden.  We each received 4 first class mess cards.  Christine, my daughter, is nine years old today.  My thoughts were always at home with them. 

April 19^th, 1946 (Saturday)  I worked digging up a garden again today.  I received a good meal and two mess cards.  For the past two days, we’ve had enough to eat.  It’s been a long time. 

April 20^th, 1946 (Sunday)  Worked in the garden again today.  We received food and mess cards. 

April 21^st, 1946 (Monday)  Easter Sunday.  We had a sad holiday.  It’s been fifteen months since they captured us and took us from home.  Will any of us ever see our homes again? 

April 22^nd, 1946 (Tuesday) At home, today is still a holiday.  Here is only the sorriest existence.  Thoughts were only of home. 

April 23^rd, 1946 (Wednesday) Only “Davaj, Bistra” (work faster) today.  Andreas Fussenecker from Hajoz, Hungary, died today along with two others.  They were buried in the evening. 

April 24^th, 1946 (Thursday) My day off, but still had to repair doors and the wooden floor in the camp.  I also washed and mended my clothes. 

April 25^th, 1946 (Friday)  Sawed wood all day, was able to saw a few boards to make my chests.  The weather is getting warmer, but it’s still windy. 

April 26^th, 1946 (Saturday) I can only think about my hunger and of at home, I’ve forgotten everything else. 

April 27^th, 1946 (Sunday) Over half, or 300 of the Russians who were in slave labor here and in Germany, have been sent to Siberia.  They weren’t satisfied here, they said they were treated better in Germany. 

April 28^th, 1946 (Monday)  Wind and rain the whole day.  We were soaked to the skin working out in the open all day.  They kept pushing us to work faster. 

April 29^th, 1946 (Tuesday)  Had to work longer today, as tomorrow is a holiday.  Received two weeks pay today, it will barely cover the cost of the watery soup. 

May 1^st, 1946 (Wednesday)  My day off, but work went on as usual for the rest of us.  The Russians who could afford it, bought vodka and got drunk.   

May 2^nd, 1946 (Thursday)  They switched my shift to the afternoon, it was a nice day.  I had time in the evening to make floor boards and cut wood to make my chests. 

May 3^rd, 1946 (Friday)  I bought a 1 kilo white bread at the bazaar and ate it all right away. 

May 4^th, 1946 (Saturday)  Now I can cut wood to make chests every night.  I cut wood all night. 

May 5^th, 1946 (Sunday)  In the 15 months I’ve been here, today was the first day that I had to go into a mine.  I had to make a wooden frame for the wagon tracks that carry out the coal.  The air was damp and thick.  I couldn’t work in there. 

May 6^th, 1946 (Monday)  Still on the afternoon shift, working on the saw, so I can cut wood for myself.  I can make a chest a day and sell it for 25 ruble. 

May 7^th, 1946 (Tuesday)  Now that it’s gotten warmer, there’s been fewer deaths, but still 1 –2 per day go to eternity. 

May 8^th, 1946 (Wednesday)  My day off. I put together two chests and sold them for 50 ruble.  I also had to repair a table in the kitchen today, and received a bowl of soup and a piece of bread. 

May 9^th, 1946 (Thursday)  It’s been one year today that Berlin fell and the war ended.  We are still here in misery and have continual hunger.  It is a human sin that we’ve had to be here so long. 

May 10^th, 1946 (Friday)  Big to-do today.  I have to make a free chest for our room leader, otherwise, he threatened to take mine.  He is a crazy man from Oberschlesien, he makes sure he fills himself up with the kitchen food, while his countrymen slowly starve. 

May 11^th, 1946 (Saturday)  After nine days on the afternoon shift, I am now back on the morning shift.  They don’t have enough wood during the day.  I cooked beans with cornmeal at night. 

May 12^th, 1946 (Sunday) A severe lightning and thunderstorm all day.  It soaked us through to the skin.  We could hardly stand it.  How much longer can we last? 

May 13^th, 1946 (Monday)  I sold a chest for 25 ruble and bought cornmeal.  I have hunger pains day and night. 

May 14^th, 1946 (Tuesday)  A lot of Russians planted potatoes and corn without even plowing the ground.  The ground is black and ashy. 

May 15^th, 1946 (Wednesday)  My day off, so I made two chests and sold them for 50 ruble.  Received another inoculation today.  They won’t give us anything to relieve our hunger, though. 

May 16^th, 1946 (Thursday)  They took seventeen men who had been in the Nazi SS.  They were taken to a soldier camp. 

May 17^th, 1946 (Friday)  Now that the SS  men were taken away, we think that us civilians will be allowed home.  There are now many Russians working here. 

May 18^th, 1946 (Saturday)  Nice warm weather today.  The warmer weather is a little easier on us, but we’re still starving and very weak. 

May 19^th, 1946 (Sunday)  At home, Sunday is a day of rest.  Not so here, we work at the mine every day of the week and in three shifts a day.  I bought from a Russian woman cornbread and bean soup for 23 ruble, and ate everything right away. 

May 20^th, 1946 (Monday)  They kept pushing us for more wood today.  In the mine, more than two-thirds of the workers are now Russians.  Of our original 4,600 captives, over on-half are already dead, with many more lying sick in the camp. 

May 21^st, 1946 (Tuesday)  It’s been sixteen months now since they’ve taken us prisoners from our homes. 

May 22^nd, 1946 (Wednesday)  My day off.  I washed and mended my clothes.  There’s been no more talk about letting us go home.  Slowly, we’ll all end up dead here.  Most of us are so weak, they can’t even walk. 

May 23^rd, 1946 (Thursday)  It rained all day today.  We took off our shirts so they wouldn’t get wet.  I made a semolina porridge tonight, with no sausage or fat in it. 

May 24^th, 1946 (Friday)  Lots of coals are coming out, and lots of wood is going under.  The Russian workers are much stronger than we are, because they also receive better food that we do. 

May 25^th, 1946 (Saturday)  More and more sick in the camp.  They are so weak, it’s pitiful.  Many lie in the sun to get warm during the day, sometimes they are dead before the end of the day. 

May 26^th, 1946 (Sunday)  Dry weather is keeping the corn and potatoes from growing.

May 27th, 1946 (Monday)  It was very warm today.  They kept pushing us to work faster.  Old Ingenohr often brings me food from his mid-day meal, it helps.  At night, I cooked bean soup, without any meat or fat. 

May 28^th, 1946 (Tuesday)  The mine sold us all blue pants for 50 ruble.  I sold them at the bazaar for 210 ruble and bought food.  I sold a chest today for 25 ruble. 

May 29^th, 1946 (Wednesday) My day off, but had to work all day in the camp repairing doors and windows.  Received a bowl of soup for my efforts.  Sold another chest for 25 ruble.  I am also now making shoe soles out of birch wood and sell them for 20 ruble or trade them for bread. 

May 30^th, 1946 (Thursday)  It was an important day today!  Both Johann Kolb and Maria Jakob received mail from home today!  This is the first post anyone’s received here.  The news from their homes was that everyone was still alive there. 

May 31^st, 1946 (Friday)  For the first time, I went in the camp truck to the city to bring back bread from the bakery.  I ate my fill of the bread.  Only slept about two hours, the bugs wouldn’t let you sleep. 

June 1^st, 1946 (Saturday) It’s now very hot and dry here.  If it doesn’t rain soon, the potatoes and corn will dry out.  Even the Russians living here don’t have very much, the prices are climbing every day at the bazaar. 

June 2^nd, 1946 (Sunday)  The sun has turned our skin black.  My constant hunger drives me crazy.  We are all dizzy and weak.   Every day, some of us are relieved from their misery by dying. 

June 3^rd, 1946 (Monday)  They transferred Heinrich Schneider from us, to another job.  Now just Andres Vejtei and myself are the only ones left from Harta here in Vorosilofka.  The old Russian told us we should stay here with him.  He often brings us food from his house. 

June 4^th, 1946 (Tuesday)  I am not always now on the saw.  I am now making shovels and hoes, for digging in the mine. 

June 5^th, 1946 (Wednesday)  My day off, but they won’t let me rest.  I had to repair things in the camp.  I sold one chest for 25 ruble.  I bought cornmeal at the bazaar. 

June 6^th, 1946 (Thursday)  There is a famine.  Many people are cooking weeds and grass.  You can’t survive on what the camp feeds you. 

June 7^th, 1946 (Friday)  I sold a chest and bought food at the bazaar.  The hot weather is turning everything to dust.  Hunger drives you crazy. The future is hopeless. 

June 8^th, 1946 (Saturday)  We talked about home all day today.  They are probably baking the Whit Sunday cake.  We are imprisoned here and starving.  The bugs are so bad that you can’t sleep at night, a lot of people are sleeping outside in the grass. 

June 9^th, 1946 (Sunday)  Whitsunday.  Our thoughts were always on our homes, but we couldn’t smell the Whitsunday cake, not eat it.  I bought white bread, sugar and milk at the bazaar for 44 ruble.  I ate it right away. 

June 10^th, 1946 (Monday)  For two days, we haven’t had any bread in the camp, as they ran out of flour in the bakery.  In the city of Lisicsansk live 30,000 people, with an additional 20,000 prisoners in six camps within the area.  This whole area is full of coal. 

June 11^th, 1946 (Tuesday)  I was sick in the camp today.  My leg is swollen and full of water.  It’s been three days now that we’ve only had soup, no bread.  I sold a chest for 25 ruble, but I can’t walk to the bazaar to buy any food with the money. 

June 12^th, 1946 (Wednesday)Still sick with a swollen leg.  We finally received a half portion of bread today.  The harvest this year will be really poor, as everything has dried out from lack of rain. 

June 13^th, 1946 (Thursday)  A heat wave today.  I’m still sick in the camp.  My right foot is swollen and is full of fluids. 

June 14^th, 1946 (Friday) Still the same.  My leg is as thick as an elephants.  I’m not supposed to eat any liquids, but they won’t give me anything but soup.  A. Vejtei brought me three corncakes from the bazaar for 18 ruble.  I ate them quickly. 

June 15^th, 1946 (Saturday)  The swelling went down a little, but my knee is so swollen, I can barely fit my leg into my pants. 

June 16^th, 1946 (Sunday)  They made me work today, as I don’t have a fever.  I made shovels today and two pairs of shoe soles.  I sold the soles for 15 ruble.  The prices are rising at the bazaar. 

June 17^th, 1946 (Monday)  The drought continues.  The food shortage is worsening, even among the civilians. 

June 18^th, 1946 (Tuesday)  I had to work on the saw today, they are in desperate need of wood.  My legs hurt, they are so full of water and swollen, that my skin will soon pop off. 

June 19^th, 1946 (Wednesday)  They made all the sick people work in Kolhos hoeing corn.  It is still very dry, there will be little food this year. 

June 20^th, 1946 (Thursday)  We buried seven people this week.  Those people who can’t work for themselves on the side will not survive. 

August 7^th, 1955  We stayed with my aunt and uncle Klein at their house on West 48^th Street.  It was a full house.  We told many stories of our life as gypsies.   It took seven years to come together with them again!  We all found work right away and started up again from nothing.  We had saved some money and our aunt and uncle loaned us money to buy our own house (on West 73^rd. St.).  For a small down payment, we were able to also purchase furniture and household necessities.  Gradually, we became accustom to our new land.  The hardest part was the language, it was easier to learn for the younger ones, for the older ones, it was harder.  Financially, it was easier to move forward and grow here, so we got used to it.  Groceries, clothes, houses, etc., were all only one-third here what things would cost in Germany.  Personally, it was harder here, as we had to leave our loved ones.  My parents were still in Hungary.  Kathi’s parents were in Munich.  We were spread all over the world.  After ten years, we returned to visit our European relatives in 1965.  Europe had changed a lot, too, especially Germany.  Everything was rebuilt that had been destroyed during the war.  We visited my in-laws in Gerlinden, (near Munich) then saw our son Heinrich, his wife Helga, and grandchildren in Friedrichshafen (Heinrich also immigrated with the family in 1955, he met and married his wife, Helga in Cleveland – had one son – and then returned to Friedrichshafen in 1958 or 1959 and remains there) to and then onto Hungary, Harta, Kiskoros, Dunavecse and Budapest.  Most of the refugees had built new homes and had jobs.  Their living conditions had greatly improved.

The end of John Knodel’s Diary
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John & Kathi Knodel lived in Cleveland, then moved to Fairview Park.  They moved to Leigh Acres, Florida and then returned to Fairview Park. 

They liked to live near the bus line, as John didn’t learn to drive until 1968, when his son Heinrich, came to visit from Germany.  Kathi never learned to drive – but enjoyed being independent and took the bus frequently.   

They enjoyed living in Florida, but returned when John was yet again imprisoned – by Alzheimer’s Disease.  He died in May, 1989.  Kathi lived until January 1999.  They are both buried in West Park Cemetery in Cleveland.   They were the best grandparents ever and were much loved.

Gerti Soderquist

[Publishers note: Village of Harta / Hartau is in Bács-Kiskun County, Batschka]