His Deeds:

Drafts" From His Book

Western Front:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

His Deeds:

Drafts" From His Book

Western Front:

 

 

 

 

Excerpt from Chapter 5:

My boss, Josef Kaiser, was actually quite sorry to see me leave so I must have done a reasonably good job for him. By mid-December after saying farewell to Mum and Dad and a few friends I boarded the train to Gunzburg. The realization that from then on my life depended largely on what other people wanted me to do and ordered me to do gave me something to think about. After changing trains in Gunzburg I somehow came to grips with my fate and started to feel a bit better. By the time we approached Augsburg more young men joined the train and one could tell by the suitcases what their destination was. In Augsburg we were met by staff members from the Arbeitsdienst garrison. A special train was waiting to take us to our training barracks in Lager Lechfeld

We arrived at Furstenfeldbruck in the early afternoon and were formed into some sort of order before marching off in the direction of the barracks, under the critical scrutiny of the 'reception committee' who constantly reminded us what an undisciplined lot we were, but that they would do their utmost to make real gemstones of us within 6 months and we should be really grateful for their trouble. I must say that helped a lot to boost our moral which was already down to the lowest point, the further away from home we got. It turned out to be a long tiring march as the barracks were a fair way out of town. Once inside the camp gate we lined up on the parade ground for roll call and then were allocated our quarters.

The camp comprised 3 rows of wooden huts for living, an administration block, toilet and shower block, large dining hut and kitchen and the guardhouse immediately inside the gate. We reported to the quartermaster in the admin blocks for our regulation outfit comprising boots, two sets of foot rags (socks were not worn with jackboots), two sets of underwear, dress uniform, drill overalls and ceremonial spade, plus an overcoat and sundry items to make camp life tolerable. All these were handed out with complete disregard as to whether they would ever fit. Most of us looked like circus clowns and it took quite a few days running back to the quartermaster for a right fit. Bed clothes and bedding was strange - a hessian bag filled with straw which at first glance we thought disgusting but it actually turned out to be quite comfortable. They had to be made up properly under the instruction of the Gruppenleiter assigned to each group and after several attempts we managed to get this task over reasonably well. We finally had our first meal, late in the evening and then turned in for the night, with lights off at 9 p.m.

The day began at 5.30 a.m., with a whistle blow. After a quick breakfast, roll call and flag raising ceremony on the parade ground with the whole Abteilung lined up in neat rows -and where I thought we already looked reasonably smart and disciplined - we were introduced to our Group Leaders. Then we assembled in the dining room for an address by the Abteilungs Commander, a Oberst-Feldmeister and were told the reason we were there which was mainly to build Flak positions all around Munich, and since war conditions existed we were under military discipline and jurisdiction. Back in our quarters we packed our civilian clothes ready to be sent home.

Settling into routine the time went quickly. The days were long and laborious and we were always ready for bed after the day's gruelling events and welcomed lights out at 9 o'clock. Rude awakening came again at 5.30 a.m. from the duty officer's whistle when the whole troop had to be on the parade ground by 5.35 sharp regardless of weather conditions, and being winter there was plenty of snow and ice about. We were led on a brisk run out of the camp, through bushes with low-hanging snow-covered branches which hit the last trace of sleep from the body. Back in camp a quick shower and breakfast at 6.30 a.m. and we were then ready for whatever the day had in store. The mornings were usually taken up by parade ground drill and in the afternoons field work training with practical instructions of a technical nature, such as how to construct small timber buildings, little bridges, defence structures, and demolition work. Since practically all trades were represented in our outfit we were soon able to form expert and efficient working groups who could do almost anything required of us.

Mealtimes followed a strict ritual. Tables were set with white cloths, with one table on an elevated platform at the front of the dining room reserved for the commander and staff officers. The food was served at the table by kitchen staff, with no special treatment or food for ranks. We all stood to attention until the commander and his officers arrived and only after the CO wished us 'guten Appetit' did we sit down and begin eating, with no conversation and no noise of knives and forks on the plate. The slightest misdeed could find one dismissed from the room. (How it reminded me of boarding school). Nobody was allowed to leave his place on the table or speak until the CO finished his meal and stood up. The food was pretty good and quite plentiful.

By the end of January 1941 we packed our gear and our whole Abteilung was transferred to a new camp at Munchen-Pasing and since quite a lot of us came from the Munich area it was quite a welcome move as they anticipated visiting their parents on weekend leave passes, but as it turned out not many were issued. The march to our new quarters from the Pasing station took about 3/4 hour, with full pack and spade and I remember it as being very painful because one of my knees was swollen from an encounter with a low hanging tree branch on the previous morning's `pleasure' run. I could hardly put one foot in front of the other. However, by sheer will-power I forced myself to keep in step with the unit but every time my foot touched the ground I could have screamed. I was mighty glad when we reached our new quarters, and as soon as we were allocated sleeping arrangements I crawled to the top bunk, lay down and remained there until next morning's whistle. The amazing thing was that by morning the swelling had disappeared, together with the pain.

Whilst in Pasing, I managed to get my first weekend home leave and a lot of effort had to be put into obtaining such a pass. The uniform had to be spotlessly clean and properly pressed, boots had to shine and be polished under the sole as well, and prior to walking through the gate all leave personnel had to line up for close inspection by the officer of the guard to decide whether we were clean enough to meet our parents. We stood to attention with mouth open and hands outstretched for him to see that the teeth were cleaned, and the finger nails had no black borders. A clean comb and neatly pressed handkerchief was a must in the pocket (and not the cellophane packet today's young are exhorted to carry)...

By the time I reached the station on that Friday evening my train had gone and I was left with a 2 hour wait for the next which caused me to miss the connection from Gunzburg to Krumbach. When I finally arrived in Gunzburg the choice was either to wait to Saturday morning or walk home, some 30 km. I decided to walk and arrived home just after midnight. After a sleep half Saturday was gone and so was the weekend, after looking up a few acquaintances. I learned that my friend Anderl had been called up for his six months' duty somewhere North. I took the Sunday midday train in order to get my connection in Gunzburg and be back in camp by the midnight deadline so it wasn't much of a leave. The penalty for overstepping the deadline was three days locked up with bread and water. The locking up would have been quite relaxing but missing out on the good food would have been unbearable.

Our job was constructing flak positions all around Munich, so each morning after breakfast we were detailed into working groups and trucked out to various building sites. As most of the gun positions had to be dug deep into the ground it was pick axe and shovels for the less qualified. The more interesting work like erecting crew quarters and store huts was delegated to the tradesmen. There was an excellent team spirit amongst all of us, with the group leaders joining in the hard work, disregarding rank, and at the same time maintaining a high standard of safety. Although those leaders could and did wipe the floor with everyone of us on the parade ground we didn't mind that because we knew they stood by us on the working sites.

One occasion I particularly remember was when we were erecting a large prefabricated hut, a rather urgent job, so every available hand was put on it to speed up the process and finish on time, skipping a few safety regulations in doing so. I was working with an axe on top of the roof, whilst others below were already putting in the ceiling when, in my haste, I misjudged my step and went straight through between two rafters and the ceiling. On the way down I managed to hold on to one of the rafters with my free hand, the other still holding the axe and was just trying to figure out a safe way to drop to the floor when our group leader Haddek, who was standing below, ordered me to stay suspended. He then called together everybody around and, pointing at me desperately trying to maintain my grip on the rafters, delivered a lecture on safety. In fact he pointed out how safety conscious I had proved to be by hanging on to the rafter and not dropping the axe! I was unaware I was still holding the damn thing which I could have dropped on his head. He then allowed me to drop with the reminder to be more careful next time.

Our stay in Pasing was short. Once again we were ordered to pack our belongings and move camp. After a brisk 2 1/2 hours march we arrived at our new quarters in Forstenried, a south-western suburb of Munich, in the middle of the Forstenried nature park, which stretches right down to the Starnberg lake. It was a newly built camp in a glade with the dense forest all round and about 2 km off the main road to Starnberg. With only the spade to carry, the march was more like a Sunday afternoon's outing, all our luggage having been sent ahead. Once in camp there wasn't much time for settling in as all fieldwork had priority. Our outfit comprised three 'Zuge', (a Zug was the equivalent of a platoon in Army terms), with two of three working out of the camp every day. The Zug which happened to be on camp duty was never idle either. The mornings were usually taken up by drill-yard exercises and the afternoons set aside for cleaning and scrubbing and whatever was necessary to keep the camp in immaculate condition. Guard duty at the main gate also had to be maintained.

Since we didn't carry arms the guard duty was mainly ceremonial though could be quite an experience. The guard- house had no furniture, just an elevated wooden platform for the off-duty guards to stretch out on but not fall asleep. There was no telephone, no heating and the only weapon was the ceremonial spade. Guard duty during blackout hours was not the most pleasant, especially for inexperienced youngsters like us, although one would never admit to being frightened at midnight in the middle of the darkest forest. Standing alone outside the gate the imagination worked overtime, especially when sets of beady eyes stared at one and all sorts of dark shapes lurked behind the trees and only when one realized those eyes were an inquisitive deer or wild boar did the fear lessen. It was always a relief to hand over the watch and get inside and flop on the hard wooden boards.

The best period was in the early morning from 4-6 a.m. when it was gradually getting daylight and the trees became trees again, not grotesque monsters, and the moving objects could be recognized as animals. The kitchen was immediately behind the guardhouse and the cook and his staff started work around 5 o'clock so the guard began to feel brave again. The highlight of that watch was at 5.30 when almost to the minute a wild pig with six or seven striped piglets appeared at the gate and mother pig led her offsprings to the kitchen door in single file for a good slurp of the food scraps put out by the staff. The piglets always ate first whilst mother kept a watchful eye and then when she had cleaned up the dishes they disappeared through the gate and back into the park.

After that camp duty week, which for some inexplicable reason was called 'Restweek', the Zug was ready for two weeks' fieldwork again, which was much more enjoyable even though we were back in camp every evening and chased around the parade ground for half an hour. 'Working up an appetite', they called it, making out we didn't do anything all day. We were occasionally allowed to go into Munich for the evening but most of the time it was a wasted effort as we had to be back by 10 p.m.

The working sites further out of town were preferable to us since this meant we had to be billeted out. I remember one construction job near Erding, north-east of Munich when we were housed in a youth hostel for two weeks which meant staying over the weekend when a dance evening was organized for Sunday night. This was very exciting and the prospect of meeting some of Erding's 'exotic flowers' was promising indeed. Actually it turned out to be a very tame affair - all the boys on one side and all the girls, with their mothers, on the other - and to dance with one of those tightly guarded roses, one first had to ask Mother's permission. Depending on her likes or dislikes, Mum's decision was final, with no complaint and no back chat. Anyhow, by 10p.m. it was packing up time when all the little 'Fruuleins' were rounded up and marshalled home. Shades of our visiting pig with her piglets! Since all youth hostels were alcohol free, with lemonade and soda water the strongest drinks one could possibly have, we certainly didn't suffer from hangovers the next morning.

As time went on and the work program was speeded up we had very little opportunity to see much of Munich's night life. Time was always too short, with the exception of a few Saturday afternoons and evenings. However, summer was approaching and lake Starnberg was not too far away so we took a liking to a day out on the lake. Early one Sunday morning three of us, Hans, Alfred and I set off for a two-hour walk through the park to Starnberg. Having arrived in good time and refreshed by a good 'Fruhschoppen' [morning beer] on the promenade, we hired one of the rowing boats tied up to the pier.

After tossing around in a few involuntary circles we managed to get out into the lake and since none of us had any experience in the art of rowing we had some difficulty keeping the boat on a proper course and as there were lots of other boats around we soon collided with one of them. I must admit, the occupants of that craft were better mariners than us - and much better looking - (three girls!). They tried unsuccessfully to show us the basics of rowing but, having realized the futility of that, they decided to take us in tow, with them doing the hard work. Back on shore we showed our appreciation by treating them to coffee and a generous helping of 'Kuchen', then it was time for the last bus to take us back to Munich. We had quite an enjoyable day but as usual all too short so we decided to meet again the following Sunday for another rowing lesson - only to discover that all leave was cancelled for that week-end...

Towards the end of May I managed to get another home leave. One Friday afternoon we were told to get ready for inspection by 3 o' clock. As this was unexpected this announcement was followed by frantic activity, washing, cleaning and pressing uniforms. Finally we lined up for scrutiny by Feldmeister Klein, the usual outstretched hands looking for traces of dirt under fingernails, exposing molars, no shades of grime or wax in the ears. When he looked into my mouth he actually remarked for everybody to hear how much effort I had put into cleaning my choppers. The truth was in all the hurry I hadn't bothered to clean them at all, whereas with Alfred, standing next to me, who was a pastry cook by trade, cleanliness and grooming was paramount and brushing his teeth an obsession. Klein was horrified when he looked down his throat and told him to go and clean his teeth! I couldn't help grinning, which was noticed by Klein so I got a lecture on 'Schadenfreude' and was sent off to clean my boots again. 'Schadenfreude' is malicious delight in somebody else's misfortune.-- Dennis Norton from the radio serial 'My Word' said Schadenfreude was the pleasure you got seeing somebody step on his bike, where, unknown to him, somebody has removed the saddle!-- Well, eventually we were off to catch our trains.

Two weeks later, Sunday, June 22 we were informed German troops had crossed into Russia at 4.15 a.m. Operation 'Barbarossa' was in full swing. Our work schedule was stepped up as all flak installations had to be finished as quickly as possible to be handed over to the Luftwaffe for installation of the big 8.8 anti aircraft guns. My 19th birthday came and went and my term with the labour corps came to an end. We had one more weekend home leave, mainly to collect our civilian clothes. The management gave us a nice passing out party with a bottle of beer each and a moving farewell speech by the Oberstfeldmeister, the leader of the Abteilung, telling us how much he enjoyed working with us and how his effort was rewarded in making men of us. He wished us all the best for our futures and hoped for our sakes that the war would be over as quickly as possible so that we could all go home and enjoy peace again. We were a bit sad as we had had a really good time, good teamwork and excellent comradeship. Feldmeister Klein shook hands with everyone as did the rest of the staff. But we left the camp knowing our civilian life would be very short. Indeed we all knew we would shortly be fitted for a different uniform... .

 

 

 

 

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