Dachau: The Harrowing of Hell

16. The Famish'd People

16 THE FAMISH'D PEOPLE Only a few hours of sleep. After breakfast, Rosenbloom briefs us. He has already been in contact with G-5 this morning. The information we transmitted through channels last night went all the way to the Supreme Commander, General Eisenhower, who promises total assistance. In the meantime, we are to leave the camp in the same condition as when it was liberated, so that representatives of agencies concerned with war crimes can investigate and record what has happened here. The public must be informed about the camp; bulletins have been sent to the communications media. Members of Congress have been notified, and our allies. We can expect a flood of visitors. The news arrives after we have attempted to start housecleaning ; some of the bodies have been moved to a storage area. No further effort is to be made, says Rosenbloom. I am reminded of the standard orders given by a policeman at the site of a crime: "Don't touch anything until we get fingerprints, measurements, and photographs." I am annoyed by our inability to do anything about the physical situation here. But, after thinking about it, I realize the General and his staff are right-mankind can best be served by knowing about the atrocities committed here. My appreciation of the position taken by Supreme Headquarters does not prevent me from chafing at the restraints imposed on reconstructive efforts. It is cold and bleak. Snow is falling. There is no central heating . Trying to keep warm, ambulatory inmates huddle over small fires on which they heat pots and bowls filled with scraps of food. Some of them, running out of wood scraps, begin to I 101 burn their bed boards. Fuel-one of the items nobody has thought about. Piles of debris on the large treeless field near the barracks (there are poplars elsewhere) and throughout the camp grounds need collection and incineration. Some of the inmates wander through the camp, rummage through these piles, hunting for treasures-bits of wood for their fires, windblown papers, clothes? Others ransack storage and administrative buildings. A few visit barracks other than their own. Some stand at the fence and look at the hills, the distant marshes, the nearby bodies. Because of the cold, most of the internees remain in their own quarters. The coldness is an asset, I think. It prevents further decomposition of the dead. Suddenly there is a parade. It is May Day, a legal holiday for the German people, an important day for those of many other countries. Inmates capable of walking carry flags of their countries ; there are many Red banners, but those of Poland predominate , not because they are the largest national group but because they operated the sewing machines in the camp. No one carries a Norwegian flag. The answer to my question is simple: Norway is still in the hands of the Nazis. Some of the inmates carry signs reading, "For a New Democratic Germany ," and "For a Free Democratic Spain." An American colonel and some inmates are surrounded by flags. The colonel-I hear he is with the 45th Divisionsalutes each passing flag, then speaks briefly. A few more speeches and the ceremony is over. Patients in the hospital watch the celebration from windows and doors. Others, on crowded slabs, are unaware of the festivities . I spend part of the day in the hospital trying to find out more about the prevalence of diseases, and part in a study of the mechanics of waste disposal. My interest in latrines keeps growing. They will have to be cleaned manually. In the past there were manure-cart details. They will have to be reactivated. The remainder of my time is given to an exploration of the water system, which, I discover, begins at the Amper River and ends at two pump houses in the camp, one of them out of commission . After emergency repairs of the water lines it becomes 102 I Dachau: The First Week possible to chlorinate the water, and with the help of an Army engineer, Major Trigg, a concentration of one-half part chlorine to three million parts of water is achieved, ordinarily a satisfactory level. Here, with bodies floating in the river and with dysentery -like disorders everywhere, it is unlikely that even the treated water is safe for drinking. Fortunately we have been able to locate essential maintenance workers to operate the pump houses and others to repair the power lines. Now we...