Dachau: The Harrowing of Hell

20.The Last Days of Dachau

20 THE LAST DAYS OF DACHAU Many of the stories we hear are about the frightening weeks before liberation, a most perilous time for the prisoners who believed that their lives were in greater jeopardy than ever before . They had endured years of cruel confinement. Now they knew they were doomed; they were certain that the victorious American troops would not reach the camp in time to prevent their slaughter by the SS. With dreadful clarity they foresaw the moment when the prisoner-police would whip them into line and the SS troopers would prod them through the gate, march them to a gloomy Bavarian forest, and remorselessly riddle them with machine gun bullets. For them, every hour that passed was a sweet victory over death. Not yet, they would think. They did not foresee that most Nazi attempts to evacuate the camp would fail because daylight travel was almost impossible; convoys and trains were constantly tortured by American fighter planes. Nor could they know that a torrent of contradictory orders and counter-orders were pouring in from Berlin, compounding the confusion. They reacted intensely to every omen and rumor; waves of fear, anger, depression, frustration, confusion, hopelessness, hopefulness, and joy washed over them, then receded. They were cheered by American planes strafing the outskirts of the camp, by news that part of the camp at Allach had been bombed, and by the distant sound of artillery. They began to peer through the fences, looking for the Americans, dejected because they had not yet arrived. Now, every act, word, or mannerism of the guards and prison policemen was weighed and measured, as if each might signify the presence of victory or defeat . As the sluggish minutes crawled by, the prisoners sensed the 142 I increased probability of freedom; for them, elation replaced concern, even momentarily transcending their indescribable hunger pains. They experienced a sudden, powerful life-wish. I did not understand, they explained: they had always wanted to stay alive, but knowing that their chances of dying were great, they had adapted by becoming indifferent to continued existence or death. Now with the possibility of liberation a few days or weeks away, it became important to live. Dr. Ali Kuci, a man of great energy and ability, is a repository of information about these difficult days. With Arthur Haulot, he has written an account, The Last Days of Dachau, printed by the Central Press Bureau; he presents me with a mimeographed copy. I find it absorbing. I tell him this, and offer to correct the faulty spelling and grammar, but Kuci will not permit anyone to edit his written material: he has too high an opinion of his own literary abilities. Kuci's story begins with a copy of an order received at the camp from the Reichsfuehrer SS Heinrich Himmler: "Handing it [the camp] over is out of the question. The camp is immediately to be evacuated. No prisoner should fall into the hands of the enemy alive...." The message was in response to a query sent to Berlin by the camp commandant.1 There was no doubt in Kuci's mind about the intention of the Nazis. The first threat to the lives of all the prisoners occurred early in April. At ten minutes before midnight of April 9, everyone was awakened and ordered to line up outside the barracks . SS men and members of the prisoner police force searched the buildings so thoroughly that even mattresses were slashed. After ninety minutes, the prisoners were permitted to go back to sleep. The inspection was over. "We were all pale and nervous out there," said Kuci, who had not expected to last the night. The day before, the commandant and his staff had worried about the possibility of concealed knives and firearms in the prison compound; they feared an insurrection. Knowing that the prisoners were getting out of hand, they made plans to massacre them. At the designated time, the barracks were surrounded by SS troopers, their machine guns ready. But the SS camp surgeon protested strongly. He believed that there should be no more killings. The commandant decided to The Last Days of Dachau I 143 search for weapons; if they were found, he could justify the executions . Nothing was found. As the weeks passed, the disorder and commotion increased. On April 23, Kuci and other members of the underground committee began to initiate action designed to create confusion within the camp; they had been planning these steps...