(12) Allied Bombing

One incident I remember well from this factory involved a convoy of about a dozen German trucks, each with a Red Cross on the roof and doors. The convoy was driving down the main road when I saw a light plane with American markings circling above and circling lower and lower. This was obviously and artillery spotter plane, as suddenly there was a screech of a shell and the first truck in the convoy just exploded. By the size of the explosion, the supposed “Red Cross” truck was clearly carrying ammunition. Once they realised that the red crosses were phoney, the artillery started and destroyed the whole convoy. Later that evening the area came under attack from about 20 English Heavy bombers, probably Lancasters along with fighter support. They bombed the station and the factory. At the station were railway trucks loaded with ammunition.

They bombed the railway bridge over the river Zik, and to my horror, they also bombed the barracks containing the Ukrainian girls. It was about three yards from the river and the girls were locked in for the night. They’d nowhere to shelter, nowhere to run to and I heard their screams in the distance as they burned. No one came to help.

The bombing went on for what seemed like hours, some went through the roof unexploded, some landed in the river and some just exploded killing and maiming anyone who got in their way.

In the factory, we had a cellar. The German foreman allowed us in to that cellar. He was very good to us, because he was now convinced that Germany was going to lose the war. He’d said that now the Americans are in the War, Germany is finished. They are just too big and too powerful to beat.

One bomb hit the corner of our cellar, killed two people. The foreman, when he went in to the cellar he had dark hair, when he came out it was as white as a dove. Whether it was the fear or just the dust, I’ll never know!

About 2km from the factory was another prime target for the Allied bombers. Up in the hills where no-one was allowed to go without a permit were the huge underground bunkers containing the launchers for the ultimate terror weapon of its time, the V rocket Anyone found even close to these bunkers would be shot on sight. The Germans did not want anyone to know where these launch sites were. I remember well the night-time launches. They made one hell of a noise as they were launched.

Because of the Allied bombing, the Germans moved us away towards Aachen, and made us join a work detail, a navvy-gang. I remember this well because we were all given new spades. We were told to dig trenches from the river right to the main road to Aachen. It seemed like everyone had been moved to this work detail, there were Germans, Poles, French, Yugoslavs, and all nationalities. We were under the watchful eye of the SS from Aachen. One particular guard, Joe I remember very well. He carried a rubber truncheon and he was responsible for around half-a dozen workers.

(11) Working again.

By night time, I’d recognised the area as that I’d earlier worked close by in the small factory after my time at Krupp. I knew that there would be one or two Poles working there, supporting the German ammunition and supply trains that regularly passed through the area. There was also a small camp close by where there were ten or so Ukrainian girls working on local farms or at the houses of important Germans. I knew I could blend in here and get some help. I managed to get work in the factory, even though I had no papers or any identification, but the manager was happy to employ me unregistered. This suited me, no records, no question asked, just food in my belly and somewhere to sleep.
The work in this factory was the hardest and most dangerous I’d ever done. It was an iron foundry, and my job was to work on the heavy steam-hammers, hammering steel ingots in to shape. The place was a vision from hell. BANG!! BANG!! I saw a huge row of men in front of these hammers. No “health and safety” here. No goggles, tin helmets or ear defenders here. The noise made your guts wrench and your ears bleed. And the heat was like the fires of hell. If you didn’t do it right you were dead or seriously injured. We were shown once how to do it and then we were on our own. Get the hot ingot in the tongs; place it on the anvil….BANG!.... twist….. BANG!.... twist.
I saw one poor guy get his guts ripped out as he misplaced the ingot and the tongs flew upwards in to his chest and face.