(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.