German concentration camps
It was December 19, 1945 when all the Jewish were taken. I was a little girl when my whole family was taken to a concentration camp. This camp was in Germany I could not quite pronounce the name of it. When we had heard that my best friends family was taken, my mom knew right then that the Nazi’s would found us next. We were hiding for three months in my mom’s friend’s attic.
My whole family had to live in a tiny space, but then the Nazis found us all one day, and they put us in the back of a truck and took us all to the train station. So that they could take us to the concentration camps. They put all the girls with the girls and all the boys with the boys. The Nazi’s shoved all the girls into little crates, which were hooked to the trains. When we were heading to the camps, I was thinking about what would happen to my family when we get there.
Were all squished and some of the little girls were saying I need to go to the bathroom, and they could not go. By the time we got to the concentration camp the Nazi’s let us all out. When they let me and my mother out I had seen a lot of people that were not moving. Some of the women with babies fell down to the floor with their babies and they had no pulse. I was really scared of what I had seen right in front of me.
Then the Nazis were yelling at us and they took me away from my mom and she and I got but into separate dorms. So they took all the little girls and the older teens to building 8-D. I got to meet some other girls that were just like me. “Hello” said Christina. “Well hello what is your name” said this girl.
“My name is Christina, what is your name.” “My name is Isabella.” “Well I am going to sleep since we will have a long day tomorrow.”Christina said. But it was so hard to sleep in the beds because it was all wood and for bedding they just gave us hay.
The beds are really small they are made of wood. But the building is made out of wood. So it was hard to sleep because you could hear the rain on the wood. Then I finally fell asleep to a song I have in my head. I was thinking to my self what will happen tomorrow.
It was really scary to try to sleep in this camp. You hear things like dogs, wolfs and a lot more. One day they let all the Jewish people have a little free time. So I went to the fence and started to play in the dirt. This boy was on a stroll trough the woods and had seen me. So when he got to the fence he sat down and said hi.
I ignored him because I was not allowed to talk to people that were not in the camps. I said I am not allowed to talk to people on the other side of the fence. Then the boy asked, “Why can’t you? I would like to be your friend. Oh well in that case what is your name? My name is Pablo, and what is your name?” “My name is Christina Martin.” Then one of the Nazis had blown the whistle that meant that it was time to work.
The boy said I will be here tomorrow if you would like to eat with me. Since there was food involved I had to say yes. So then I ran all the way back to work. I had to wash dirty clothes for five days. I could not leave or eat till I was done. Every morning we would get up at 6 am and do march if you were not in march on time they would set you against the wall and they would point a gun in your face.
That would scare you so that you would never be late to march again. The punishment for that was that you wouldn’t get your midnight meal. So you would have to wait till after march to eat. The food they gave you was a piece of bread and some oatmeal with water but sometimes the water you got was not always clean. It was December 20, 1945 I went back to the fence and I was the only one there until finally I saw Pablo. We sat and he gave me a piece of his sandwich and I looked at it then I have the whole piece in three bites.
I was starving because I was late to march. So we talked for the whole thirty minutes that I had till I had to go back to work. So I asked Pablo when his birthday was. Pablo answered back and said my birthday is tomorrow on the 21st. I got this exited look on my face and I told Pablo my birthday is tomorrow to.
I had thoughts and thoughts and I finally said to myself well I want to get out of here so that I will never have to see that horrible place and smell the stench of burning flesh ever again. So every night I would sneak out and try to dig a tunnel. I kept trying till just then I found a easier way, and so I took my shovel and dug a little ditch so that I could slid my body under and then I could escape. On January 1st 1946 I finally escaped, and I never saw Pablo again. That is all I remember, but I was so happy to be out of there.
When I escaped I jumped up and had a big smile on my face. I was never happier in my life. I will be seventy-seven tomorrow and so will Pablo. I am the only survivor out of my family. I found a rich husband and we had four children.
My husband’s name is Mr. Fred Martin. (Christina Martin and her husband died on December 21 1953.)
