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A kind[At2o’clockinthemorningonApril141945justafewweeksbeforethedefeatoftheThirdReichandtheendofWorldWarIIthe5000exhaustedandemaciatedpeoplewhoworkedinabranchoftheRavensbrückall-womenconcentrationcampinnorthernBerlinTheprisonerwasforciblyheldGoingoutofthegateandheadingeastthereisnospecificdestinationandhungryrations”Weareassurprisedastheantsatthedestructionofthenest”oneofthewomencommented[1945年4月14日凌晨2点，就在第三帝国战败和第二次世界大战结束前几周，在柏林北部拉文斯布吕克全女子集中营的一个分营工作的5000名精疲力竭和消瘦的囚犯被强行关押。走出大门向东行进，没有特定的目的地和饥饿的口粮。“我们就像蚂蚁一样对巢穴的破坏感到惊讶，”其中一名妇女评论道。
The weather was cold and it was drizzling, but as the Allied forces advanced in all directions, the Germans were determined to remove the prisoners from the concentration camps, frantically trying not to leave evidence of the barbaric practices recently carried out there. The SS commander tried to burn important documents before escaping.
If they show weakness in these long marches, many prisoners will die or be shot. However, nine brave women, who have endured torture and barbarism, are now laborers at the Leipzig Kazakh Ordnance Factory. They bravely escaped from the women’s parade and managed to survive, which to a large extent Thanks to their mutual support.
Hélène Podliasky, Gwen Strauss’ great-grandmother, was 24 when she was arrested. She was one of the nine, and she told their inspiring stories and rebuilt After a 10-day journey across the front lines, they were finally rescued by American soldiers.
“Snip a cigarette”, this was the first reassuring word that ladies heard. The nine people include six French, two Dutch women and one Spaniard. They are not all Jews (you can’t admit this in the concentration camps anyway) and come from different social backgrounds, but they were arrested for their resistance work and became a tightly united group during Ravensbrook. Most were students or secretaries. One of them was called “Zinka”, a mother who gave birth in a French prison, but her child was taken away 18 days later. Throughout the parade, a small photo of a baby smuggled is her most precious possession.
According to Strauss, Helen had more or less permanent leg and hip pain while walking, but as an engineer who speaks five languages, she became the informal leader of the organization. Another woman had diphtheria, and almost all of their feet and blisters were bleeding. However, the idea of dividing into smaller groups was never accepted. The women pool their resources and believe that their friendship is vital to survival.
The weather in April is unpredictable, sunny for a while, cold and wet for a while, and so warm that it is impossible to avoid identifying their thin coats through the white cross painted on their backs. After hiding in the ditch and taking refuge in an empty barn if possible, they were once “sincere hospitality” by a German farmer and his daughter. “Maybe some Germans really don’t know what happened in the concentration camp,” Strauss speculated. As they approached the front line, Helen, who was not wearing the giveaway jacket, managed to convince some of the Germans they met that they were guest workers, not escaped Jewish prisoners.By playing the role of an incomprehensible woman, she just wanted to avoid getting close to the front line, she managed to obtain a hand-drawn map from the police station, which the organization then used as an official Let pass.
Among the many details found by Strauss, a persistent image is how they dragged a heavy pot, a tripod, and a bag of raw potatoes. Food, or lack of food, is a recurring theme, and, strangely, reciting recipes for impossible feasts is a means of maintaining a languid spirit, a habit used by many female prisoners to remind them to go home.
This book has a strong narrative process, but Strauss often digresses to enrich the early lives of these young women, or to provide background and background for their situation. In this way, this book is not just a description of these young women. An escape, even though it is extraordinary. One of the most shocking findings was that at first Ravensbruck did not allow babies to enter. Any child born is usually drowned in a bucket in front of the mother. However, because so many women became pregnant, mainly due to rape by soldiers, the policy changed. According to a secret journal, 600 babies were born between September 1944 and April 1945. But the Memory Foundation Deportees (FMD) reported that only 31 babies survived to liberation.
The last few chapters tell about what happened at the end of the war, and they read soberly. “These nine people must rely on each other to survive. This bond is difficult to replicate in their normal lives… The strength of their friendship is an important part of their experience.” They seek out their family or relatives left behind and suffer nightmares. And found that interpersonal relationships are difficult. Six of the nine were married to other survivors, but the group was scattered and most of them did not keep in touch until they got together 60 years later and finally talked about their escape. This powerful book brought them back together.
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