- Summary
- Videotape testimony of Martin D., a non-Jew and only child, who was born in Herstal, Belgium in 1920. He recalls a happy childhood; moving to Brussels in about 1927; attending university; German invasion; traveling to Bredene, intending to enlist; returning to Brussels; continuing university; joining the Resistance; distributing Resistance newspapers; directing a group in Mons; traveling to Liège; arrest; incarceration in St. Gilles in October 1941; torture during interrogations (he suffers from the consequences to the present time); transfer in January 1942 to a prison in Germany, in September to Bochum, and in 1943 to Hameln; forced labor; transfer in February 1944 to Esterwegen; transfer to Graz prison, then Dachau; assignment to the “Nacht und Nebel” barrack; a fellow prisoner hiding him in the infirmary for more than two months so he would not be selected; transfer to Kaufbeuren, then Allach; being chosen as a member of the international prisoner committee that liberated Allach; the arrival of United States troops; returning to Brussels; reunion with his family; assistance from the Red Cross; continuing his education; and his career as an academic and scientist. Mr. D. discusses the camp prisoner hierarchy; the physical and psychic impact of starvation; not knowing the person he was in 1938; and reluctance to share details of his experiences with his children.
- Author/Creator
- D., Martin, 1920-
- Published
- Brussels, Belgium : Fondation Auschwitz, 1994
- Interview Date
- May 11, 1994.
- Locale
- Belgium
Herstal (Belgium)
Brussels (Belgium)
Bredene (Belgium)
France
Mons (Belgium)
Liège (Belgium)
- Cite As
- Martin D. Holocaust Testimony (HVT-2994). Fortunoff Video Archive for Holocaust Testimonies, Yale University Library.
- Other Authors/Editors
- Inchusta, Elisabeth, interviewer.
Ficheffet, Frederic, interviewer.
- Notes
-
This testimony is in French.
