- Summary
- Videotape testimony of Henri M., a non-Jew, who was born in Saverne, France in 1920. He recalls attending school with Jews; his family's strong French patriotism; learning German in Berlin; studying in Strasbourg and Nancy; German invasion; military draft in June 1940; capture; escape from a POW center; traveling to Paris and Dijon; living in Saverne; studying in Heidelberg; arrest and escape; returning clandestinely to France with the help of French and Austrian Resistance members; studying law in Clermont-Ferrand; anti-Petain sentiments among students; Resistance work in the unoccupied zone; arrest for crossing the demarcation line; brief incarceration and release; arrest with other students in November 1943; Gestapo interrogation; transfer to Compiègne in March 1944; a friend's death sentence; deportation to Auschwitz in April; friendship with a Jewish prisoner; transfer to Buchenwald in May, then to Flossenbürg in March 1945; hospitalization; a death march in April; liberation by United States troops; staying in Cham; returning to Saverne; reunion with his parents; and completing his studies. Mr. M. notes the importance to his survival of speaking fluent German; the quick formation of fast and deep friendships in camps; the suffering of Jews; and compensation and medals received from the French government.
- Author/Creator
- M., Henri, 1920-
- Published
- Paris, France : Témoignages pour mémoire, 1996
- Interview Date
- January 31, 1996.
- Locale
- France
Saverne (France)
Berlin (Germany)
Strasbourg (France)
Nancy (France)
Paris (France)
Dijon (France)
Heidelberg (Germany)
Lyon (France)
Clermont-Ferrand (France)
Cham (Germany)
- Cite As
- Henri M. Holocaust Testimony (HVT-3449). Fortunoff Video Archive for Holocaust Testimonies, Yale University Library.
- Other Authors/Editors
- Wieviorka, Rachel, interviewer.
Zarka, Josette, interviewer.
- Notes
-
This testimony is in French.
