- Summary
- Videotape testimony of Georges N., a Catholic, who was born in Strombeek-Bever, Belgium in 1920, the youngest of three children. He recounts his father's military career; his family's antipathy toward Germany; attending Catholic school; enlisting in the military in 1938; passing exams in Brussels to become an officer; German invasion in May 1940; retreat, then surrender; being marched to Aachen; train transfer to Oberlangen (Stalag VI C), then days later to another stalag; receiving food from the Red Cross; forced agricultural labor in Altenburg; transfer to Stalag XVII A; corresponding with his parents; learning of his mother's death; refusing to work by invoking the Geneva Convention which stipulated officers could do so; transfer back to Oberlangen; witnessing Germans shooting Jews; a march to Stalag 369; evacuation to another Stalag in August 1944; liberation by United States troops; returning home via Munich, Taverny, Lille, and Tournai; assistance from the Red Cross; reunion with his family; and marriage in 1948. Mr. N. details life in Stalags including theatrical productions; participating in a chorus; clandestine celebration of mass; relations between national groups; prisoner hierarchies; hospitalization; starvation; lack of sanitary facilities; and comraraderie among prisoners. He discusses depression and poor health resulting from his experiences; protesting with other POWs in 1947 to receive benefits; continuing friendships with fellow prisoners; and visiting camps in which he had been imprisoned.
- Author/Creator
- N., Georges, 1920-
- Published
- Brussels, Belgium : Fondation Auschwitz, 2000
- Interview Date
- March 16 and 17, 2000.
- Locale
- Belgium
Austria
Strombeek-Bever (Belgium)
Brussels (Belgium)
Aachen (Germany)
Altenburg (Horn, Austria)
Munich (Germany)
Lille (France)
Taverny (France)
Tournai (Belgium)
- Cite As
- Georges N. Holocaust Testimony (HVT-4250). Fortunoff Video Archive for Holocaust Testimonies, Yale University Library.
- Other Authors/Editors
- Rosenfeldt, Michel, interviewer.
Stroscio, Renzo, interviewer.
- Notes
-
This testimony is in French.
