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| Evidence for the Prosecution |
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| Captain Sington
(cont.) |
which appeared
to be filled with extremely dirty, water and foreign bodies. I did not see any
water available for drinking or washing in. I was told by one medical officer,
that at least one dead body had been found in one of these basins.
What
was Kramer’s general attitude? — In his office he sat back in his
arm-chair, tilted his hat back, and was generally confident. He expressed no
emotion about the camp. I told him to produce a nominal roll of all S.S.
personnel and asked him whether there were any personal documents of the
prisoners in the camp. He replied that the documents had been destroyed on
orders from Berlin, with the possible exception of those referring to perhaps
2,000 prisoners — but these were never found.
Shortly afterwards,
did a Wehrmacht officer come to the office? — We were talking outside in
the compound when a Wehrmacht officer came to tell us that the kitchens were
being stormed. We went there and found very few people in the neighbourhood and
one S.S. inside. I asked him in what way his kitchen had been interfered with
and he replied by lifting the lid of the covered cauldron and pointing out that
the level of the soup inside was about a foot below the tap. I asked Kramer if
that was the extent of the unrest and he told me that the potato patch had been
plundered. On going there I saw a woman on her knees turning over the straw,
apparently attempting to unearth the potatoes. I suggested to her that she,
should go back to her compound, and Kramer, pointing to her, said, “You
see what I mean.” There were three S. S. men about and I saw a man lying
on the ground with blood on his face and rolling his eyes. There were a number
of camp inmates walking about and kneeling down, attempting to unearth
potatoes.
Were the S. S. men making any attempts to assist the man
lying on the ground? — No. There were several other men lying about,
apparently in a very critical condition, and I ordered Kramer to pick up one of
the bodies and carry it away himself.
Did you notice the prisoners
moving in any direction? — No. There was a general strolling about of
prisoners. I told Kramer to stand in a gateway and dissuade them from going
out. He said he would not be able to do this without firearms and that his
revolver had been removed from him. A British soldier managed to keep the
people from going out.
What was the general state of the camp? —
The general state was one of unbelievable congestion when one went into the
blocks. There were masses of dead, placed for the most part away from the main
thoroughfare of the camp. I used to see people walking about, and then, one by
one, they would lie down, and the verges of the footpaths were littered with
people, still living, but who never appeared to move. There was
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