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Q. After you had been at Gelsenberg, will you tell the Tribunal how
you happened to go to Essen? Were you with a large number of girls?
A.
We were in Gelsenberg, 2,000 girls. One day about five men arrived at
Gelsenberg when we had a roll call. We had to stay in the yard and they chose
young and strong women. First they wanted volunteers, but nobody wanted to go,
because we didn't know what for. Everybody was afraid, so they forced us. We
had to stay there, and they chose one after the other. I don’t know how it
happened, but in the last minutes when they had about 500, my sister was chosen
too. When she said she had a sister and two cousins — three cousins —
with her, they didn’t want to take her because my two cousins were very
small and young; not strong enough for hard work; but they didn’t have no
other choice because they still needed 20 people, so we were taken with her
too.
Q. Am I correct then that you and 2,000 girls approximately were
brought out, stood up for inspection, and then somebody chose you for work.
A. That is right.
Q. For work?
A. Yes.
Q. And
you did say that you declined?
A. Nobody wanted to go voluntarily
because we didn’t know actually whether it was for work or whether it was
the gas chamber.
Q. Will you tell the Tribunal whether these persons
who selected you were SS men in uniform?
A. No, they were civilians. I
can recognize two of them, and I recognized them when I was working in the
factory. They were Mr. Braun and his assistant. I can’t remember the other
one’s name, but I know which ones they were.
Q. You say that among
the civilians —
A. Yes. One was Braun* and the other one
Hammerschmidt; both working at the Rolling Mill. They were in charge of Rolling
Mill No. II where I was working.
Q. And to go over that, you say that
among the civilians who selected you for work —
A. Yes.
Q.
— at Gelsenberg there were two whom you later saw in Essen in the Krupp
plants by the name of Braun, B-r-a-u-n? |
__________
* Theodor Braun was one of
the persons who received a copy of Document D-288, Prosecution Exhibit 1019,
reproduced in part above in Section VIII F 1. Braun gave an affidavit (Lehmann
116, Def. Ex. 1054) to the defense and was examined before a commissioner of
the Tribunal. Extracts from his affidavit and from his testimony are reproduced
below in section VIII F 4.
1144 |
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