Detroit evening times., 1945-05-30
By T S ROBERT E. FORBES, U. S. ARMY

Former Detroit Times Insur0nee Manager
- When it began-to get light, we GO
DSc' jammed into the boXcar had Christmas
- <o service. Miserable as we were, it helped.
We managed to sing a Christmas carol but our
voices sounded cracked
About got to Bad-Orb, the camp
lphich was to be our home for a Uhile.
AS we stumbled out of the terrible boxcar, the
Angelus in the village church tower was sounding.
That put a lump in our throats But after an
hour of standing In the snow beside the railroad
- track our minds went blank.
Eleven of IS too sick to make the march, But
the rest started up the hill hree-mile hike to the
prison camp.
Anything seemed better than that boxcar though So
we slogged along.
Ten others and were to go by ambulance the guards
said OF course it did not come.
stood there in the beside railroad track for
while, and then they marched almost mile up the
road.
There hours. could scarcely
stand all SO sick.
Finally horse-drawn wagon along and it took
the prison.
Staag is group wooden barracks. There is
heat We sleep bare hunks, 10 blankets.
The place is filthy and there IS light tonight. .
They gave each cup cold soup We exhausted
fef into hunks two bunk get little warmth and
because there only half enough hunks But CRATE
full just to lie there, miserably cold.
feel better today. don't know why. This place
Dpc. is unbeevaby filthy. There is soap and only
rs a little cold water We tried to clean up the place
= but it is hopeless.
Most of sick with dysentery bad colds
We filthy beyond description. terrible
but the constant hunger is
knew what it to be hungry before.
We have organized camp. We get little herb
Zee. tea in the morning. AT csnteen of Heinie
20 soup potatoes carrots and bit of meat float
L- in il.
At night got little piece of bread one sixth of
Every third day there halfaninch meat three inches
to six men, a silver of cheese to be divided.
r. One of the things Hene guards do is to
nee. break out of the barracks into the two
70 three times day. They say ii to
49, But many sick, eet are
in such condition. that the standing the is crucfxion
God knows why they want to do it all the time
cept to be nasty
1t is cruel for with ours
There spoons We have whitfield out wooden
over they gave us Now the guards have taken too
There only few are too rusty
eat in tin cans anything find
There are about 10 helmets in the barracks
They priceless.
Hurley Capt Ernest T. Hurley of St Rtas
parish) is with
He the stations of the night we sit in
hunks.
We too about much
don't have much heart to write daily
cUHs and besides the scraps of paper getting
scarce write as small Is / can.
We talk about food all the time. We are
always hungry, just after
The boys dream up crazy recipes like PepsCoa pie. I'll
forget that
have long list of food have made up that want
Dottie (his we) TO cook for if | ever get back.
We just live from hour hour They Just us out
again into the for check We think
days at home. This is a very good day for us.
- Gradually aking connections with
Jan. the underground and we get little new,
from the front. 1t sounds good. That is the
- best medicine in the world for
Thank Cod for the French nrisoneys
Jan. Today they shared their Red Cross boxes with
> us. We got cigaret to six traded mine,
------ don't smoke for bite of bread.
Sometimes tempers short We fight
today How started nobody knows but suddenly
swinging each other, We all gathered
They would swing slowly, They they
wacked themselves with swing.
It like a Mack Sennet comedy slow motion
After three each other they both fell down and
all laughing fell into hunks running
The battlers there laughed