I declare herewith in lieu of oath that my husband, Matthias Karner, born on June 20th, 1901 at Chodau near Karlsbad, was murdered by the Czechs under the following circumstances:

My husband was called up for active service with the German army in 1941 as Red Cross orderly. I myself have six children, and I have already lost two sons in the war. My husband returned from Russian captivity on May 22nd, 1945. But our joy that the children's father and our sole supporter had come back was not granted us for long. After he had been home for a fortnight, the Czechs came one night in order to plunder the houses. When the owner of the house, Mr. Stangel, did not open the house door at once, the Czechs immediately started shooting. Besides my husband there were three other men present and when the door was finally opened, we were forced to leave the house and were taken to the school, that is to say the gendamerie station. We women were separated from the men and made to stand with our faces to the wall; the same was done with my three little children, aged 3, 5 and 10 years. We had to raise our arms above our heads and to remain in the same posture the whole night. We were released the next day, but we heard nothing of my husband nor of the other men.

Later we learned that my husband and the other three men had been forced to dig their own graves at a place quite close to our house, after which they had been beaten to death. Several days later the corpses had been dug up again and buried in the cemetery.

Several days afterwards, severed limbs of the murdered men were found at the spot.

I am prepared to take the aforesaid on my oath.

 

Report No. 147

 

Reported by: Marie Weiß Report of June 1, 1946 (Chodau)

On or about May 20 [1946] I petitioned the Control Commission in Elbogen for permission to take extra clothing, underwear and shoes for my son Rudolf Weiß, who had been in English captivity until April 30, 1946 and was waiting for me in Bavaria. The Control Commission gave me written permission to take the items for my son. Nonetheless, when my luggage was inspected in Chodau, all luggage intended for my son was taken from me. They also kept back part of my own luggage, so that I now have barely 40 kg for both of us, my son and myself. I am ready take this statement on my oath.

 

Report No. 148

 

Reported by: Josef Zillich Report of July 17, 1946 (Chodau)

During the luggage inspection in Chodau, my sister had to endure that her dress was violently torn off her body. I and my two sons, aged 13 and 16, had to take off the suits, shoes and coats we wore, and instead put on some old clothes we still had in our luggage. Even our feather bedding was taken from us, except for one. Even our hand luggage was confiscated, so that I am now missing cutlery, my pajamas, my wife's night gown, and other things that would be badly needed by my family on the trip. The Czech gendarme who was present during the inspection said to me later that I had been downright looted and that he would like to help me, but couldn't.

From my main luggage, all my new clothes were confiscated, as well as much more that I haven't been able to itemize yet. The next day, when I complained about the looting, the camp administration ordered that I should receive 5 coats and 2 pairs of shoes back. None of the suits and other clothes were left in the luggage room - they had all been carted off already.

 

Report No. 149

 

Reported by: Emilie Dotzauer Report of July 17, 1946 (Chodau)

The baggage inspection office at Chodau confiscated all the shoes which I had packed for my husband, my daughter and myself. I was also ordered to take off the shoes I had on and instead of them they threw me a pair of old sandals, which I am still wearing. In addition they took all the underclothing and bedclothes as well as my own and my daughter's pyjamas and a dressing gown. In exchange for the bedclothes they gave me some old, worn-out dresses. The white lace collar was ripped off the dress I was wearing. My cutlery and kitchen utensils were also taken away from me. In the transfer camp at Neusattel I received a few odd plates and dishes in exchange for the items mentioned.

 

Report No. 150

 

Reported by: Karl Kempf Report of June 22, 1946 (Chodau)

I was arrested at Chodau on May 27th, 1945, because I had once - in my capacity as gendarme of the reserve - arrested a German from Poland, who had been convicted of theft. When the American troops entered our area, this man, claiming to be Polish, denounced me and maintained that I had stolen his property. I was not tried until March 1946 in the camp at Neurohlau. I was then able to clear myself and was released as a result of the trial. In the time between my arrest and trial, or rather release, I was maltreated in the most cruel manner. At Chodau I was kicked and punched until I was covered with blood and lost consciousness. It was also at Chodau that I witnessed the maltreatment of an SS-man, who was then shot and buried in the cemetery during the night. From May 31st, 1945 to the evening of June 2nd we received no food at all, not even water, and were jammed together in one cell at Elbogen. From there we were moved to Karlsbad. On our arrival there we were beaten by a squad of 10 men until we were bleeding and in a fainting condition. 24 of us were crowded into a cell of about 11 square meters (about 122 square ft.); after a day or two our number was increased to 35. Morning and evening we got a cup of coffee, at noontime a cup of cabbage soup without bread. There, too, we were beaten frequently. On July 19th we marched to Neurohlau. Many collapsed from weakness on their way. Mistreatment and tortures were also a part of the programme. I myself was twice beaten while I was there. Whenever a prisoner escaped another was shot in his place, without consideration. A certain Lippert from Elbogen was shot in this way. An elderly man from Jedlitz was also shot because, when he was hungry, he ate potato peels out of the dustbin. The same tortures and mistreatment to which I was subjected were also the lot of my fellow-gendarme Lehrl, who had been arrested together with me.

 

Chrastawitz
(near Taus)

 

Truthfully and in full awareness of the significance of such a declaration, I attest objectively in lieu of oath to the statements made by a Czech, before several witnesses, about the treatment and execution of approximately 35 imprisoned SA men from Bischofteinitz District, Sudetenland, who were imprisoned in the Chrastawitz concentration camp near Taus.

During haymaking in 1946, at the Feast of Corpus Christi, the Czech N. N. who was at that time employed as coachman by N. N. in Taus stated that in the evening of July 11, 1945 the SA men from Bischofteinitz had been driven by truck from Chrastawitz to the sand pit located on the right-hand side of the road from Taus to Trasenau, where they were slaughtered and then buried in the area surrounding the sand pit. To my question, whether he knew for certain that these men were from Bischofteinitz, he stated that he had personally known a good many of them since he had been imprisoned along with them for several weeks. He also reported that the truck was supposed to make a second trip but that the truck driver refused, saying that he could not watch any more such bestialities. The atrocities were committed by officials from the gendarmerie, officers, and the S.N.B., most of whom were drunk. N. also described the brutal maltreatment of these men on the evening of their transport from Chrastawitz, where most of them were loaded onto the truck unconscious and already half beaten to death.

Since I myself was imprisoned in the same camp from August 30, 1945 until July 27, 1946 and am aware of other, similar monstrosities that were committed there, and since none of these men were heard of again, N.'s statement appears to me perfectly credible and in accord with the facts.

 

Chrostau
(Concentration camp in District Zwittau)

 

Reported by: Herbert Heinz Report of June 15, 1946

On May 10, 1945 all young people between the ages of 14 and 20, and even some 12- and 13-year-olds, were rounded up and put into the Chrostau concentration camp in Zwittau District. In total there were about 350 of us. On May 30 we were transferred from there into the political camp in Zwittau. We were dreadfully maltreated in the camp. The Commandant of Chrostau, Janecek, was so brutal that we only ever called him the Butcher. When he walked through the camp he would beat any boy who came near him over the head with his riding whip. Often he beat boys over the head with his riding whip for no reason at all until they collapsed. Then he would say, "that'll do you for a while."

Every day we had to do "morning sports". First, a quarter of an hour of exercises, then another quarter of an hour of games, then at least half an hour of constant up and down. Push-ups, stoops, deep squats, etc. Anyone whose strength failed him had to repeat these exercises in front of the camp commandant, and was beaten while doing them. Many had to work in a plant nursery, and were beaten while at work. The rest of us had to remain in their rooms, but were forbidden to look out the windows. Anyone who was seen at a window was also beaten.

Our rations consisted only of black coffee and thin soup with stinging-nettles, and 2 pounds of black bread and 1 pound white bread per week. There was one gendarme whom we called "the tiger", because every word he said to us was a curse word. In Zwittau the treatment was the same, the only difference being that not only were there "morning sports", there were "evening sports" as well. In Chrostau two of the three wash rooms were closed before the first week was over. The remaining wash room had running water only at certain times of the day. There were only 8 sinks for 300 prisoners. Several boys got scabies. Several others had been brought to the camp with heart and lung conditions. Scarlet fever and diphtheria also broke out in Zwittau. The sick were sent to Zwittau to the hospital, where treatment was good. I was resettled [expelled] together with my parents. One day prior to my resettlement a partisan beat me with his fists and a stick for wearing a military cap.

I am ready to take these statements on my oath.

 

Datschitz / Moravia

 

Reported by: forestry official Herrmann Hübner Report of May 28, 1950

In May 1945, forestry commissioner Ernst Pittinger from Schaschowitz (Sasovice) and senior forestry administrator Robert Fritzen from Reilsberg were murdered by Czech partisans in Datschitz (Dacice) in Moravia.

I learned of this tragic incident in the District Court in Iglau, where the local People's Tribunal sentenced me to 6 years in prison.

Senior forest administrator Fritzen had two school-aged sons, and it is possible that these two boys were left in Budischkowitz (Budiskovice), District Datschitz (Dacice).

In Krasonitz (Krasonice), District Datschitz, the gravely ill retired forester Franz Schulla was beaten to death in his own bed.

Documents on the Expulsion of the Sudeten Germans
Survivors speak out