‘Did you get ill?’

It was important not to fall ill. We would only survive for as long as we could work, and were we to become ill they would have no use for us. We knew that if we were deemed useless, the gas chamber awaited. As a result, we were rarely seriously ill. Those of us who had previously suffered from chronic pain were suddenly free of it. No constant headache, no stomach ulcers. We sometimes had lesser ailments, and when that happened we had to visit the Revier, as the infirmary was called. The nurse was one of the prisoners, and she did not have much to relieve our suffering with. The same ointment, Ichthyol, was used both for sore throats and for boils. The only relief such a visit could bring was a moment’s rest and a few soothing words.

If anyone had a fever or was so ill that she could not work, us girls tried to protect her. We carried out her work and let her rest in a corner, while someone made sure that no SS guard discovered her. Sometimes a kind foreman would let her sit in his work shed, and would defend her to any potential SS visitors by saying that the girl was helping him with his indoors work. If the guard was in a good mood, he might let her stay, otherwise he would chase her out.

The Revier had a number of beds, so the sick could stay there instead of going out into the icy cold. The reason we were so afraid of staying was that you never knew when the SS doctor’s visit might happen. When he came, the sick had to be lined up naked for examination, and being too thin was enough of a reason to be sentenced to death.

The nurse, who wanted to save the girls, could not do much. However, I do know of one case in which she hid a gravely ill, unconscious girl so skilfully that she was not discovered. The girl eventually recovered and left the Revier.

Another interesting case was when an SS doctor became smitten with a beautiful girl, and instead of giving her a death sentence he transferred her to the soldiers’ Revier. What happened after, I do not know; I never saw her again.

I, myself, visited the Revier a few times, when the rough clogs and the cold caused big boils to grow on my feet. I do not know whether it was the notorious wonder ointment or the fact that spring was in the air, but the boils went away with time.