One of a kind. An original US Army deposition by a Buchenwald concentration camp prisoner Georges Hebbelink, a journalist from Belgium who was interred there due to "anti-Nazi activities". The deposition was on April 20th, 1945, nearly two weeks before VE day.
This historic item includes both the original hand written deposition and the US Army notarized transcription as shown.
There is a handwritten "exhibit 32" on page one of the transcription, which leads me to believe that this was used as evidence in the Dachau trials. I have the original Army JAG War Crimes Report from the trials listed also, so be sure to check that historically important item also.
"Buchenwald was a Nazi concentration camp established on Ettersberg Hill near Weimar, Germany, in July 1937. It was one of the first and the largest of the concentration camps within Germany's 1937 borders. Many actual or suspected communists were among the first internees.
Prisoners came from all over Europe and the Soviet Union—Jews, Poles and other Slavs, the mentally ill and physically disabled, political prisoners, Romani people, Freemasons, and prisoners of war. There were also ordinary criminals and sexual "deviants". All prisoners worked primarily as forced labor in local armaments factories. The insufficient food and poor conditions, as well as deliberate executions, led to 56,545 deaths at Buchenwald of the 280,000 prisoners who passed through the camp and its 139 subcamps. The camp gained notoriety when it was liberated by the United States Army in April 1945; Allied commander Dwight D. Eisenhower visited one of its subcamps. Today the remains of Buchenwald serve as a memorial and permanent exhibition and museum."
Read the entire transcription below:
3 JA 81
TRANSCRIPTION
TRANSLATION OF SWORN STATEMENT OF GEORGES HEBBELINK
I, Georges Hebbelink, born 4 March 1916 at Gentin, Belgium, journalist, living at Kuipenkai 7-9 at Gent, was arrested 5 April 1943 by Gestapo through their Brussels section. I was transferred the same day to concentration camp Breendonk near Heehelen, accused of anti-Nazi activities. As I refused to denounce fellows, I was shoved at 1800 hours into a bunker, the wrists tied together behind back and at 4.- I was lifted by means of a captain at the wrists. SS Lt. ARTHUR PRAUS, Charlottenburg, Berlin, KAISER FRIEDRICHST., SS Hauptscharfuhrer MULLER and agents of Gestapo knocked me then out of my senses. Put to the soil again, I was brought up in front of SS MULLER, who pressed his burning cigar against my nostrils and behind my ears. At about 2030 hours I was released from the ropes and continually had to turn round while SS ARTHUR PRAUS smacked my shins with a thin whip, causing them to bleed. Thereafter I was brought up to room No 1, rationed with about 200 gr. of bread and a watery soup(green and white cabbage). Daily I got a trifling marmelade, 5 clumps of sugar, 20, 25 gr. margarine or butter. About mid April it was established that I was affected with diphteris and removed to Kuip hospital at Brussels, Couronne avenue. At hospital I was well nursed, whereas I was not allowed at Breendonk to lay once in a bed, every single person had medical cares and I got secluded, in order to shield others from being infected with the same disease. After 11 days of nursing PRAUS came personally to fetch me but through medical ordinance I had to stay yet for another 40 days. I was cross questioned still once more after that, treated with kicks of fist and flogging of the backside but it seemed that one did not attach any importance to the subject. Then I was put into a gap (sic) and I was not asked altogether to sign the statements. My work consisted of shoveling up of a heap, and the earth was loaded on lorries that were upturned in order to establish dams, to be provided.
From 7 to 12 and from 2 to 5 in the afternoon work went on without a stop, under kicking through SS DEBOT, from Willebroeck and SS WEISS, from Demne, Antwerp, later assisted by SS VERMEULEN? from Roesselaere. Everything had to be done in running pace, loading and unloading. All the time people were suffering from hunger. They ate grass, bark and offall (sic) from pigs food. I was not allowed to write, receive parcels or smoke. When our countrymen were shot we were compelled to bury the bleeding corpses that were pierced with sticks. Within the 30 days of April out of the 300 inmates of the camp we registered 60 dead. Iron discipline, inculcated with cudgel hits was prevailing, entertained through SS PRAUS and major Schmidt, who turned his dog on us to bite us or he thrashed us with a bullock nero (sic).
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CONFIDENTIAL
Exhibit 32
In September the food was a bit improved, 375 gr of bread, some times 500 gr., the soup became thicker, all of us suffered from diarrhea. Every month there came a physician. Once we were thrashed on the naked heels and deemed fit for hard labor, though the physician had opined only for light work, this was not approved by PRAUS. On the 5th of May we were removed, 50 in a cattle wagon, crammed together, to BUCHENWALD. We arrived here on 8th May and were welcomed by the SS RABBLE, thrashed and bitten by dogs. We We were housed at Block 63 in the small camp, the block was infected with vermin from top to bottom, though this was still the best block of the small camp. After 3 weeks I was put on the "Arbeitstatistik", where all working questions, transports and interior squads (kommandos) were settled. Regularly, I went with fellows, singled out for transportation to the medical examination. They were presented, stripped naked to the physician and without further ceremonial, unless the prisoners physician interfered, they were all deemed fit. People affected with interior sicknesses and underfeeding were always considered as fit. In July I was hospitalized with phlegmon in Nr. H. hospital. The sanitary staff disposed practically of no healing means, the flies were attracted through the poluted (sic) air in whole swarms. The wounds did practically never arrive to close, all the more as the food grew continually lesser, lowering from half a loaf of bread to one third, one quarter, a fifth, sometimes a sixth only. The soup consisted most of green cabbage, with margarine it went quite irregularly. Sometimes two rations per day (60) gr., sometimes naught and at the end they lacked also marindads and sausage.
There were only a few SS men to be seen in camp, but everyday people were summoned to the gate and never returned any more. Sometimes in the night transports were composed without any medical examination. Thus, transports for Ohrdruf (SIII) where people deemed only fit for light work were sent. When the wrecks returned after 6 weeks time, they were left without assistance. Annihilations transports of sick and invalids were composed towards Bergen, little Gypsy boys left for Aushwity were they perished in gas reduits. Sometimes, prisoners were murdered and entered officially on the books as dismissed". Nothing was done from official quarters for hygiene, the blocks were lousy and they had only to go to hell according to Rapportfuhrer SS HOFSCHULTS. Some blocks had no sufficient stock of blankets. as underclothing, no new clothing might be obtained. Merely, the sticking together of the prisoners managed to put the SS in front of accomplished facts and frustrate them. I have to declare on my professional honour as a journalist that this report is entirely objectiv (sic) and is representing a great many things in their real aspect. This statement, on two folios, 10 written in my own handwriting in Buchenwald concentration camp, Weimer, Germany, at 1400 hours, on April 20, 1945. I swear before God, that this is the entire truth.
/s/ G. HEBBELINK
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CONFIDENTIAL
I, CHRISTIAN A. JOB, being first duly sworn, state that I acted as sworn interpreter in this matter and that the foregoing is a true and correct translation (in my handwriting) of the sworn statement of GEORGES HEBBELINK, given at 1400 hours, 20 April 1945, at BUCHENWALD WEIMAR, made to the best of my ability.
/s/ C. A. JOB
Signature and title of interpreter
Subscribed and sworn to before me at BUCHENWALD, WEIMAR, GERMANY, this 20th day of April 1945.
/s/ RAYMOND GIVENS
Lt Col, FA, USA
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CONFIDENTIAL
Measures 10 1/2 by 8
Box J 3302021
Weight 1 oz