The Nazi's Granddaughter by Silvia Foti

Author:Silvia Foti
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Regnery History
Published: 2021-03-09T00:00:00+00:00

One month later, on May 31, there was another improvement in my grandfather’s situation. The Lithuanian prisoners were instructed to stand in line along a fence outside their barracks in Block 8A. Captain Mayer, a Bavarian with “SS” tattooed in tiny letters just below his eye, made an announcement. According to Sruoga’s memoir, Mayer moved like a stork, standing first on one leg and then on the other, pacing as he announced his orders: “I don’t know why you’ve landed in camp, but it seems you’re different from the others. A document has been received stating that, from this day forward, I have to keep you as honorary prisoners—Ehrenhäftlinge. You’ll all be housed separately.”22

Work was no longer mandatory, but the Lithuanian prisoners could volunteer to work to alleviate boredom. They were provided with a new striped outfit and proper underwear and did not have to display a red triangle with a number. Instead they were permitted to wear their own jackets, as long as they sewed on a yellow armband. The striped prison pants remained compulsory, and camp discipline was still enforced.23

The group was moved into a newly renovated barracks with two-tiered bunks. Each man had his own bed with clean sheets, a covered pillow, and three woolen blankets. This was Block 8E, formerly the sewing center. It had been freshly repainted. A radio loudspeaker transmitted music. The doctor was told to accord them special attention to ensure their health.24

As Rasa, Aunt Ruta, my niece, and I stood in the spot where the barracks would have been, our guide declared that the Lithuanians’ “prisoner of honor” designation had saved their lives. Such status was unusual at Stutthof, he said; the only other prisoners there to be accorded such preferential treatment were Latvian statesmen and Norwegian policemen.

My grandfather was now allowed to write and receive letters every week. I suddenly thought of the letter to his wife dated May 1, 1944, and wondered what it might signify:

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