The Buchenwald Concentration Camp

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(Taken from the video documentary "He just said No")

On 9th October, 1939 Leopold Engleitner arrived in Buchenwald. The first day he spent there was without a doubt until that moment the worst of his life. Many of the SS personnel had developed a particular kind of "preference" for the Bible Students in the camps. Since these were "voluntary" prisoners - they could have gotten free by merely signing a form in which they declared not to be Bible Students any longer - the SS considered it an interesting challenge to break their will.

Buchenwald
The Buchenwald camp in April 1945.

Not long after the bunker overseer Martin Sommer, who was known and feared as a torturer and murderer, had heard that there was a Jehovah’s Witness among the newcomers. Engleitner fell victim to his fierce brutality. Sommer would first torment Engleitner in the most inhuman fashion and then say: “Now I'm going to shoot you! But before I do, you can write a farewell card to your parents.” As Engleitner began to write, the SS-officer repeatedly knocked his elbow so that the whole paper was covered in illegible scribbles. He cried: “Look at this fool! He can't even write, but he can read the Bible?” Slowly he pulled out his gun, so that Leopold had time to get really frightened, held it to his temple and said sarcastically, “Now I'll pull the trigger. Are you ready?” “Yes,” Engleitner answered. “Forget it!” snarled Sommer, “You' re even too stupid to be shot...” He dragged Engleitner back to his cell, where he was received with scorn: “Tell us, what' s the use of suffering for such stupid beliefs?”

As a newcomer, Leopold Engleitner was assigned to the feared penal company. In the quarry at Ettersberg, prisoners had to provide the stones for road construction in the camp by using the most primitive tools. Work in this unit was one of the greatest tortures that people had to endure in Buchenwald concentration camp. After a time he was assigned to the construction unit. This unit was to assist an outside building company build a large purification plant inside of Buchenwald.