Hide Article Text (OCR)
RALPH HOLSINGER WRITESPractically all Ex-Nazi Political Prisoners Malnutrition Victims(Editor’s note—This is the second of two special articles dealing with conditions in Germany as viewed by Pfe. Ralph Holsinger, with the V- S- Army and is used by special permission).Germany April 21, 1945 The dispensary was my next stop. A half dozen medical soldiers were on duty there. Though it was mid-aftemoon, they had a room full of , patients. A tall, fair-haired boy I from Bridgeport, Conn. became the spokesman for the group.“See that man there? He pointed to a tired-looking fellow who was soaking his feet in a basin of water. “He’s just walked until hecan’t walk any more. His feet have given out. Look at them.”I did and s?w that they were a swollen, bluish mass of nearlyshaneless flesh.“We 'have a lot of guys like him in here. He’s one of the milder cases. Some of them can’t w'alk at all, but this boric acid and soda solution is fixing them up.”The doctor in charge was a Czech woman who had formerly been plant physician for the underground aircraft factory. She was assisted by two Polish nurses, a Pole, a young man who had been a blank clerk in Holland and the crew of American medics. The Pole and the Hollander were invaluable because between them they spoke all the languages of Europe.Besides that, they were good aid men.All Need AidThe medic told me, “nearly everyone here needs medical attention but they don’t come to us unless they must. At that, every morning several hundred line up to get in here and we’re kept busy from morning until night. Most of the trouble comes from malnutritionand overwork. Serious cases are sent to the hospital in town but we have nearly 20 guys in beds in the next room. All of them have a xorm of pneumonia caused by the dampness of the factory tunnels. The doctor says it was an occupational disease among the workers.“You should have been here a few days ago. We had to de-louse everyone in camp. It kept the sterilizer going for three days. Now we’ve provided them with DD.T. powder and we’ve made it possible for them to keep their clothes clean so the louse probably is pretty well licked.”He said that he’d never seensuch willing workers. Ask for 20 men to dig holes and 100 will volunteer. This willingness has been put to good use making the camp clean and sanitary and keeping it that way.“But you’ve got to tell them what to do. Leave them alone and they’ll sit around and do nothing. They 311st don’t seem to be able to figure out things for themselves.“They’re happy now, but you can’t tell it by looking at them. Have you noticed their faces, especially their eyes? They look dead; as though they’d had the spirit oeaten out of them. At that, they're a hundred per cent better than they were five days ago. Some of them, get together in the evening to dance and sing.”1 had noticed the look of which the medic spoke. It’s the one thing you can’t help noticing wherever the Germans have been. It’s the look of those who were called “Inferior People.” It is perhaps the greatest indictment of the German system.
Newspaper Details
Piqua Daily Call
Piqua, Ohio, US
Thu, May 17, 1945
Page 13
Full Page
Clipped by
Richard E.
OH, USA 28 Jun 2023
Other Publications Near Piqua, Ohio
Piqua Morning Call
Piqua Daily Call and Piqua Press Dispatch
Piqua Press Dispatch
Piqua Daily Call
Piqua Miami Leader
