Q — Do you know if the Commandant was responsible for the bayoneting and dog bites?

A — I did not know the Commandant and I do not know who was responsible. Captain Pickhardt, the officer in charge of the guards, is said to have incited the guards by telling them that American Airmen were gangsters who received a bonus for bombing German children and women. Most of the guards were older men and fairly reasonable, but other guards were pretty rough. “Big Stoop” was the most hated of the guards.

Q — For what reason was “Big Stoop” disliked?

A — He beat up on many of our men. He would cuff the men on the ears with an open hand sideways movement. This would cause pressure on the ear drums which sometimes punctured them.

B — Could you give any specific incidents of such mistreatment by “Big Stoop”?

A — He was about six feet, six inches tall, weight about 180 to 190 pounds, and was approximately fifty years old. His most outstanding characteristic was his large hands, which seemed out of proportion to those of a normal person.

Q — When you arrived at Stalag #4, were you subjected to the bayonet runs?

A — No. We were marched from the station to Luft #4, but not on the run. Some of the men were tired and we complained to “Big Stoop”. He snarled at us, but personally went forward and slowed the column down.

Q — Did you have any duties assigned to you while a prisoner?

A — I was known as an Allied Medical Officer at Stalag Luft #4 Camp Hospital and in charge of Section C while on the march.

Q — State what you know concerning the forced march from Stalag Luft #4?

A — In February 1945 the Russian offensive threatened to engulf Stalag Luft #4. On 6 February 1945 about 6,000 prisoners were ordered to leave the camp on foot after only a few hours notice. We left in three separate sections, A, C and D. I marched with Section C which had approximately 2500 men. It was a march of great hardship. For 53 days we marched long distances in bitter weather and on starvation rations. We lived in filth and slept in open fields or barns. Clothing, medical facilities and sanitary facilities were utterly inadequate. Hundreds of men suffered from malnutrition, exposure, trench foot, exhaustion, dysentery, tuberculosis, and other diseases. No doubt many men are still suffering today as a result of that ordeal.

Q — Who was in charge of this March?

A — The commandant of Stalag Luft #4 was in charge of the three sections. Hauptman (Captain) Weinert was in charge of Section C that I marched with. All the elements of Stalag Luft #4 occupied a good bit of territory and there was frequent overlapping of the various sections.

Q — How much distance was covered in this march?

A — While under the jurisdiction of Stalag Luft #4, we covered an estimated 555 kilometers (330 miles). I kept a record which I still have of distance covered, rations issued, sick men abandoned and other pertinent data. This record is far from complete, especially about records of the sick, but the record of rations and distance covered is complete.

Q — How much food was issued to the men on this march?

A — According to my records, during the 53 days of the march, the Germans issued us rations which I have since figured out contained a total of 770 calories per day. The German ration was mostly in potatoes and contained very little protein, far from enough to maintain strength and health. However, in addition we were issued Red Cross food which for the same 53 day period averaged 566 calories per day. This means that our caloric intake per day on the march amounted to 1336 calories. This is far less than the minimum required to maintain body weight, even without the physical strenuous activity we were compelled to undergo in the long marches.

The area we marched through was rural and there were no food shortages there. We slept in barns and often saw large supplies of potatoes which we could not get at. We all felt that the German officers in our column could have obtained more supplies for us. They contended that the food we saw was needed elsewhere. They further contended that the reason we received so little Red Cross supplies was that the Allied Air Force (of which we were “Gangster” members) had disrupted the German transportation that carried Red Cross supplies. This argument was disproved later when we continued our march under the jurisdiction of another prison camp; namely Stalag #11B. This was during the last month of the war when German transportation was at its worst. Even so, we received a good ration of potatoes almost daily and received frequent issues of Red Cross food, far more than we were given under the jurisdiction of Stalag Luft #4.