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THE TREK FROM KLIMONTOW TO REGENSBURG
Continued from A7291677

Wednesday April 18

Outdoors again on the fire - we're eating well nowadays for the dinner ration consisted today of boiled spuds & barley with plenty of meat. We had a plateful of solid pea soup with spuds & meat added & then bread & spud scones. Lately & since Sunday I've had "durchfall" [diarrhoea] but it's clearing up a little now - too many spuds. Saw the guard & had an 8 K loaf for 40 fags & 8 eggs for another 25 with a couple of bars of soap.
Parcels came up at night - a mixed bag of English, French & Belgian - a dead loss compared to American. Lots of the white transport wagons are about apparently bringing them straight from Switzerland so we may get more. It ran out at one per man.

Thursday April 19

Out to work today - on the railway sidings - which the RAF visited last week - what a mess. Bloody awful hours entailing rising about 5.00 in black dark & getting back about 4.00 at night. Not time for anything. Had another few extra parcels - 2 French between 5.

Friday April 20

Work again. Same as yesterday & again we rested during an air raid in the district.
But it grieves me to have to write that four men including Davy lost their lives yesterday during the second air attack by the R.A.F. Three of our chaps were in a bomb hole when a bomb dropped right besides them killing them instantaneously with concussion. The other died later from wounds. It seems an even greater shame when one considers that with the exception of one all were five years a prisoner. It certainly shook me up & I don't mind admitting I thought I felt the dark angel brushed past me as the planes went over.
The fault of course lies again with the Germans for having us out on ... a target against all conventions - if one could please oneself where one lay it wouldn't be so bad but one must also bear the guards in mind for they're liable to shoot if one runs too far (50 m). In fact one man from Dambrowo was shot last week for just that reason.

Saturday April 21

As soon as we got back on the job today the sirens went - even before we were detailed into parties! We were on the place until 1.30 pm & altogether worked an hour: the rest of the time we sheltered while light & heavy bombers flew overhead & fighters straffed the district. All very uncomfortable. Several parachutists came down when their planes were hit - two I believe were seen to make off; the rest were either dead when they landed or else were killed by civvies.
It seems hardly believable to record but never the less it's true that the Unteroff sent up yesterday evening a demand for three rations of bread ... without comment.

Sunday April 22

Fine day today, thank God. Had a magnificent breakfast of two lightly boiled eggs, bread & butter & jam. The first meal I've had like that in five years. The weather has changed from summer to winter .... .... with a howling wind, rain & hail.
In consequence it's very uncomfortable around the fire. Still, we hear the Yanks are only 25 K away ... perhaps!!

Monday April 23

Was announced with bomb-like suddenness at 10.00 (we weren't at work) to be ready packed for 6.30 tonight to march off. Regret buying "1,001 Nights" off guard - its very heavy. 30 K

Tuesday 24

Marched from 7.00 - 1.15. Very hard going indeed. Bags of mud & an average speed of 5 Kms per hour. But had good barn eventually complete with light. Slept solid until 9.00 when I got up for a scout round. The village is called Tiefenbau
Left again at about 7.00. A lovely April evening & except for the fact of guns in the near distance one would imagine oneself at home. They say the Yanks are in Regensburg in which case we should shortly be surrounded. I hope to God we are!

Wednesday April 25

Arrived at 4.00 AM at a big & generous farm in a village called
------------ [left blank] Slept like a log until 9.00 & then felt entirely refreshed.

Thursday April 26

Still here & a very pleasant place it is - quite prepared to stay here.
A parcel issue today - French - roughly 9 between 10. Had some macaroni twice today - lovely! Seem to have been eating steadily since 8.00 in the morning until 9.00 at night - excellent way of spending the day.

Friday April 27

Heard the news from the Drum last night - naturally quite the best I've ever listened to.

Saturday April 28

Still here despite alarms & excursions [?] about further marching. The more I examine my map the more unlikely I consider the possibility as we are in the very centre of the only German occupied part of Germany left. It will be interesting after this lot has finished to compare my track of events with those from some official quarter; the trouble being now that we don't know if the 3rd Army's spear point from by-passed Regensburg has passed us to E. or W. If it's the former we can't shift; if the latter there is still a gap of 200 K for us to step through (looking at it from a German point of view) but I can see neither sense nor reason in the procedure for it gets no one anywhere. Bread is being baked here for our rations from stolen & issued meal. So far we have had 3 loaves of about 4 K apiece between 7. Spuds are being given by the farmer who seems a decent old chap - they seem to come out at about 8 per man per day.
Everybody though is completely browned off mainly through waiting, of course, for their release. The weather doesn't help at all because it's wet & horribly muddy. Most of the men have spent the day lying in bed - it's the only warm place & anyway there's nothing else to do save endless discussions on the war situation.

Luginger

Gounkofen XXX

Coninued on A7300649

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