They also counted all our bed sheets to make certain that we were not
using them for some form of escape. This usually took about an hour
and we would hang around outside and harass the guards. The guards
were usually older men or those unable to be in the army. They always
checked our knives and forks to see if we were making weapons from
them.
Alfred Jocque was in the bunk next to me and he was the bombadier on a
B-17 that was shot down. One day he took his shirt off and his
longjohns were pink and red. He told us that the pilot and co-pilot
who were directly above him in the bomber had been shot and their
blood ran down over him and stained all his clothing before he bailed
out. All the enlisted men from the bombers went to different camps so
there were only officers with us. We all got along well with the men
in our room and there were no difficulties. Most of the guys were a
happy bunch, no doubt due to simply having survived. It was June and
the weather was warm so we spent a lot of time outside mainly walking
the perimeter, which was about 3/4 of a mile.
The Red Cross provided us with almost everything we got while in
prison camp aside from the food from the Germans. (when it was
available). Red Cross deliveries were made by truck from Switzerland
and were not dependable due to air raids, strafing attacks and poor
road conditions. The Swiss volunteers who drove the trucks certainly
deserved a medal for bravery.
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