Chapter 5. Angel of Death
It had been almost two days since Henry had any food or water. After marching for almost three days from Radom to Tomaszow he was transported by bus and then loaded onto a freight train with thousands of other men. Everyone was packed so tight into the freight cars that they held each other up like manikins stuffed into a storage closet. Perhaps fifty people could fit comfortably in the car Henry occupied. There must have been nearly two hundred. If anyone had to relieve themselves along the grueling journey, there was no other option but to do so where they stood. There was a small bucket that served as a latrine, but it was impossible to find or get to it in the overpacked car. The smell of urine and human waste was overwhelming. It was physically impossible to sit or lie down. Almost no light entered the car, save for a small ventilation window in the top corner which allowed a narrow beam of sunlight to stream in revealing the daytime outside and the misery inside.
The train finally crept to a halt. When it lurched, everyone moved like one solid mass, each body feeling the weight of the entire crowd. Suddenly the large door rolled open and blinding daylight flooded in. Henry shielded his face from the sun while his eyes adjusted to the intense light of the outdoors. As people started getting off the train, many bodies just fell to the floor of the train as space opened up and the crowd could no longer hold them up. As Henry slowly moved toward the door, he noticed that his older cousin Leon had been in the train car with him. They hadn't seen each other in years, but Henry felt relieved that he was with a fellow family member. It made him feel as if he were not alone. Since Leon was several years older, Henry looked up to him as if he were another older brother. With the little bit of energy they had left in them, Henry and Leon got down from the train. Several bodies fell out of the train and were piled up below them. They tried to avoid hitting them when they jumped out of the train car.
As Henry looked around in confusion he saw thousands of people disembarking from different cars of the train. A long, narrow area in front of the train tracks was packed with civilians holding their only belongings in the world, all contained in small leather suitcases. All the men were separated from the women and children. Guards with machine guns were directing people to line up in neat, orderly rows. About 200 yards from where Henry was standing, at the end of a long stretch of railroad tracks, he could see a large, wide building—the entrance to Auschwitz.
The train finally crept to a halt. When it lurched, everyone moved like one solid mass, each body feeling the weight of the entire crowd. Suddenly the large door rolled open and blinding daylight flooded in. Henry shielded his face from the sun while his eyes adjusted to the intense light of the outdoors. As people started getting off the train, many bodies just fell to the floor of the train as space opened up and the crowd could no longer hold them up. As Henry slowly moved toward the door, he noticed that his older cousin Leon had been in the train car with him. They hadn't seen each other in years, but Henry felt relieved that he was with a fellow family member. It made him feel as if he were not alone. Since Leon was several years older, Henry looked up to him as if he were another older brother. With the little bit of energy they had left in them, Henry and Leon got down from the train. Several bodies fell out of the train and were piled up below them. They tried to avoid hitting them when they jumped out of the train car.
As Henry looked around in confusion he saw thousands of people disembarking from different cars of the train. A long, narrow area in front of the train tracks was packed with civilians holding their only belongings in the world, all contained in small leather suitcases. All the men were separated from the women and children. Guards with machine guns were directing people to line up in neat, orderly rows. About 200 yards from where Henry was standing, at the end of a long stretch of railroad tracks, he could see a large, wide building—the entrance to Auschwitz.