Chapter 7. Buried Treasure
The Commandant of KL Kochendorf addressed Henry and his the rest of the [SD1] newly- arrived group of men with a stern voice. "You will all be working in these salt mines," he began. "You will be given special food that is slightly greasy in order to absorb the salt that you will be breathing while inside the mines. You will be given a ration of water as well. If you drink more than is given to you, you will wind up like those people," he warned while pointing to a pile of corpses. Seeing this Henry was shocked. "Those are your people," he continued. "They didn't follow my orders. Do not make the same mistake," he concluded and walked away. Henry looked around and saw people working in conditions that he had never witnessed before. Most of the men were extremely malnourished. They looked like living skeletons. He wondered how they were able to stand and move about. "This is a death camp," he thought to himself. "The Germans Nazis are going to work me until I fall over and die." As he was wondering how he would survive in the living hell that was displayed before him, a Ukrainian Kapo shouted out for everyone to line up. All the men slowly fell in line.
The Kapo began selecting men for various tasks within the salt mines. Henry noticed that besides the Jewish prisoners there were also POWs from various neighboring countries. He would be working side by side with them. He was given a tool for digging and led into the salt mine. The entrance to the mine was a three-story brick building with a metal scaffolding superstructure attached to it. The structure stood about 75 feet tall and had large pulleys at that top with thick steel cables wrapped around them that would lower and raise an elevator down into the mine shaft which reached a depth of almost 600 feet. Several rows of railroad tracks ran up to the entrance that were used to bring the excavated salt out and away from the mine, as well as to bring train-loads of various items to be stored in the mines.
German scientists had determined that using salt mines to store various plundered items that were confiscated from Jews or taken from countries they had occupied was an ideal way of preserving those items. The constant temperature of about 50 degrees Fahrenheit and the stable humidity of roughly 60-65 percent would almost guarantee that deposited works of art would not be damaged by any sudden changes of heat or moisture. The Kochendorf salt mine sat about thirty-five35 feet above the water level so there was no danger of water seeping into the mine. The Nazis had been bringing their most cherished items here for months: paintings, sculptures, statues, and other rare items, and they needed a constant supply of slave labor to expand their enterprise by digging new tunnels.
Henry and his group were led by the Kapo down into the mine shaft. They walked through a long narrow tunnel about 20 feet wide and 10 feet tall high that had been carved directly into solid salt-rock and. They came to an area where the tunnel had ended. Men were busily chipping away at a solid wall while German soldiers stood by at watch. Henry's job was to break off large pieces of rock and load them into a steel mining car that was hauled off by other workers. It was extremely loud and dusty. He wore no mask or any kind of protective gear and. He hadn't eaten any food all day. He started working while planning on how he could get his hands on some extra food rations.
The Kapo began selecting men for various tasks within the salt mines. Henry noticed that besides the Jewish prisoners there were also POWs from various neighboring countries. He would be working side by side with them. He was given a tool for digging and led into the salt mine. The entrance to the mine was a three-story brick building with a metal scaffolding superstructure attached to it. The structure stood about 75 feet tall and had large pulleys at that top with thick steel cables wrapped around them that would lower and raise an elevator down into the mine shaft which reached a depth of almost 600 feet. Several rows of railroad tracks ran up to the entrance that were used to bring the excavated salt out and away from the mine, as well as to bring train-loads of various items to be stored in the mines.
German scientists had determined that using salt mines to store various plundered items that were confiscated from Jews or taken from countries they had occupied was an ideal way of preserving those items. The constant temperature of about 50 degrees Fahrenheit and the stable humidity of roughly 60-65 percent would almost guarantee that deposited works of art would not be damaged by any sudden changes of heat or moisture. The Kochendorf salt mine sat about thirty-five35 feet above the water level so there was no danger of water seeping into the mine. The Nazis had been bringing their most cherished items here for months: paintings, sculptures, statues, and other rare items, and they needed a constant supply of slave labor to expand their enterprise by digging new tunnels.
Henry and his group were led by the Kapo down into the mine shaft. They walked through a long narrow tunnel about 20 feet wide and 10 feet tall high that had been carved directly into solid salt-rock and. They came to an area where the tunnel had ended. Men were busily chipping away at a solid wall while German soldiers stood by at watch. Henry's job was to break off large pieces of rock and load them into a steel mining car that was hauled off by other workers. It was extremely loud and dusty. He wore no mask or any kind of protective gear and. He hadn't eaten any food all day. He started working while planning on how he could get his hands on some extra food rations.