The Horse Adjutant When we were cleaned and processed, the blockleiters were ready and waiting to take us to the barracks. They had our records in their hands as they stood at a distance to make room for everyone to find their masters. Since I was with only one other teenager, it did not take more than a moment to collect us and check our records. I met Zigfreid, my new blockleiter. Over the next year, I would realize he was a pleasant fellow with empathy for my plight. When I first met him, I had no idea what to expect. After spending time with Bloody Mietek, there was plenty of rea- son for concern. During my stay, he never hit anyone. Nor did I ever see him even raise his voice. Incongruously, he had a green triangle on his perfectly fitted blue and white uniform. This marked him as a dangerous criminal. It was just like the SS Officers in charge of the camp to choose a criminal to run a block, especially a youth block. But these were very strange times, and so many people were wrongly convicted, just like me. For extra measure, when I realized he was a convicted criminal, I think this is the first time I remembered to pray in a while. Silently, I said to myself, ‘I hope this man is nothing like the bloody bastard from across the way.’ We walked into the barracks and, instantly, I could see a difference. The bunks were only two levels, not three, and the room was much smaller, perhaps 200 people could be housed in this block and another 200 next door. It was not overcrowded, one Jungen hâftlinge to a bed. I was elated to have my own bed. Everything was in perfect order as the blockmaster started to speak. His tone was pleasant, and I was relieved, but still a little on edge. While he was showing us around, the place was empty. Everyone was at the factory or working around the barracks, except us. “I’d like you to be clean at all times,” he said. This was going to be much different than the horrors of Birkenau. He was asking for obedience, not demanding it. By the time I arrived in his care, I was bru- tally trained, so nothing he said was a surprise, except, the way he said it. Listening attentively, I knew things would be different here, better, and because he was ask- ing, instead of telling, it was a refreshing change. He continued, “And I would like the bed to be made so that I can bounce a coin on the mattress.” As he spoke, I saw the luscious mattresses, and could not wait to have a chance to try them out. It had been years since I slept on one of those. I thought this was going to be more like a military school than a concentration camp. In fact, for me, Buna was like a hotel compared to Birkenau. The blockmaster finished, “This is the Jugenbloch. It consists of blocks 48 and 49. There are no adults allowed in this block, at any time. If you want to visit someone
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