POV of a British soldier
25-26-February-1920
''Come on, move! Get on the trains and don't waste time!'' we heard a German soldier who knew how to speak English shout as he pointed us toward the transport wagons.
It had not been long since we had surrendered to the German forces that had been besieging us for days. The only reason we had managed to hold our positions in the Baltic was that the Navy could cover us and keep the Germans away, but a storm had forced the ships to withdraw and left us completely at the mercy of the Germans.
They surpassed us in almost everything: aviation, artillery, tanks and armored cars. Since we did not control any port where we could unload equipment, moving heavy material to the coast could take hours. Many times, the Germans prevented us from even getting it off the ships.
They, on the other hand, had all their equipment and fought from defensive positions. When our only protection fell, they tore us apart.
Luckily, our officers finally decided to surrender. We had spent days with artillery falling on our heads, and the shelters we had dug were beginning to collapse because of the constant bombardment. After so many days of German harassment, there was barely a single position left that could be considered safe.
But finally, it was all over.
Now we could only hope they had some mercy, which did not seem very likely. Our officers had been constantly executing German soldiers who tried to surrender.
So all those stories we had heard about men sent to German prison camps and the mistreatment they had received from their captors would surely end up coming true. And those men had been captured by the Imperial Army. I did not even want to imagine what rebels would do to us.
''Hold on to the straps! The journey will be short!'' someone shouted before closing the wagon doors.
Another soldier struck the doors with a stick to check that they were properly secured.
The train began to move without another word. Inside, all we could hear was the rattling of the wheels, the breathing of the men and the smell that made it clear someone was having trouble with the food.
From inside the wagon, we could not see where they were taking us. There were only a few small holes that let in air.
We had no choice but to listen to the noise of the wagon moving along the tracks while we all waited to find out where our future prison would be.
I do not know how much time passed.
After a long journey, the train finally stopped. Shortly afterward, we once again heard the constant blows of a stick against the wagons.
The door of our wagon was suddenly opened.
''All right, everyone down. This will be your temporary prison'' the guard said, pointing with his stick for us to get off.
We climbed down without saying much, except for a few complaints and insults that could be heard among the lads. When we looked around, we saw that the rest of the prisoners were also getting down from the other wagons.
''Follow us and do not separate. Winter is harsh around here'' warned the German officer who began guiding us.
We formed lines and began making our way through the snow. It did not take long before we headed toward what seemed to be a small village.
As we marched, we heard the train begin moving again and continue on its way, leaving us abandoned in the middle of that place.
When we finally reached the center of the village, we found a group of men already waiting for us.
''Here are your new companions, Richard. I hope you make sure none of them tries to escape. I remind you that the last idiot who tried froze to death'' the German officer said, addressing the man who seemed to be one of our own officers.
''I will'' our countryman replied.
It did not take long for the Germans to leave, leaving us strangely alone.
''All right, lads… Welcome to your prison'' the officer began as he looked at us. ''There are two important things you need to know. First, if any of you executed a German soldier and has not yet been discovered, keep your mouth shut. The Germans turn into true devils when they find out someone killed one of their own after capturing him. My major was taken prisoner over something like that, and we have not seen him again''.
He paused while his eyes moved along our lines.
''Aside from that, you should not have too many problems. The second thing is that there are barely any guards and there are no walls. But do not get any ideas. We are in the middle of German territory and we do not even know exactly where the hell we are. The cold can kill you in a very short time, and any place where we could ask for help is many kilometers away'' the officer said, pointing at some boxes.
''Here is clothing you will have to wear, similar to our winter kit. We are expected to work for the Germans while this whole matter is resolved and the negotiations come to an end'' another officer said, pointing at several open boxes containing multiple layers of clothing.
Seeing that some men were already moving forward to collect their clothes, I did the same. It did not take me long to get wool gloves, several thick garments, wool coverings and a pair of boots. With all of that, we should be fairly comfortable despite the cold.
''Good. Once you have collected the two changes of clothes that correspond to you, come here. We have to assign you your rooms'' the first officer said, drawing our attention.
It did not take long before we followed him. As we moved deeper into that place, we saw that there were a large number of houses.
''As you can probably notice, this is supposed to be a German colony built to settle their people in the east. However, the colonists have not arrived yet, so they are using the place as a prison. Therefore, no breaking things. You six will go to that house'' the officer said, pointing at one of the homes.
When we entered, we discovered that there were six rooms available and two bathrooms spread between the two floors. Each of us would have his own bed, accompanied by several thick blankets.
There was also a kitchen connected to some kind of system, but, like the electricity, it was disconnected. The only things that worked were the running water and the toilets.
''This house looks like a mansion compared to the shack I lived in when I was working'' I said, knocking on one of the walls and finding that it was incredibly solid.
''Tell me about it. If it had electricity and gas, you could rent a house like this for a good handful of pounds in London'' one of our companions replied.
''Imagine having a shower and hot water. Having a bathroom is already fantastic, but I would rather die than wash myself with the cold outside'' another man said, laughing from the bathroom.
''If I had known I would end up with a bed and not surrounded by mud and snow, I would have surrendered that time the Germans almost captured me'' one of the lads commented while scratching his head. He had already thrown himself onto his bed, covering himself with the blankets and adjusting the pillow.
Without saying much, we began putting on the clothes they had given us. Then we heard someone opening the door of our prison.
''Come here! I have to teach you how to use the gas system!'' someone shouted.
When I poked my head out of the bedroom door, I saw that it was the officer who had assigned us the house.
''I'm coming'' I replied while finishing putting on my boots and stepping out to see what it was about.
''Look, I do not know much about this system. I have not been here much longer than you either. The only thing I know is that we have to bring manure from the animals on the nearby farm, put it in here together with the farm waste, and then close the lid properly. Ideally, it has to be filled every day. If you have food scraps, like peels or things like that, you also throw them in here'' he explained, pointing to a kind of box located outside the house.
''Is that all?'' asked one of the men who would share our barrack.
''No, that is not all. Come with me'' the officer replied, leading us back inside the house. ''Do you see that knob? It lets the gas through. Then you can light it with a match. Look''.
The officer took out a box of matches, opened the valve and lit a match. A small flame began coming out of one of the kitchen pipes.
''With this, you can cook. Most of the food they give us will come unprepared, so we will have to cook it ourselves'' he explained before closing the knob again.
''And does it work with the shower too?'' one of ours asked enthusiastically, pointing toward the bathroom.
''Yes, it works for that too. Come'' the officer said, leading us to one of the closed rooms.
When he opened the door, we saw several pipes and metal boxes installed against the wall.
''This device is for electricity, but we do not have any for the moment. We are not connected to the grid yet. This other one works the same way as the kitchen. You open the knob, bring a match close and light it. With that, you will have hot water throughout the house. Then you can mix it with the cold water using the taps to adjust the temperature''.
The officer looked at us seriously before leaving.
''That would be all. Be very careful, because if you use this damned system badly, it could explode. It has not happened yet, and I would prefer you not be the first to manage it'' he said before leaving the house.
''I call the first shower!'' someone shouted, lighting the system and immediately running to the bathroom.
''The one upstairs works too, so I'm taking it. I want to stop smelling like a corpse'' another of my companions said.
''Hey… Are we really prisoners?'' my companion asked.
''Eh… Yes. I am starting to have my doubts too'' I replied while scratching my beard.
Since night was already falling, the German guards arrived in a truck and began handing out food together with basic cooking equipment: a frying pan, a pot and some plates.
There were potatoes, lettuce, mushrooms and eggs in abundance. They also gave each of us a piece of rabbit and some flour that seemed to be wheat.
We did not waste the chance and tried to make bread using the oven, which worked with gas like the rest of the house. We struggled quite a bit to figure out how to light the damned thing. After many failed attempts, we finally managed to get it working.
Luckily, one of the lads had worked as a baker's assistant before the war, so it did not take long before we prepared something resembling bread and a fairly decent dinner.
We went to sleep with full stomachs and warm bodies. For the first time in several weeks, I managed to truly relax.
The peace lasted until a trumpet woke us the next morning.
With the sound still echoing throughout the village, the German guards began assigning the day's duties. Before giving us any work, they asked what we knew how to do and whether any of us had a trade.
Most of our unit came from London and its surroundings. I had been nothing more than a day laborer before they recruited me and sent me to the front.
They divided us between caring for rabbits, chickens and cows. I was assigned to milking for several hours and carrying the milk to a building where they heated and bottled it to distribute it throughout the colony or use it in cheese making.
Other men were put in charge of collecting and sorting the eggs to distribute them among the houses.
They informed us that we would not eat rabbit again until the next litter had grown, so that dinner had probably been our last ration of fresh meat for a good while.
The cows were not to be touched.
While we cared for the animals, we spoke with a German soldier who spoke English. According to what he explained, the place was an agricultural colony built to house between one and two thousand German settlers. The idea was for it to maintain itself almost entirely on its own, without depending too much on the State's logistical system except for repairs and a few basic services.
''You will work here for the next four hours. After that, you will have free time until tomorrow. With that, you will have completed your nine hours of work'' explained the German in charge of keeping track of our schedules, pointing toward an enormous glass structure.
Without saying much, we headed toward it.
We opened the first door and discovered there was another one right in front of us. After closing the one behind us, we opened the second.
The change in temperature was immediate… So was the smell.
''Oh… What the hell…?'' I muttered as I felt the heat inside.
''Eh… What is it? Are you new?'' asked someone who seemed to have been sleeping.
''Yes'' I replied.
There were numerous workers resting on tables and chairs. Some had removed almost all their clothes because of the heat.
''Good. We already finished our part. Today is fertilizing. Grab those sprayers and cover that section of plants. Everything that had to be harvested has already been collected, and the weeds were removed too. When you finish, you can rest like us'' one of the workers explained, pointing to several bronze containers.
One of the men who had been resting stood up to show us what we had to do and how much fertilizer we needed to use.
That greenhouse only produced one type of crop, so the calculations were fairly simple.
It took us a few hours to complete the work. We had to take off part of our clothing because of the heat inside, but once we finished, we joined the rest of the group to rest.
The warmth was pleasant compared to the shitty cold outside. The smell, on the other hand, was dreadful.
Apparently, the same system that produced gas for the houses also generated fertilizer. According to what they explained to us, the worst jobs were collecting manure from the animals, taking it to the houses or removing the processed fertilizer.
Those tasks were normally assigned to those who behaved the worst.
When our leisure time finally came, we found that in one of the semi-central areas of the village, some of our companions were playing football with the guards, since apparently there were teams made up of both sides.
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