Jean Bernard, Pfarrerblock 25487
(1945 memoir) Visit
to Dachau in May 1942, page by Prof. Harold Marcuse (homepage) |
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vs. Film |
text + translation |
film links |
visit |
Feb. 1942 May 1942 afterword |
Page introduction (back to top) Announcements, July 2007:
Luxemburg priest Jean Bernard (1907-1994) wrote his diary-style notes immediately after his release from the Dachau concentration camp in early August 1942. They were originally published as a series in 1945 in the Luxemburger Wort, then republished in book form in 1962, 1984, 1987 and 2004. This short book begins with Bernard's arrest in February 1941 in Trier and his arrival in Dachau on May 19, 1941. It includes many anecdotes about Bernard's experiences in the camp, notably the Feb. 15-25, 1942 "vacation" he was granted to return home. It ends with his release on probation on August 5, 1942. For more information, see the scanned pages from the "biographical notes" at the end of the 1987 80th birthday edition of Bernard's book, below. I saw Schlöndorff's 2004 film The Ninth Day, based loosely on the "vacation" anecdote in this memoir, at the Santa Barbara International Film festival in February 2005. As an expert on Dachau I was interested in how accurately Bernard's story was represented in the film, so I obtained a copy of the book (1987 edition) to compare. In May 2005 I was interviewed by Pat Dowell for a review she was doing for NPR (6/1/05 review), and I did some more research and beefed up this page. This is what I found. |
Memoir vs. Film comparison (back to top) The film certainly takes liberties, changing the order of many events,
and notably the Golgotha/crucifixion scene is an adaptation of Bernard's
description of how 60 priests were suspended from poles by their hands
bound behind their backs (a common camp torture). The thirst scene was
taken from Primo Levi's I liked the fact that the film and book portray the "normal" side of daily existence in a concentration camp: the privileged life of the prisoner-functionaries, the seemingly random granting and retraction of benefits, and meting out of punishments. Here are some scenes from the book that were adapted for the film:
Most notably however, the majority of the film focuses on a moral dilemma derived from the single paragraph in which Bernard describes his first conversation with the Luxemburg Gestapo man:
The moral crux of the film is embodied by a statement by the young priest-trainee turned Gestapo man, in which he justifies betrayal. His argument goes something like this: Just like Judas betrayed Christ, Abbe Kremer should betray Luxemburg's Church. Because without Judas's betrayal Jesus wouldn't have been crucified, and without the crucifixion Christianity wouldn't have been realized. I note that in the epilog to the book (see the scans and English summary below), the editors write that the Luxemburg Gestapo did NOT know in advance that Bernard was going to be released (even temporarily), and that it harassed him after his final release in August 1942. Accordingly, the film's premise that SS-Untersturmführer 'Gebhardt' obtained Bernard's release would be false. The editor writes that Bernard himself thought that his friends and family, especially his brother in Paris, obtained his 'furlough' and release. Still, whether or not the Luxemburg Gestapo had anything to do with Bernard's release, Bernard would likely have had to report to them every day, like a prisoner on parole. And such conversations might indeed have taken place. Luxemburger Romain Hilgert's review, 'Die neunte Stunde: Statt "frei nach dem autobiographischen Bericht" zu sein, grenzt Der neunte Tag an propagandistische Geschichtsfälschung' examines the historical basis very closely. He read the original diary publications (26 May 1945 to 4 June 1946) and examined the 733-page book Die Luxemburger Kirche im Zweiten Weltkrieg: Dokumente, Zeugnisse, Lebensbilder (Sankt-Paulus, 1991). This is where one could look to find information about Luxemburg Bishop Philippe's stance towards the Nazis. |
The 10-day "vacation" -- the text (back to top)(see also the book's afterword) OCR text of pages 80-89 (1987 edition)(scans below); translation by Harold Marcuse |
[p. 80] 11.
Februar. Beim Morgenappell heißt es plötzlich: "Schiltz Michel!" |
[p. 80] 11 February.
With the morning roll call it is called sudden: "Schiltz Michel!" |
Ninth Day Film Links (back to top)
in German:
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Description
of an official visit to the concentration camp (back
to top) |
Lagerbesuch, Mai 1942 (scans) Als wir zu Mittag einrückten, wurden wir nicht ins Lager eingelassen, sondern mußten außerhalb des Tores endlos warten. Erst dachten wir, es könnte gefilzt werden, und der ganzen Kolonne bemächtigte sich große Angst. Wer nicht einen Zigarettenstummel bei sich trug, der hatte ein paar Löwenzahnblätter [128] oder irgendein eßbares Unkraut für die Suppe mitgebracht. Dann erfuhren wir den Grund: Besuch im Lager! Das hieß soviel wie: kein Mittagessen und keine Mittagsrast, dafür stundenlanges Stehen und Warten. Denn der Besuch muß das Lager unbedingt leer finden. Die Außenkommandos rücken nicht ein, und was an Häftlingen im Lager weilt, muß schleunigst in die Baracken verschwinden und hinter verschlossenen Türen und Fenstern mäuschenstill dasitzen. Nur ein paar wohlgenährte Capos sollen wie von ungefähr auf der Lagerstraße, zwischen Rasen und Zierbäumchen, zufrieden auf und ab spazieren. Auf dem weiten Appellplatz konzertiert die Lagermusik um die Wette mit den Vögeln, die ihr erstes Lenzlied zwitschern. Der Besuch geht stets denselben Weg: bewundert die Kleiderablage, staunt ob des Duschraumes, spiegelt sich in den Fliesen des Küchenbodens und den vor Sauberkeit glänzenden Riesenkesseln, nickt anerkennend in Wäscherei, Desinfektion und Kleiderlager. Dann geht's zum Krankenrevier, das mit allen Schikanen moderner Heilkunde ausgerüstet ist. Endlich wird auch ein Block besichtigt. Der nächst-liegende natürlich, und das ist wie von ungefähr Block 2. Den ist Stube 4 zu einem wahren Ausstellungsobjekt ausgebaut. Der Fußboden ist ... gewachst, die Betten mit sauberstem Linnen gedeckt, alles atmet Frieden und Gemütlichkeit. An einem Tisch sitzen ein halbes Dutzend »Ehrenhäftlinge« mit langen Haaren, welche dieses Kleinod zu verwalten und in dauernd besuchsfähigem Zustand zu erhalten haben. "Die übrigen Häftlinge sind leider just draußen in Arbeit ... " [129] In Wirklichkeit stehen sie hinter dem Tor,
zitternd vor Hunger und Müdigkeit, begleiten in Gedanken den
Besuch durch das Lager und fragen ängstlich, ob die Zeit wohl
noch fürs Mittagessen reichen wird. Das will nicht unbedingt heißen, daß
sie umgebracht wurden. Aber aus Angst vor dem Revier oder doch vor
dem Aufnahmezeremoniell zu demselben hielt sich jeder, der nicht
über Protektion im Revier verfügte, so lange und so krampfhaft
aufrecht, wie es nur irgend ging. Kam dann der Zusammenbruch, dann
waren die Kräfte derart ausgeschöpft, daß es meist
kein Aufkommen mehr gab. Kaum aber hatten wir das Tor hinter uns, da kam der Lagerläufer vom Jourhaus dahergebraust und brüllte schon von weitem die Capos an: "Seid ihr denn ver-rückt! Der Besuch ist noch da! Sofort verschwinden !" Wie gescheuchtes Wild stehen wir auseinander und
versteckten uns jeder auf eigene Faust, hinter den Giebeln der Baracken. |
Visit to Dachau, May 1942 When we came out of the plantation fields at noon, we were let in not in the camp, but had to wait outside of the gate endlessly. At first we thought we would be frisked, and great anxiety overcame the whole column. Whoever didn't have a cigarette stub, had a few dandelion leaves [128] or some edible weeds for the soup. Then we learned the reason: Visitor in the camp! That meant: no lunch and no midday rest, but instead standing and waiting for hours. Because the visitor must find the camp absolutely empty. The external work details do not enter, and those prisoners who stay in the camp must immediately disappear into the barracks and sit behind locked doors and windows, as quiet as mice. Only a few well-fed capos are to stroll, as if by coincidence, contently up and down on the camp street, between lawns and decorative trees. On the expansive roll-call square the camp music sounds like a concert competing with the birds, who are twittering their first songs of lent. Visitors always take the same route: admiring the dressing room, being astonished by the shower room, seeing their reflections in the tiles of the kitchen and on the giant pots shining with cleanliness, nodding appreciatively in the laundry, disinfection and clothing storage room. Then they go to the dispensary, which is equipped with all the tricks of modern medicine. Finally a barrack is visited. The closest of course, and that is as if by coincidence barrack 2. Room 4 is made into a true exhibition object. The floor is ... waxed, the beds covered with the cleanest linens, everything breathes peace and coziness. At a table a half dozen "special prisoners" without shaved heads sit, who have to maintain this gem in constantly visitable condition. "The remaining prisoners are unfortunately outside the camp working right now ..." [129] In reality they stand behind the gate, trembling
with hunger and exhaustion, accompanying in thoughts the visitor
in the camp and ask fearfully whether there will still be time enough
for lunch. That does not necessarily mean that they were killed.
But from fear of the infirmary or of the admission ceremony for
it, everyone who did not have protection in the infirmary nevertheless
held themself so long and so desperately upright, as was humanly
possible. If they collapsed, then their strength was so ex-hausted
that there was usually no chance of recovery. But hardly was the gate behind us, there came the camp runner zooming from the gatehouse and from afar already bawled at the capos: "Are you crazy! The visitor is still here! Disappear immediately!" Like frightened game we scatter and hide ourselves, everyone on his own, behind the ends of the barracks. When the danger was finally past -- we did not believe our ears -- we were given a half hour, so that there was time to eat. |
Page Scans (back to top) Scans
of pages about May 1942 visit (up to 1942 visit
text and translation) |
Pages 165-169 offer
some additional background. The relevant section begins on 164: "Nach dem französischen Zusammenbruch [in summer 1940] organisierte Abbe Bernard im Auftrag der noch in Funktion befindlichen luxemburgischen Behörden und im Einverständnis mit der ... (back to page intro, top of page) |
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After the collapse of France in the summer of 1940 Father Bernard was charged by Luxemburg authorities, with German approval, with organizing the return of the Luxemburg families who had fled into France during the German invasion. After completing the assignment with 11 trips to Paris, Bernard was arrested by the German authorities on Jan. 1, 1941. We don't know for sure why, perhaps as a general measure to break the patriotic resistance by setting examples. He had also worked in the Vatican's 'Center for Combatting German Film.' If Bernard had been found guilty of anything, he would have been put on trial, not sent to a concentration camp. The Luxemburg Gestapo did NOT know in advance about his release [thus the 2004 film's premise that SS man Gebhardt got Bernard out would be false]. Rather, Bernard's we..-connected brother in Paris may have been crucial. After Luxemburg's liberation in Sept. 1944 he became the editor of the newspaper Luxemburg Wort. |