Fathers Organization Todt War diary March 1942

[canadien]

Fathers Organization Todt War diary March 1942 (labour under extreme conditons)


March 42


March 1st

Sunday, (blue sky, bright moonlight at nights),
Movie, “Blue Fox”


March 2nd

Monday
Requests for Panjeschlitten (Polish or Russian sled) from several headquarters in Bryansk were in vain. Meeting about a new mission on the track to Unetschka-Kritschew. Resizing the gage (bring them in 3 1/2 inches to fit the German standard width) together with other Fa. Foreman very ill, he has a stomach ache. Does not matter, he does not take care of anything anyway.

March 3rd

Tuesday

For boots to the quarter master, without success. Our 3 rail cars (Russian) were to be cleaned and washed out. No tools, no brooms or brushes. People are standing about and can’t do any work. We have the worst rail cars, full of bugs. St̂hr has good rail cars and those are well furnished. Beds with straw and bed sheets and storage cabinets.



March 4th
Wednesday
U.v.D again since H. Buenberger went ahead with 10 men and Fischer to establish quarters. At 2:30 pm we got word that we have to leave tomorrow no later than noon.
In the evening finally mail from Ronni, Felix, Mother Fuhrmann.
Postcard for the above


March 5th

Thursday
4 am departure of the first party to the railroad station. I leave with the rest at 5 am. At 8 am we are on board and ready to go. At 1 pm we are towed by a small locomotive from the rail yard to a small ramp and remain there. At 7 pm departure. Again mail, 2 letters from Gili, Mother Fuhrmann.



March 6th
Friday, 0 o’clock, Unetscha

Transferring loads from 12 noon to 4 pm. Departure soon. Pioneers (rail road engineers) are traveling with us.



March 7th

Saturday
Still Unetschka. Letter to Felix, enclosed one for Ronni (6); Arrival 5 pm, unload, took quarters. Osmolowitschi.




March 8th

Sunday
Starting to work on tracks, on 14 tie plates gage changed, on 23 spikes removed in 5 hours
(Osmolowitschi)



March 9

Monday
In the morning changing gage, afternoon off since track still closed. All together spikes removed from 34 tie plates and 30 gage changes. Wind from the South



March 10

Tuesday
All day working on gage changes. Hard work. Tools inferior. Everything frozen and an icy wind. 40 plates changed. 26 men team. O.v. D. Wind from the west


March 11

Wednesday morning, 29 men, 21 plates gage changes. Buenberger, 41 men, Wind north, 7:30 pm 50 plates = 600 meters changed.


March 12

Thursday
Blizzard, uncomfortable, cold. Inquire at 12:15 if we should continue working – orders: yes! – In the evening I was reprimanded for leaving the construction site to go inside. I would be notified in situations like that.


Friday March 13
Storm, snow, almost impossible to work. 40 tie plates done, at 2 pm, Klempel says we should stop. Terribly homesick, eyelashes frozen shut, eyebrows icy, several men have frostbite




March 14

Saturday
Still storming, -14_ (-23_). We are not working.


March 15

Sunday
Storm, we are working at –20_C from 7 am to 10 am, and then stopped. Some men have frozen feet, noses, cheeks or fingers.


March 16

Monday still pretty cold. 30 men 65 tie plates 780 meters 7 am to 5 pm


March 17

Tuesday Cold, 25 men, 54 tie plates, 650 meter, 4 rail bases broken, therefore not as much accomplished



March 18

Wednesday
68 tie plates, 800 meters, sunshine, cold. Work from 6:45 am to 5 pm. 1 hour to site.



March 19

Thursday
65 tie plates, 780 meters, sunshine, cold. All very sunburned. Work from 6:30 am to 4:45 pm, It takes 1 1/4 hours to get there. Buenberger is working on the same track.


March 20

Friday
Work from 6:30 am to 5 pm, Weigl, Buenberger on same team. Pioneer crew is working toward us. At 5:15 pm our track is finished.




March 21

Saturday Day off because advance unit to Unetscha. Letter Ronni (7)






March 22

Sunday 7am departure with 8 Panje sleds, Kumonare 10:30 am, changed sleds. Departure 12 noon to Surash, arrival 8 pm. 9 pm spent night in construction locomotive with 2 G (for Ģterwagen = freight trains)



March 23. 1942
Unetscha 10 am. Ran around all day to get straw, wood, quarters and especially food since we did not get marching orders. Mr. Senf said he would release Mr. Bauer but could not since there are no official rubber stamps. 6 pm in quarters.
Monday
Unetscha, prepare quarters


March 24

Tuesday
Prepared quarters in Unetscha. Found straw and wood. We have to pay for everything. A Panje sled -.50 RM (Reichsmark) per hour. Letter Feli – Heini.


March 25

Wednesday
Quarters are ready. Wood and straw prepared. Waiting at Mr. Bauer’s for a telephone call when troops will arrive in Unetscha. At 4 pm Klempfel and Kogler arrive. They are surprised that I did not expect them. In the evening a quarrel – Mr. Kogeln says he should report me because of my incompetence and not following his orders. I was supposed to clear the snow with the Russians so we could begin with work immediately. The shovels and picks happen to be with the troops and Russians can be hired every day at 8 am at the employment office. One can’t place an order ahead. Kogler is a little Napoleon, at least he thinks so. A farm boy becoming a lance corporal or instructor.



March 26

Thursday
Camp work. Unloading, pulling spikes, 10 plates. Buemberger, 400 meters spikes changed






March 27

Friday changed gage, 51 plates, 600 meters. Bad mood. Fighting and arguing against everybody, at the main office. Because of food supply and schnaps. Letter to Ronni (8). letter Geli, letter Mother.



March 28

Saturday
Changing gage, rail station Unetscha. 900 meters (45 plates) Letter to Harry




March 29

Sunday
Blizzard. We finish at Unetscha at 2 pm.



March 30

Monday
Unetscha. Sunshine. Order for a new mission. Advance commando, since Buenberger is sick. Letter 9 to Ronni. With construction team Senf ahead to Bryansk. Overnight at technical school. Meet up with 2nd Wahler team and leader Vollmeier. From Sepp Wittman and Vollmeier I receive a lot of food stuff.





March 31

Tuesday 8:30 wait at rail station Bryansk for chance to take train to Sachanskaja. 2nd (can’t read word) gets already off the train at Naryochkino. Departure 2:15 pm, arrival 7:30 pm. Overnight in the station’s waiting room at Sachanskaja.


























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[canadien]

Posting of diary to be continued around end of october and beginning of november hopefully.


My father makes refrence of going to see the" Wild Man" in jan of 42 guess Wild Mann or der Wild Mann. Just wondering if this was a movie or possibly a bar or tavern in Munich.


Also ive only come across one or two pics of the department store hertie one where it is destroyed and the current modern one. Does anyone know of any pictures on the net of the department store herite before it was destroyed during the war.

Thanks and I look forward to posting more of my dads dairy

[sid guttridge]

Hi Canadien,

This is very interersting stuff.

It is not often one comes across a contemporary diary from an "unsexy" auxiliary organisation like the OT. It is very useful to see the sort of monotony and day-to-day discomforts of men engaged in such support tasks behind the lines. It is often forgotten that war for most people in uniform most of the time is tedious, uncomfortable and unsatisfying.

Please keep it coming.

Cheers,

Sid.

P.S. Soviet partisans don't seem to be much of a threat so far!

[mightythor99]

do you know what unit, specifically, your father was in? any idea of towns, etc, he was in? did he evacuate late in '44? go through death camps? guard russian prisoners of war?
the reason i ask, is i have a photo album, from a guy who was from munich, also organization todt, served on teh russian front.............and his album is really interesting. he has photos of a couple of russian prisoners of war, who, it is written on the back, were cannibals. also he goes through some kind of a death camp, not sure which one it is though.
im not sure if it says what unit this guy was in, but maybe through the pictures it could be traced back. not sure if he worked on the railroad tracks or what,............would have to dig it out and go through it again more "critically".

[canadien]

Right now the ladys are proff reading the diary . so once thats done ill post more. I do have my fathers Organization Todt Diensstbuch , does anyone know where his unit would be listed in the pages of the Diensstbuch

[canadien]

It seems that my father was in Organization Todt Munich, Look at the inside page of his dienstbuch which I posted. If you dig out your photo album look for Bryansk, Gomel, Unestecha,Minsk to name a few cities the rest are in the diary. Maybe you could post someof your album. Hope that helps take care