Arthur Burkett – Long March Diary

31st March – 17th April 1945

Cont: Sat March 31 1945.

We had porridge for supper and we put ½ tin of condensed milk in it. We have done pretty well for food today and the boredom that usually goes with stalag hasn’t reached me yet – this place will suit me till the end of the war.(on the news and column is 15miles from Wurzburg – 60 miles from here) The sgt in charge came in late & announced that 1.100men are to be sent to a working party on Monday and asked if there were any volunteers, there were none so we shall be detailed by the Germans.

Sunday April 1st 1945.

Awoke to find Ernie has brewed up and tea was ready. After tea in bed we got mobile and done issue more porridge and put the other tin of milk in it for breakfast. Everyone was then ordered to fall in on the rod and marched down to the Schreibstube (office) where we registered our name & number. This only took a few minutes and we went back and bread was up, some cheese & sugar and we were told we’d be lucky if we got any rations tomorrow.- there’s plenty of rumours of us moving – the new commentator told us he heard the we’re moving to Anbrach where we’ll be billeted in a disused school and its not a working party. We cooked up some dry veg for ‘dinner’ and then I tries to repair Lewis’s watch but wasn’t successful. Then just before bedtime the sgt announced reveille 4am move off 6am and summertime begins tomorrow so its really reveille 3am and we’re marching 18kilo’s.

Monday April2 1945

Awoke on Easter Monday at 4am and after cursing everything because of the dark, cheered up when I heard that parcels were to be issued. We packed and after a brew Jerry came and told us we had to get on the road by 5am – we got on the rod and as we marched off we had a parcel between tow men issued. The we were got on parade and our names & numbers were called – Brown, Lewis and Canning were called early but we had to wait for mine on the last sheet. We marched to the railway and were put 55 in an open truck and at 10am we moved off. We had breakfast of HL biscuits and meat roll & jam and settled down for a 2hour run. We went through Nuremberg and the place is a dead city with burnt-out trucks & engines all along the line wrecked buildings everywhere. The sirens sounded as we got on the train. We moved off at 10am and made good progress for 30kilo’s and then at 11.30am we run into a sidling where we stopped. At 4.30pm 4 planes circled around our train and then flew away. We heard MG & AA fire but the planes were out of sight by this time a few minutes later they came back and AA near here opened up but the four planes were flying very ‘low’ and took no notice at all and started doing the victory Roll. We got a bit of a ‘flap’ on and watched the planes fly away and after almost going out of sight they turned and to our dismay came back. They flew to the side of us and after passing us they turned as if they were going to come up behind us to machine gun but they kept straight on and went away.

Since a spearhead of Yanks was 10miles from Wurzburg yesterday we put these planes down to army recon’ planes, no fighters were seen to intercept or get anywhere near them. The boys started lighting fires in the trucks and brewing. We waited at this spot 14 kilo’s from our destination until 6pm then an engine was put on and we moved off but in the wrong direction !. We thought we were going on to another line but after much starting & stopping we arrived at 11pm the same place as we had started Stalag X111D.

We marched from the train into the camp and the griff (rumour) is that the Yanks are advancing as the place we were going to. We got a brew and got the bed down and grimy & dirty (we were in coal trucks) we lay down & slept we had nothing to eat as we had eaten all the biscuits on the journey and even spooned a tin of milk with a small pudding. Gosh it’s good to be back & roll on the Yanks.

Tuesday Apr 3 1945.

Awoke to find Ernie had already brewed and after a wash and tidy Ernie got working and fixed the blower (fire) up again then we got some porridge made.

Soup came up a 11am but it wasn’t up to much good, and after a bit of agitating they gave up yesterdays bread issue & todays ( 1 per 14 & 1 per 7). There was also sugar, salt & potatoes issued for 100 men and when divided between us our combine of 4 men got a Red X box between us. So we came of quite well. The news is grand and the Yanks are reported 38 miles from here, but we are expecting Jerry to move us, as the Red X Rep has announced ‘Nothing definite but a move is expected, I am therefore issuing a parcel per man probably this evening. We’ll march in 500’s and there is no cover each party will take a tent ‘ A buckshee bulk issue was given. This amounted to ¾ H Life tin full of sugar, & 1/3 tin Klim for our combine. There was also some cocoa but we cut & lost ( Tossed a coin for it ) The parcels came up later on with 50cigs and we got 3 English parcels & 1 Yank, 150 cigs & 100 in the Yank.

We finally got to bed only to be awakened in the night by an announcement that all full NCO’s & upward ranks were to hold themselves in readiness to move at 8am in the morning & then by a schnell later on.

Wednesday 4 Apr 1945

Got up to a brew & a slice and then the rumours started- men pulled down the Abert (?) completely down for firewood the German who was on guard just stood by and watched. In stead of stopping them they lent them hammers to facilitate the wrecking. Germans were seen loading wagons ready for the getaway and our boys are more than I have ever seen them before – all cpls and upwards was ordered to move in the Luftlager but some of them took their stripes down (most of them were Stalag-promoted anyway) Directly they went things were disorganised potatoes were scrambled for in our tent and amounts for 250-300 men went to lucky individuals who happened to get there first & order reigned while sugar was issued and we draw a spoonful each. On the news this morning our troops are converging on Nuremberg from three sides these spearheads average 40 kilo’s distant.

The announcement that we must be packed & ready to march off at 8am tomorrow morning came as we watched 2 or 3 RAF planes diving & strafing a place about 15 miles west of here. A lot more boots were issued and we gave the old boots to the Russians in exchange for some knickknacks knives etc. I took a pair of boots and got a mirror for them and gave an old pullover for a knife. We have just heard that the Germans have broken into Red X parcel store, and the RC repres’ has taken a wagon to get the rest out, he may lob them out tonight (this is only supposition and will probably be baloney) Bread came up with buckshee (1 per 7, 1 per 14) and on top of that they opened all unclaimed cig parcels and issued 20 cig per man. Then they told us that we’re not marching tomorrow but just moving over to the Luftlager (most chaps think its just a ruse to get us on the road for marching) I washed and shaved in a high wind and Ernie’s mirror blew away and smashed – he nearly went nuts but I replaced it with one I got from the Russians with some old bootd someone had slung away, I got myself one as well. Went to bed and fell asleep listening to the ‘schwell’ wailing.

Thurs Apr 5 1945

Awoke at 6.45am, got breakfast and then packed our kit ready for this move. Men are throwing all their buckshee clothing to the Russian for knickknacks. We got a bigger Dixie, scissors, mug and bowl (for Ernie) and stood around waiting until about 10am some news came around – it was “The Feldmebel says there’s bread & soup to be issue for today nd no matter whet happens you will not be moving from this Stalag, so you better settle down again.” Unless one is here one can’t imagine the pitch of excitement everyone tapping feet, and asking everyone else what the latest new is, and brewing up every minutes we heard AA fire and looking up saw the sky crisscrossed by condensation ribbons then they started dropping everything they had, and it hit quite close but was concentrated, for about ½ hours formations of planes flew right across the camp and dropped bombs about 3 or 4 k’s away. We were all frightened to death but no bombs came into the camp. I saw no planes shot down but after the raid a parachute was seen right into the target area which is one mass of smoke & belching upwards into the sky and making a sunny day look dismal.

After the said artillery fire could be heard and general opinion is that the raid was to clean the area for the advancing troops, I hope they don’t bomb the camp. Potatoes were issued 2 per man & a spoonful of sugar but no bread. So we cooked porridge & put a tine of milk in it. Officially its parcel issue day tomorrow, but there’s a rumour that there are no parcel. As we went to bed its starting to pour with rain and it looks as thought we’re going to get wet. The 60/c news says the troops are meeting resistance on this front & there is little change 1200 ‘heavies’ bombed Nuremburg & district.

Friday 6 April 1945

Awoke to hear Sgt Dolmesscher saying ‘Jerry wants 600 men to go out working this morning. Bread will only be issued to men who go working’ Lots of answer of ______his bread. If he wants us to go out to clear up bomb wreckage let him come & get us out. Anyway about 10am the ‘Schrell’ went and that finished the working party. We heard some planes but no bombs were dropped here. After pea soup skilly (out of which I picked about ½ dozen beetles) there was an issue of bulk soap (1/2 bar each ) and toilet paper( 1 roll per 15 men ) Everyone is wondering whether there’ll be any parcel issues today. There are tons of rumours about the but they change every 2 minutes – one second they’re issuing at 2pm next second there are no percels, then the parcel store was blown up in yesterday’s air raid. Some excitement was caused about 2pm when 2 Yankee flighter’s flew over the camp about 40ft high- I saw the markings easily – no guns up against them. There was no bread issue today as the bread store was blown up in the air raid. A million loads were destroyed. Some men in search of firewood took the remaining supports of a lavatory away with the result that the roof collapsed – men who were brewing underneath had a narrow escape but nobody was hurt. The water pipe was broken & for two hours water was gushing up into the air. Typhoid has broken out amongst the Russians and camp police started to keep our men from bartering with them. There were 8 deaths today.

About 6o/c in the evening a terrific pall of smoke was seen south of the camp. A posten (guard) said it was Jerry burning his supply dump (3o/o news gave “The Yanks have broken through and are threatening Furth about 14k from Nuremberg) As I lay in bed I thought I heard gunfire but I may have been mistaken nevertheless several other men say they heard it too.

Sat Apr 7 1945.

Ernie awoke me with a cup of tea and after a wash we had the last pkt of biscuits for breakfast (The Yanks better get here quick) we have some blewflakes (?) left and meat stuff but without bread, its hard to make a meal. I expected to hear gunfire this morning but nothing can be heard.

We moved all 5 tins of eggflakes and a tin of oatmeal with water & fried it for dinner-(with jam on it, it tasted like homemade cake) We won the sections spud issue (6 potatoes) a warning about lunchtime made me think the bombers were coming but nothing developed. The weather is good but is very cold and the sky is half cloud causing the sunshine to be on & off all the time – managed to wash my other shirt.

Sugar, margarine and carrots were issued in the afternoon. Then some parcels were seen- these came from several trucks that were discovered on a siding that had been bombed the other day. Some of them are burnt & damaged but welcome, they are probably to be issued in the morning . Bread ( 1 per 8 men) was issued later but it was doughy & seemed only ½ cooked. When I went to bed I could definitely heard gunfire and when I got up during the night it could still be heard.

Sunday April 8th 1945.

Woke up to the sad realisation that we have no bread or biscuits for breakfast, so we boiled up the carrots & 6 spuds and had 2 tins of cottage pie with it. As we were eating at about noon the bombers were heard and they dropped first flares and then bombs on all sides of us but about 10kilo’s away. Everyone watched as the sky is almost clear of clouds and it was a sight. We were told to stand by for moving to another compound so we packed …….again & waited for nearly all day we could hear the drone of planes and terrific explosions to the east of us. I hope our (or rather the Yankee tanks ) are pushing there and their planes are in support as they sound as though they are dive bombing – we moved over to the Yanks compound in the afternoon and the place is knee deep in parcel boxes, woodwork and tins – they must have had more parcels than that.

We managed to get bed boards and soon settled down. I managed to get a smashing headache and up till 8o/c we have had nothing to eat since the skilly of carrots this morning. We waited in the hope that bread would be issued but at 9pm we opened and ate the last of the meat stuff. I tin each of meat roll, bacon a meat pudding & cheese this leaves only spread and brew until the next parcel issue (Tomorrow we hope) went to bed praying the Yanks got a move on and bring food with them.

Monday April 9 1945

Was wakened this morning by the sound of diving planes and MG fire right on top of us – it was Yank fighters machine gunning the railway siding at the side of our camp.