Gunner Bellas POW Vol 3

Oct 26th 2005.
This is a part of my Father`s journal that he secretly kept when he was a POW at Stalag 4C in Decin, formally Bodenbach in what is now Czech Republic. He was captured after the surrender of Crete in May 1941, he was a gunner in the Royal Artillery. This journal was written in secret and it took me a while to arrange the entries in chronologigal order. The Journal also had other comments and descriptions, poems, jokes etc, which I have not included. Thanks - Mike Bellas

August 23rd 1943
Not much this week. Diphtheria scare was a flop as we went back to work on Wednesday dinner. Very hot weather. On Friday 80 fag parcels came in. About time too! Re. Battle. Ray Condell has written asking Hilton to pay us a visit about him.

August 30th 1943
Bloke went to Tetschen Hospital today and came back with the yarn that he`d seen an Englishwoman there masquerading as a Greek. She said she was in Greece when the Germans entered and couldn’t get away. Knowing Greek prisons and thinking Germans would put her in one she decided to go Greek. Later Germans collected all the single Greek women and sent them to Germany to work. Now she dares not proclaim her nationality for fear of English treated as a spy. She was in hospital as a patient but said that she was not ill but malingering. While two of our blokes were speaking to her a third not knowing but what she was Greek not German shouted to the two telling them in a really strong mouthful to come away.

August 30th 1943
Latest rumour. Charkov fallen; Himmler either assassinated or “hopped it” Phanis and Hassan two Cypriots went out one night from night shift last week and stayed out with two Greek women. They were caught coming back in the early hours of the morning. The guards had been snouted to keep their mouths shut until the following night. The Cypriots have a real ‘snouting’ system. It cost one Cypriot 10-20 per day to stay in the barracks for 6 wks.
Since the 5 blokes escaped the English have been checked 3 times per night during N.S. It is quite common for ¾ of them to be absent “on other business” during these Czechs and Cypriots take their place. The civvies twig it but not the guards. We were told last week that confidential information had come from the M&C at Stalag that we should shortly invade a certain country and if it did it would hold up parcels indefinitely. Black Outlook!

September 1943.
Speaking today to Peter Mowlem on his return from the 6 weeks tour promoted by the Germans. He went to Berlin, passing on the way through areas of blasted houses; more and more numerous as he approached nearer to Berlin. The tour was a flop owing to the almost continuous day and night raids. The camp they stayed in was built of bolted sections which fell apart one night owing to the continued vibration.
On another occasion they were able to read newsprint by the light of incendiary bombs burning in the city, and later the same night a 5-pound incendiary hit one of the huts. They saw Wellingtons dive-bombing and hundreds of 4 engined planes. One night 800 planes came in one raid. Planes came very low and Anti Aircraft fire was very spasmodic and ineffectual. When fighters went up they spent most of the time keeping clear of the bombers. They saw 5 —4 engine bombers shot down in one day and went to look at the wreckage of one four engine. Four figures were covered by tarpaulins but a fifth which was a Negro was left uncovered. The planes when they came first dropped flares, then incendiaries the high explosive. One plane was hit and on fire so dived straight at a factory and resultant explosion flattened the factory. Crowds of people were leaving the city in defiance of orders. They encountered no animosity from the people they met. On four occasions they were booked to play football but could not owing to raids. Everybody in the tour was glad to get back to the camp.
Leaflets were dropped when Italy capitulated telling the Germans to pack in as the Italians did. Incendiaries were showered from Frankfurt like pepper from a pot. Bombs were just dropped anywhere. Nil targets and Civilian? 24 hours parole given to privates only, not NCO`s.

Sept 1st 1943
“Griff” from a bloke who was captured in France. (He has come here to come on a “propaganda tour”) At Bromberg in Poland his Kommando was lined up facing 600 Jews M,W&C. 3 machine guns were turned on the Jews and the Germans said that “Jude mus vic” (must work hard) and that the same would happen to English Jews when England is conquered. He showed us a photo of a graveyard full of English who had refused to work and had been shot on the spot. Also a photo of the funeral of one of them. More officers and men than that. He told us that he saw a kid of 5 kicked so hard by a guard for singing the same tune as the prisoners as they were passing that its spine was broken and it died of gangrene. A Polish woman who was caught giving them bread was tied to a post in front of them, stripped and then beaten with the buts of rifles. She was marched to Poland in order (so said the G.O. in C) to let the Poles see they’re serious. Their KF was a German Yank who made life hell for them. He reviled them if they as much as muttered back he popped at them with his revolver. They had no RC for 18 ms 1200 of them in a place not much bigger than ours thick with lice and lousy grub. No M.O. and no clothing (particularly Boots)

Jim Locke on France. They were in a town just inside Belgium and had orders to move out. Just before they moved refugees started leaving the town. 5th columnists had told them the English were deserting. When the road was congested planes came down machine gunning. They were told that if they picked up any refugees they would be shot.

Rumoured fall of Smolensk. Italy invaded. ??Trouble between Germany and Sweden about fishing rights. Battle back.

September 14th 1943.
Example of “prison mindedness” One night last week half the camp was yelling at each other about which way the belt of the old web equip. fastened — to L or R!!!
Rumours. Landing at Le Havre. Paratroops landing in Czechoslovakia and British radio advising Czechs to help them. Fall of Italy, things are looking up a lot brighter but I`m such a damned pessimist I can’t help mistrusting this sudden rosyness. I suppose 4 years of defeats has soured my mind!

September 19th 1943
A wagon came in this week with a quantity of chaff, dust and ?? tobacco on the floor. You should have seen the rush from the civvies. Cypriots de-bugged this week. The camp was fumigated and when the mattresses were brought out they were thick with bugs. Plenty of good news this week.

September 26th 1943
Bugg. to supply the English-woman with grub.

Oct 2nd 1943. Some Canadian parcels came in this week which had been addressed first to Japan and then to Germany. Tale is that Japan has refused to let Red X operate.

A bloke from the Cypriot. camp went to the docs last week and while there saw some civvies under armed guard. He asked the guard what they were and was told Dutch Saboteurs. Asked if he could speak to them and after slipping the guard a fag was allowed to do so. One of the Dutch said to him in German. “you aren’t English you’re a Cypriot.” It turned out he was a P.T. who had been dropped and kept by civvies and later rounded up as a Dutchman by the Jerries. He said and this was corroborated by a dutcher(?)
That commando raids were almost a nightly occurrence. That ¾ of Rotterdam which had been flattened by Germans was still flat as an example to them and that the remaining ¼ was being decimated by British planes. He said that when the planes came over they circled round the bombing area for a time to allow the civvies to get away frequently coming low and waving at them. The Dutch look upon them as friends he said.

October 1943
A Cypriot has finally done the trick and got a Germany bint in trouble. He had been with her for about 12 months and was given away by a bint he used to send notes with to her. The father of the bint who is in the fact. And one day a while ago called the Cypriot. in question an English bastard. The Cypriot. says he means to ask him now how it feels to be the grandfather to an English bastard.
The Cont(?) officer came around and on parade told us it had it had been heard by several whiners that some of our chaps had threatened to “do” trommer and baer after the war. Search after work last night. On our way up to camp the Posten warned us and gave us chance to hide anything. I had a loaf and hid it I the sleeve of my greatcoat. Battle read letter of thanks from English woman for stuff sent down to her. Comes from Port Talbot and is called Betty. Memel fallen, Russians in Polish Ukraine. Night shift stopped this week. Wailing from the Romeos.

October 1943
Swiss delegation bloke here. Conventions put up in camp.

October 1943
Rumours India has declared war on us (Frank is in India)
The Italians working here were all on the Russian front and refused to fight when Italy packed in. One I saw was wearing a German decoration.

November 1943.
Paris occupied by Japanese troops. All baloney about English paratroopers, with Dutch in Bodenbach. Tick tock in hosp. We’re all Germans. Chalk injections and young nurse. ???????????????????

November 14th 1943
Russians fighting on Polish border - again! Big 6 engine plane flew over here today. Life in North Russia from a posten. All the women are covered with cosmetics but seldom wash. 3&4 families live in one room and sleep on racks around the wall. Intercourse between families common. Eat bread of maize and potatoes. Wear rags around feet from Sept —April as rag wears at bottom more is put on.

Nov 21 2/3 Italians shot in street by Jerry. All guards with fixed bayonets now.

December 1943.
A number of South Africans came to the camp en route for a Kommando at Tetschen. They had been captured at Tobruk 18 months ago and up till 3 months ago had been in Italy. They had a rough time before being sent to Italy. A tin of bully & 2 biscuits daily for rations and 50 or 60 died of starvation. When we took Sicily all the Italian guards buzzed off with one exception who had his throat cut by a French Foreign Legionnaire of which 300 were in the camp. All escaped but were rounded up and sent into Germany. They had seen our bombers in action and said they were deadly. All had topees and were well equipped with uniform etc.

December 11th 1943
Taff Jones threw a detonator into the fire at work and injured 5 Cypriots. Karalambos, Chrysanthos, Philos, Arries and Panyoties. Sent to Stalag on a charge of sabotage. First snow this week!

December 1943
Bill Hillier Coming this ???? - broke into cobblers for drink and nailed boots to bench. Played shining plates in China shop. Earthquake in Lasressa. (?) Blokes not called out from Fruhstuck today so stayed until guard came — 10 o`clock. Plenty trouble lights out ¾ hr early.

Xmas 1943.

Pretty dull except for concert which was a howling success. A silhouette of an operation was best (complete with seductive nurse)
The P.O.W.`s return to an unfaithful wife (Daphne)Surprised in the act was another success.
Percy Sutton had a visit from Father Xmas who brought him a scooter, dolly, puffer and a dummy. He poured hot tea down Father Xmas` neck.
Tea brought round to us in bed.
Gallery of civvies watched the show — wonder what the women thought of Daphne?
Sgt.Battle and Corp. Wiltshire did a trick bike act.

Caught train before it stopped.

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