The tattooist of Auschwitz (IV)

Herr Doktor Josef Mengele. It´s the first time that Lale Sokolov meets the Angel of Death. He came whistling and selecting 'patients' from the row that was getting tattooed.

When you are in a survivable condition, dirty, hungry, sick and humiliated, surrounded by rifles pointed at your head, would you be interested in playing a football game? A football game. That was Baretski's heartless proposal to our Tätowierer; he would also be in charge of gathering the eleven prisoners for the 'friendly' match against the SS.

There are several pages describing the prolegomena of the game and one thing that I — a great lover of this sport — didn´t know: in 1943 the referee was the one who gave the first kick to the ball and passed it to one of the teams. In this case, as you may have guessed, brilliant reader, the SS men start by controlling the ball.

Although the prisoners were a better team, beating the masters was dangerous, so...

Time passes slowly and in Block 10 Mengele continues to inspect the poor wretches who have fallen into his hands. His lustful fingers explore the hair, the head, the mouth and the breasts of bodies that shiver in fear. Some of the young women will be under the direct ‘care’ of Herr Doktor.

In this chapter, number 14, the writer tells us about the castration of Leon, Lale's assistant, and the feeling of rage and revenge that is born in the protagonist's chest.

Also described here is the horrifying sight that we would have to endure while going through the Crematorium Three if we had to clarify what happened to two corpses that have the same number. These Nazis were really meticulous, don't you think?

So far we could say that Lale Sokolov is the only Jew who has entered an oven and has come out alive.

 

From my Borstal.

LDR

 

 

The tattooist of Auschwitz.- Morris, Heather.- Zaffre, London, 2018