Tonight at 8 pm we were given a one hour notice in which to prepare for evacuation. Boy--this is going to be just plain hell. At 4 am we finally assembled in front of our barracks, and after being counted, moved out onto the road, where we were all issued a Red Cross parcel. It snowed continuosly.

Halbau, Germany, Sunday evening, Jan. 28, 1945

Tonight we're lodged in an unheated church--2000 of us in a church with a resting capacity of 350. The temperature all day long was approximately zero. We had marched, in all, 18 kilometers--from 5:30 am until we got inside the church at about 9 pm. We had marched all day in a blizzard, carrying improvised packs--I've never before been so cold and miserable in all my life.

The Goon guards walked beside the column with rucksacks, picking up any food, clothing etc. which we Kriegies were carrying but had to discard because our packs were too heavy to carry in our weakened condition. All day long I've eaten only a few prunes and crackers. The Goons were supposed to feed us tonight---but, "cest la guerre."

4 km west of Friewaldau, Germany, Monday evening, Jan. 29, 1945

Last night we were so miserable and cold in the church we couldn't sleep a wink. Because I was one of the first into the church, I was lucky and got to sit in a pew. The General and the Eagle Squadron took over the sanctuary, with the General sleeping on the altar. The place looked like the inside of a beehive.

We were ousted at 8 am, and marched until 4:30 pm--a total of 14 kilometers today. The blizzard increased in intensity, and the wind velocity increased to about 30 mph. Tonight 600 0f us are housed in a barn of about 50' X 150'. God--what hell on earth this is. It almost seems as though we'd be better off dead.

I ate a can of cold corned beef, a few prunes, and a couple of crackers during the entire day. Again, we were supposed to have been fed by the Goons, but their supply trucks didn't arrive.

I understand that all the Sagan Kriegies--12000--are all on the road marching. God alone knows where we're going. The fellows are throwing away much of their clothing because their packs are too heavy--The Goons pick it up and trade for food, etc. for themselves in the villages through which we pass. The road along which we're marching looks as though garbage trucks had driven along and thrown tin cans, rags, books, papers, scraps, etc. out in front of us.

My pack weighs about 35 lbs., tho it feels like 350 lbs. I don't think it will be to difficult for the Russians to follow us.