The Rest of Albert's Story

In speaking with his son, I was told Albert left out a couple parts of the story.  Although they had brought cans of food, they forgot a can opener, so were not able to eat what little food they had.  Also, in order to hide from the guards, they would hide under human cadavers that were piled in the train car.  The friend was captured at the train station and taken back to camp where he stayed until the end of the war.  When he got out of the train station, he asked for help from a person on the street.  This was difficult because they did not want to ask a Nazi sympathizer.  The first person just shrugged and walked away.  The second person, the one in the café, helped him.

Taunte Marthe lived across the street from a Nazi headquarters.  Although the Natz’s raided building, looking for people like him who were hiding, they never raided her building.  Who would be so bold to hide someone so close by?  Albert lived in the attic of the three flat.  The other families knew he lived they, but kept his secret.  What frightened Taunte Marthe was that Albert joined the Belgian Resistance, the underground organization of ordinary citizens who worked against the Nazi’s whenever possible.  He was a gun runner for them.  In exchange for Taunte Marthe’s bravery of hiding him, Albert promised to pay for her housing for the rest of her life.  A promise he kept.

She lived in Liege for many years, in an apartment Albert owned.  She did little things like collecting rent.  Later she moved back to Bastogne, where she lived in a nursing home.  Albert and his wife took very good care of her. 

 Albert was very lucky after the war.  He won the lottery.  With that money, he invested in houses.  In Belgium, many people invest in reverse mortgages, which is how he purchased his homes.  He worked hard with his father as a butcher until his retirement when his oldest son  took over the business.  Albert and his wife had three sons,   His second son built a hotel business in Bastogne.  His third son lives on the outskirts of town.  

The Routes

In his story, several towns were listed for the trip to prison camp near Anklam

Olsene, Belgium

Dienzen, then Ghent

Terneuzen

Then boat to Wezel, (near Emden?)  then camps at Bathorn

Dortmund (camp)

Anklam (finally)

Using those towns, the route looked something like this:

On the way back to Liege was much longer.  As he tells the story, the train ride was:

Anklam

Pasewalk

Swinemunde (part of Poland)

Magdebourg

Aachen

Verviers

Liege

Normally a direct route Anklam to Liege is a little over 500 miles.  His trip was about 750 miles.