The cruelty of Nazism through
the eyes of a Christian French
National, Aime Bonifas
By: Brandon Messick
HIS 102
Dr. Gaydosh
Aime Bonifas was a young student of the Christian faith living in France
during the time of World War II. The Nazi occupation of France inspired Bonifas to
become a supporter of the French resistance movement. He also wished to avoid
conscription into the Service of Compulsory Labor, which was concocted by the
Third Reich and their French Vichy collaborators. In order to avoid this conscription
that was a certain path to slave labor in Germany, Bonifas and some of his peers
attempted an escape across the French-Spanish border. Bonifas and his comrades
were apprehended within five kilometers of freedom by the German border patrol,
which forbade any undocumented travel from France at that time. This detention
sent Bonifas’ life spiraling out of control as he was transferred from camp to camp,
nearly losing his life countless times throughout his journey.
The transfer between different camps became a significant source of anxiety
and uncertainty as Bonifas lived his life as “Prisoner 20-801”. His life in captivity
would dramatically change with each relocation. One of the first he experienced was
the Royal-Lieu camp in Compiegne. This camp exhibited some positives since the
inmates were provided with ample space and time to enjoy the outdoors. Bonifas
participated in many enjoyable activities with his comrades such as theater, sport
and even a library time. However, the prisoners were sometimes cramped and given
little food to sustain themselves. This extreme hunger would be a common thread
running through each camp he lived in. After Compiegne, Bonifas was transferred to
Buchenwald, which he described as his transformation into a true prisoner. Located
away from France, and this time in Germany, he was subject to the true cruelty of
Hitler’s SS. Here he was introduced to what the Germans called the Schlag that was
essentially a rubber hose filled with lead that was used for whippings. The Schlag
would be a recurring punishment from here on out in his life as a prisoner.
Buchenwald also introduced him to the concept of forced labor, in particular
something known as “garden work”. The work was far from “garden” like, as it
consisted of carrying extremely heavy crates five hundred meters across a rock
filled mud pit that gashed the feet, all the while an SS officer beating with the schlag.
After being introduced to forced labor, Bonifas was moved to Laura, an extension
camp of Buchenwald. Camp life here only went downhill from here with the
continuation of forced labor and a lack of food. There was never a moment of rest at
Laura. The frequent visits to the infirmary at Laura allowed him to endure the
tougher life that came along with the move. Finally the transfers to Mackenrode and
Osterhagen signified the culmination of the forced labor, lack of food and bitter
treatment by the Germans. Many times throughout his time at these camps Bonifas
skirted close to death. Also having to endure another winter in the deteriorating
conditions of these forced labor camps brought particular hardship in his life. With
each new change of camp Bonifas was able to form bonds with new people each
time in order to increase his chances of survival. Also with the changes came new
forced labor assignments, and the manipulation of his assignments played a crucial
part in his quality of life at each camp. Throughout this tumultuous period, Bonifas
came across many different sorts of people.
The people that came in and out of his life throughout his captivity played a
crucial role in his happiness or pain thus his perceptions of individuals varied
greatly. He described Albert, one of his best friends from the very beginning, as a
very popular person among his comrades. He also admired his strength and will to
live as Albert battled debilitating sickness during their imprisonment. Although
Albert eventually passed away while they were separated at different camps,
Bonifas’ high regard of the memory of Albert displayed his extremely positive
opinion of him. Bonfias also viewed several other people positively. For example,
Georges Klouda who assisted him several times during his stays in the infirmary at
Laura played an important role in his survival and his kindness and willingness to
help was greatly appreciated by Bonifas. The block leader Lorentz was viewed as a
father figure to him and made the increasingly difficult life at the forced labor camp
manageable at times. Lorentz essentially looked over his block-mates like his own
children. On the other hand, there were many more that Bonifas had a negative
perception of. Collectively, the German captors were viewed as animals because of
their inability to care for the countless dead and the total lack of mercy on their part.
In particular, Schmidt, who was the head SS official at the Laura camp, was a perfect
example of a brutal, merciless SS officer. However, during Bonifas’ escape
throughout the German countryside, the random acts of kindness from Germans of
various backgrounds changed this perception slightly.
Captivity brought many traumatic and difficult times to Bonifas. Some of
them were one-time events and others were part of a daily struggle. One of the most
difficult daily tasks he had to face was the roll call. The roll call activity was
employed at every Nazi labor camp. Roll call was terrible because of the exposure to
the elements, enforcement with the Schlag, and the times the Germans made the
prisoners carry their dead comrades. Roll call served as a daily reminder of the
brutality of the Germans to Bonifas. There were other specific events that shook him
to his core. The death of his best friend Albert in the spring of 1944 literally made
him weep for the very first time while in captivity. Also, the murder of his friend
Jean Durand by a German kapo caused him to almost want to retaliate and it was
difficult for him to control his emotions. The commando assignments that included
the forced labor were always difficult for Bonifas. Specifically, when he was assigned
to the Walbrecht Grube commando. This assignment was one known to have one of
the highest mortality rates and he had to endure parts of the winter while in it. All
the while his comrades are dying left and right day after day. Through all of these
ordeals it was incredibly important for Bonifas to scrounge for strength wherever
he could.
Religion and god served as the main source of strength for him throughout
his entire experience. Prayer and bible study with his fellow inmates helped to give
them hope and strength. The constant prayer dialogue with god was important so
that he could draw strength from within himself, independently. Interaction with
others also gave him strength. Receiving letters and packages from his family
allowed him to keep the love of his family alive and real. This was another source of
hope and strength. He was able to learn from his friend Albert that there exists a
love that is stronger than hatred. This was important because hatred was all around
them, at all times of the day. Ironically, the leg infection that he suffered while at
Buchenwald/Laura allowed him to build strength throughout the winter by resting
in the infirmary and being with Georges Klouda. The strength he gained allowed him
to formulate strategies to give him an advantage over the camp horrors.
Right from the onset Bonifas realized he had to be smart and try whatever he
could do to give himself a better chance of survival. One of the first things he did was
teach himself the German language. This figured to put him in a favorable condition
with the guards because they despised the prisoners that could not speak or
respond to any German. Another strategy he employed was to admit himself to the
convalescent ward as much as possible. This was highly beneficial because it
excused one from forced labor and allowed much needed rest that was not possible
anywhere on the camp except there. He often explained that his time spent in the
infirmary helped save his life with the rest and healing it provided. Another
important advantage was that Bonifas constantly switched from unfavorable work
assignments to less strenuous ones. He would do whatever he could, such as faking
an injury in order to be excused from that work assignment. These were a few of the
important strategies he used to give himself an upper hand in the game of survival.
Bonifas ultimately viewed the Nazi regime as a group of people who all had
absolutely no care for the lives of others and were evil to the core. He often
described their actions and supposed beliefs as “animalistic”. The survival of Bonifas
from the animals of the Nazi regime is truly admirable. The strength of body and
mind necessary to endure such an experience and then to enjoy life once again
afterwards is amazing. Just as his comrades passed away, the animalistic Nazi
regime did as well, as often predicted by Bonifas himself. He pictured them as all
paying for their actions eventually. This would ultimately hold true.