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POV of a Austrian
7-8-May-1920
The sound of the train echoed as we moved at great speed through the landscape. Under other circumstances, I would have liked to admire it, but there was something from which I could not look away: my father was crying from helplessness while my mother tried to console him as best she could. I and all my brothers and sisters remained silent.
I had never seen my father shed a single tear,however, those circumstances had managed to break the hardest man I knew,In a matter of hours, we had lost everything.
Although there had been rumors and a certain amount of concern over what the new Croatian government might do to us, no one expected anything like that to happen. First, they had suspended our right to vote, but then, from one moment to the next, a large number of Croatian soldiers arrived in our village while we were preparing to work the land.
They began gathering us together and informed us that we would all be expelled from the country. Our lands and properties would be expropriated. They barely gave us time to collect a few belongings before taking us by force to the train.
My father tried to do something. He had been a Hauptmann in the army before being expelled from service, and he recognized several men among the soldiers who had once served under his command.
But none of them wanted to help him.
They simply obeyed the orders of the new government.
All of us traveling on that train were in the same situation. We had been expelled from the homes where our families had lived for generations, and we were only allowed to bring a few suitcases. Even many of our valuables had been confiscated.
We barely managed to leave with some clothing.
That could be felt in the atmosphere of the wagon. Some people cried, others sobbed in silence, and many remained seated with their hands on their heads, unable to accept what had happened.
Time passed with unbearable slowness while I felt a constant pressure in my stomach.
We crossed the landscapes of Hungary, a country I had once wished to visit someday. Now, seeing it from the train that was carrying us into exile, that old desire seemed like a cruel mockery.
We passed near the Hungarian capital, although the train did not stop. I was only able to observe it for a few moments before it was left behind and we continued our journey north.
Supposedly, there was a German nobleman who had defied the British and the French and who, somehow, had managed to retain power even after Germany lost the war. That man offered a house and work to anyone willing to settle in his territories.
The Croatian officers had given us two alternatives as supposed compensation: receive a train ticket to the Baltic Duchy or travel to Austria by our own means.
In reality, we only had one choice.
Travel to the Baltic Duchy.
The train briefly stopped at a station where several officers from a country I did not recognize carried out a quick inspection. Afterward, they allowed us to continue.
More hours passed in silence.
I tried to endure the hunger without saying anything so as not to worry my father, who had barely managed to calm down after spending hours in a state in which I would never have wanted to see him again.
The journey continued until finally the train began to slow down and came to a complete stop.
''Final destination: Kokenhusen. Everyone must disembark'' an officer announced in German while walking through the passenger wagon.
''Franz, help your grandmother and carry this suitcase'' my father said in a dull voice, without raising his gaze.
I made my way between my brothers and sisters until I reached my grandmother, who was sadly watching the landscape through the window. I helped her stand and we began to get off the train.
Many other people also descended, temporarily filling the station with families, suitcases and confused children.
''This way. In order, everyone this way'' another officer called while indicating the direction.
We advanced slowly until we formed a line in front of several tables. Behind them were numerous officials writing without rest and reviewing large books full of names.
We simply waited until our turn arrived.
''Name and surname'' the officer requested, staring at us, while another man kept an enormous register open and waited for my father's answer.
''Johann Leitner'' my father replied.
''Leitner… Leitner… Here it is'' the second official said after turning several pages. ''Married. Six children: four boys and two girls''.
''My wife's mother is also with us'' my father added, raising his voice slightly.
''Yes, she appears in the documentation we received. Do you have any particular profession that may be useful to us?'' the official asked while beginning to write on a typewriter.
''I was a soldier… Hauptmann'' my father replied, straightening a little.
''I have no record of that. Do you possess any document with which you can prove it?'' the officer asked.
My father searched through his clothes, took out some papers and handed them over.
''Ah, here it is. Yes, Austro-Hungarian military documentation'' the official said while reviewing the documents.
''Hum… Unfortunately, the military positions are already covered and we are not looking for more members for the army. However, there are still vacancies in the police, should you be interested, of course'' he added while typing on his machine.
''A man has to earn his bread somehow'' my father replied, making a grimace.
''That is the attitude. Good. Considering the age of your children, I do not think they have any trade in which they possess too much experience, so they will be able to look for work on their own in the town. We already have all your information, so someone will soon deliver your documentation'' he explained while giving my father some of the pages he had just written.
''With that, we are finished. Take this. These are the keys to your new house. You will have to live in it for a minimum of five years and, after that period, it will be considered your family's property. If you abandon the house before that term, the State will recover possession of it'' the other official said while handing us a key and several documents.
I looked at my father and we left the line.
The city stretched out before us and so began our search for the new house. Donauschwabenstraße was the street we had to find and, after walking for a while and asking for directions several times along the way, we finally reached it.
We began advancing along the street, observing numerous houses built in an almost identical manner. Some families were also settling into their new homes.
The houses seemed to have three floors and all of them were practically the same. The only visible differences were the colors, since some of their new owners had already begun painting them.
Finally, we stopped in front of the number indicated on the document. My father took out the keys and remained motionless for a few moments in front of the door before opening it.
When we entered, we discovered that the house was quite large inside. The first thing that drew our attention was several closed boxes we found in what seemed to be the kitchen.
''It is food… A gift from the Herzog'' my mother said, being the first to approach and check their contents.
While everyone examined the food, I began to walk through the house.
I saw several bathrooms, showers and numerous rooms. The ones on the upper floors were just as spacious. When I finished counting them, I silently celebrated upon realizing that I would probably have a room all to myself.
I was far too used to having to sleep with my brothers in the same room.
Without saying too much and trying not to show that I was pleased with that change, I returned to my family. We all began helping prepare the food while we settled my grandmother in a room on the first floor, where we could watch over her and help her more easily.
While we cooked, several trucks stopped in front of the house. The workers unloaded some furniture, also given as a gift from the Herzog, along with basic utensils such as forks, knives, pots and plates.
All of it was received with enormous gratitude, since we had arrived with practically nothing.
The kitchen worked with gas that came through pipes from somewhere. There was also electricity throughout the house. When it began to grow dark, we were able to turn on the bulbs and discovered that the showers even had hot water.
The more we inspected the house, the more obvious it became that this change had been for the better.
The only important difference was that we no longer had our own land to work, so we would have to find new jobs.
During dinner, there were more thanks and prayers to God than ever before. However, it was when I went to bed that I myself gave thanks in silence.
For the first time in my life, I had a room all to myself, located on the third floor.
That night, I was able to sleep without having to listen to my brothers getting up, snoring or moving in the middle of the night.
The next morning, while we were having breakfast, several German officers knocked on the door.
''Good morning. May I come in?'' the officer asked while removing his hat.
My father stepped away from the door to give him space.
''I hope the change in life has not been too abrupt. I have come to inform you that, in three days, you must present yourselves at the town hall to receive your personal documentation. In addition, all of your children under sixteen will have to join the current school year tomorrow''.
The officer briefly checked some documents before continuing.
''This is a Latvian area, so there is the possibility that they may also receive classes in Latvian, provided you agree. Otherwise, only the German curriculum will be applied. From what I understand, you were interested in a position in the police, so, once you finish breakfast, look for our men so they can accompany you to the police station and assign you a post. As for the rest of you, there are numerous places hiring workers''.
''Understood. I thank you for everything'' my father replied.
''Good. I do not like interrupting a family while it is eating, so I will withdraw'' the officer said while putting his hat back on.
As soon as he left the house, my father let out a sigh.
''I do not know how much they will pay me for this job and we still do not know how much it will cost to live here. Franz, you will have to look for some work for the moment. Your younger siblings will have to attend school and I do not know whether they will be able to work at the same time'' he said, making a grimace while lowering his gaze.
''Do not worry, father. I will go out and look for something to do'' I replied with a smile, although I could tell that he was not happy with the situation.
We quickly finished breakfast. My father joined the German officers, who were gathering all the former soldiers to take them to the police station, while I went out to look for work.
I soon discovered that the real question was not whether someone would be willing to hire me, but what kind of work I wanted to do.
There was too much to be done.
After asking several officers and bureaucrats, I immediately understood that there were jobs of every kind.
I could work in construction. West of the city, they were building a dam and needed laborers for temporary tasks, such as reinforcing the diversion channels and preventing them from collapsing.
I could also work on one of the nearby farms, which were not too far from the city.
Those who knew how to read and write could apply for a position at the town hall, since they were trying to fill the administration with local inhabitants instead of depending solely on bureaucrats sent from Riga.
In addition, there were numerous factories in the area. The city was intended to become the main logistical center of the region, responsible for processing the food and raw materials extracted from the surrounding villages and fields.
In the end, I found work at a dairy near our house. There they made cheese and butter, pasteurized milk and also turned it into powder.
As soon as I arrived, they put me to work and gave me a uniform. Afterward, one of the more experienced employees gathered all the newcomers and began teaching us what our future duties would be.
What seemed strangest to me was the way ownership of the factory worked.
The State owned the company, but twenty-five percent of it belonged collectively to those of us who worked there. At the end of each year, the dividends corresponding to that portion would be distributed among us.
However, that right was tied to the job. If someone resigned or was dismissed, he ceased to possess his share.
The strangest part was that, after a period determined by the State, ownership of the factory would change. We workers would come to control seventy-five percent, while the government could sell the remaining twenty-five percent or keep it, depending on what it considered most convenient.
From that moment onward, we would be the ones to choose the people responsible for managing the company.
I worked for around eight hours, although the first day consisted mainly of watching and learning. We were also given an hour to eat. The real work would begin the following day.
Even so, they paid us in advance the salary corresponding to a full month. It was a kind of State subsidy meant to help us adapt to the prices and the local currency.
I returned home with one hundred and eighty Baltic marks in my pocket.
When I entered, I found my father and my brothers placing a portrait of a man on the wall.
From what I could recognize, it was the Herzog.
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If there are spelling mistakes, please let me know.
Leave a comment; support is always appreciated.
I remind you to leave your ideas or what you would like to see.
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