My address is Henig Dentist of the German dental ward at Mogilow, Adolf Hitlerstr. 19.
Dear Mr. Senator,
I have finally succeeded in getting a few lines to you through a reliable contact – you who I regard as a father and who I can now express my suffering to. As you may have heard, I was ordered back off the train, along with Dr. Brecher, by Chief Physician Poliacu and the Head of the Cabinet of the Prefecture due to my being a specialist dentist. My authorization was also confirmed over the telephone by the Governor himself. Nevertheless, after returning home, I ended up being dragged to the station in a most unspeakable way in the middle of the night of 14 December by Commissioner Rotar, who was accompanied by two policemen. This meant that I was forced to leave all the luggage I had packed for myself and my family at home. I even had to leave behind the food and couldn’t take anything I needed for the journey. On the way we were forced to go hungry, and by the time we arrived here in Mogilow, my poor little girl had died of hunger. Many, many people are dying every day from the hunger. For me, there is a glimmer of light now in all the darkness. The German armed forces have taken me on as a dentist. They are very happy with my services and help me insofar as they are able. I have got an apartment from them that’s suitable for living in, as well as wood and food. Now, the thing is dear Mr. Senator, that I don’t have my technical and operative tools and other materials with me, which I was obliged to leave behind because of the way the Commissioner handled things. It’s not just that we don’t have a spare shirt or bed linen, or shoes or clothes, but the little that we do have in money and other small exchangeable items was stolen from us on the journey. So dear Mr. Senator, please picture for yourself the desperate situation I find myself in. I have gone from having money, which I worked hard and bitterly to earn my whole life long, to being a beggar – whereas other people seem to have managed to bring lots of things with them.
Dear Mr. Senator! I am writing to you now with an important request. I left something behind in a package at home – the package itself is covered in a colourful Romanian rug and contains, aside from 2 quilts,
my clothes and a few other things, a bag full of Wipla castings – i.e. white metal teeth that have not yet been cast. Given that there is no money available here for teeth and we cannot get any other material either, the Wipla castings are utterly essential to me. As the metal in them is not precious, we are allowed to bring them here. I am asking you sincerely, please do all that you can to get this little bag containing the Wipla castings into your hands for safekeeping. And if possible the small technical tools and the boxes containing the white porcelain teeth, as I need all these exclusively for the German and Romanian armies. Only today, I was appointed to the additional role of garrison dentist for the Romanian army. A German soldier might go and collect these things soon. However, if you do have the chance to send me, in particular, the little bag containing the Wipla castings through someone, I would be very grateful. If possible some wound dressing too. Please forgive my insolence, it is just that I have no one who I can express my anguish to except you. I think that Lieutenant Urbanowicz is the one who has come off worse – the one who has just assumed ownership of my house – because the relevant lieutenant has long been urging that the house be handed over to him for a cheap price. When he saw me on my way home with my pieces of luggage, he got pretty agitated and told me that I would not be staying in R. because he wanted to assume ownership of the house himself. I would be prepared to hand the house over to him at a cheap price if it meant I could come home. I think I have earned it, as even the Prefect is convinced of my respectability and good will. I have worked partially for the army, have placed myself at the service of the wounded and, in addition, my father served as a soldier in the Romanian army. Everyday families go back to the Bukovina, they are called back; and all my work colleagues have stayed behind in Chernivtsi. Many thanks in advance. Yours faithfully, your loyal Dr. P. Henig
Kind regards to your lovely wife.
Please send me a few lines in the post. I would be very glad to hear from you.
Mr. Senator
Joaneti Samoil
Radautz