Trauma and silence

The forced labourers brought with them painful memories, mental and physical trauma.
Feelings of insecurity, nightmares, depression, and illness followed them until their death.
Often, their police file, too. So, many preferred to remain silent or spoke only to a few close friends and family members. This silence was passed on to subsequent generations. Most of their children grew up with fragmented images, were indifferent or avoided asking questions.
Others, however, felt proud of their parent or insisted on learning more.
In the third generation, the memory gaps are large. The indifference of the state and society
has been a hindrance over time. However, in families where the memory has been preserved,
new generations remain keenly interested.

“I felt it was my duty [to talk about my father’s captivity]. It is! Anyone who doesn’t see it as a duty isn’t thinking straight. […] I’ve talked to my children about it, too, but I don’t see much interest. I’m sorry to say that.”
Konstandinos Tzanidis, survivor’s son
“[My father] died in ’77 […] When the autopsy was performed, [the doctor] told me: ‘Your dad didn’t have any lungs! He still had cavities from tuberculosis he’d brought back from Germany, and they had to scoop out his lungs and blood with spoons!”
Konstantinos Tzanidis
“I remember when I first came here to the house and met his father; at night, while he was sleeping, I could hear him! He… was scared, he was screaming! […] He was probably having nightmares about what he went through over there in Germany […] and he was screaming. He’d say, ‘Put that down, get out of here, don’t hit me!”
Apostolia Kontoriga, daughter-in-law of a forced labourer
“All the terrible things we went through. Unfortunately, people today can’t believe such things happened. I might not be able to sleep tonight; it all plays out like a movie in my mind.”
Marianthi Nachmia, forced labourer

“I am still suffering to this day…”

Survivors' claims for compensation due to severe disabilities (1962)

Vasilis Kostoulas from Sourpi (1908) spent 21 months at the Essen camp, where he was forced to work at the Wattenberg Aqueduct. The court recognized him as totally disabled due to physical and mental injuries.

“ As a result of the aforementioned torture and hardships I endured in general at the German camp, I have since been afflicted with a chronic psychopathological condition of a schizophrenic nature, from which I continue to suffer to this day since not only a recovery but even a mere improvement in my condition has proved impossible, despite all the efforts made.”

Greek State Archives, Magnesia branch, Volos Court of First Instance Archives, Nazism Rulings, No. 117/16.12.1963.

Apostolos Tsantos, 60% disability

Apostolos Tsantos, a blacksmith from Volos (1917), was deported to the camps at Bathorn and Essen. Due to the harsh conditions, he contracted tuberculosis and was forced to give up his trade.

“As a result of deprivation and exhausting labour, I suffered from body swelling and fainting spells, so they admitted me to the International Hospital in Düsseldorf. After two months of hospitalization there, I was sent back to the ESSEN camp and was again put to work as a labourer on various exhausting tasks […]. My attending physicians concluded that I had contracted pulmonary tuberculosis, a disease resulting from the aforementioned deprivations and hardships.”

Greek State Archives, Magnesia branch, Volos Court of First Instance Archives, Nazism Rulings, No. 943/June 30, 1962.