English Translation

- 4 - 56 that all young men would be forced to go to work in the empire, where they would be housed in Baraques and treated very badly. In Russia, however, one enjoys freedom, there would be work everywhere and there could be a lot of money earned. Eger wants to have been persuaded by his comrades and finally by his brother to emigrate. Some recruitment or political influence he denies decisively. He never wants to have been a communist and does not call himself a German enemy. There were very few communists among the emigrants at all. As the main reason for the emigration of the Ruthenes from the Hungarian-became territories Eger gives a strong hatred against the Hungarians. Since emigration by the authorities was forbidden, it was done secretly and meant a task of the homeland. By rail it went to the vicinity of the Polish-Slovak border and from there on foot over the Carpathians. The border crossing took place at Lesko on the San on 30.10.39. All refugees from former Czechoslovakia were arrested immediately after crossing the border by the Soviet militia, sent to Lviv and distributed to other prisons from there. Eger was first taken to Poltawa, later to Kharkov. In August 1940, he was then transported to a labour camp near Kujbyshew, where he was employed with assembly work on the "Mechsawod", a large plant for the production of precision mechanical parts for aircraft. In the labour camp there were about 15,000 convicts, political and criminal criminals of all nationalities, including former Czecho-Slovak nationals of different ethnicities, altogether about 120-140 men. The treatment was bad, the guard was strict. The food was scarce and bad. The work lasted 121⁄2 hours daily and was very heavy. With a work performance of 150% according to the Stakhanov system for at least 10 days a month, the convicts received a monthly salary of 15, Rbl., without additional performance but none. For this money, certain foods could be bought in the warehouse canteen to a limited extent. After completion of the "Mechsawod" in April 1941, Eger became with about 1,500 men, among which also the mechsavod