Early one day we went to Copenhagen and bought furniture, and on 9 January 1941 we moved into “the Painter’s” house, which I had rented for 45 kr. per month, and from which we have many good memories.
On 2 June my wife gave birth to a little daughter who unfortunately died at two days old and was buried in Herfølge cemetery.
On 22 June the war between Germany and Russia began, and back home a corps called “Frikorps Danmark” was formed, which was to be trained in Germany and then deployed in the fight against Communism. After some time of negotiations with my wife, I was allowed to enlist, and I attended the recruitment examination in Slagelse on 16 August, then received my call-up order and left home, after saying goodbye to my family, on 28 August, and departed from the Central Station on 29 August.
Yes, there is no one who has not experienced what it is like to say goodbye to his wife who can understand how difficult it is, and in such a case you don’t know if you will see her again.
In Langenhorn (the training camp near Hamburg) I then met my brother Christian, who had arrived there 2 months earlier with Regiment “Nordvest” [Nordland?]; but upon the arrival of the Free Corps he was transferred to this.
At the beginning of September the battalion was to change camp and was sent to Poland, to a small town called Treskau, 12 km north of Posen and right by the Warta River. Here the training continued with drill and shooting. I was first with the 5th Company; but on 12 October I was transferred to the 2nd Company.
The whole winter we were starving, and in the evenings we would sneak down to the battalion’s potato and carrot pits and steal potatoes and carrots, which were then boiled at night.
When there was tobacco rationing in Germany, all of us soldiers also had cards. Since I don’t smoke, I sold my tobacco card to another Dane, which was reported, and I was sentenced to 3 days in prison on a strict diet, and another comrade got 5 days for the same offense.
I got out of prison on December 23. Christmas Eve went very well, there was good humor, atmosphere and beer on the table, and New Year’s Eve as well.